'I was cutting my wedding cake when I saw what my friend was doing. It ruined my entire day.'

As told to Ann DeGrey.

I'd waited a long time for my wedding day.

After a string of sh*tty "situationships" and one very painful breakup in my early 30s, I'd started to think that maybe I'd never find my person.

And then, during a friend's birthday drinks at a tiny bar in Adelaide, I met Jimmy*. He was absolutely gorgeous and totally uninterested in playing games.

He moved to Melbourne to be with me and a year later he proposed during a weekend away.

I spent months planning our wedding, making sure everything was perfect, from the garden ceremony to the beautiful reception.

We weren't after anything huge or flashy, just a celebration of love with our family and friends. I didn't think that was too much to ask for, having wanted this for so long.

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We invited our nearest and dearest, including some of my workmates I'd become friendly with.

One of them was Alison*.

We weren't close friends, but we got along well and had shared laughs and witnessed plenty of drama in the office.

I wasn't going to invite her at first, but being a people pleaser, I felt bad thinking she'd feel left out if I didn't add her to the list. But, later I wished I'd left her off my list!

The ceremony was beautiful, and I truly felt like the luckiest woman alive. The reception kicked off with some brilliant speeches, some hilarious, others were touching.

The food was divine, everyone seemed very happy. Everything was going very smoothly.

Then, just after the cake-cutting, something strange happened. There was a loud cheer coming from the back of the room.

At first, I thought maybe someone had dropped a glass or made a funny toast. But then my matron of honour came over, looking a bit stunned.

"You're not going to believe this, but Alison's just done a gender reveal. At her table," she said.

I think I just said, "What, no way?"

So it turns out, Alison, who was a few months pregnant, had brought along coloured confetti poppers.

Right after the cake cutting, she and her husband, along with the table of work friends, counted down and popped blue confetti into the air, while someone live-streamed it to her family back home.

Yes. A gender reveal. At my wedding.

There was blue confetti flying, people cheering, and in the background, you could clearly see Jimmy and I standing at the cake table, completely unaware.

I was mortified. Not just because it was incredibly disrespectful to hijack someone else's event, but because it was all over social media before the night was even over.

People congratulated Alison and tagged the venue. There were even comments like, "What a fun surprise!" and "Best gender reveal ever!"; as if it had been part of the plan.

What upset me most was that she hadn't even asked. This wasn't just a casual dinner or a backyard BBQ; it was my wedding.

A once-in-a-lifetime moment that she decided to use for her own spotlight. And the fact she broadcast it online made it feel even more humiliating.

When I confronted her, Alison didn't even apologise. She said it was just a small moment and that I was overreacting.

"My husband thought it was hilarious," she said, as if that made it better.

I told her I thought it was tacky and inconsiderate. That I'd spent months and thousands of dollars planning one of the biggest days of my life, and she'd used it as a backdrop for her own announcement without asking.

She tried to laugh it off, saying it was "just a bit of fun."

We're no longer friends, and I've unfollowed her on everything and told our mutual colleagues what happened.

Most were horrified on my behalf. I mean, it takes a certain kind of ego to do what she did. There is no way I'd do anything that drew attention to myself at someone's wedding.

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There's a rule about not wearing white to a wedding, to prevent drawing attention away from the bride – so there should be a rule about not doing gender reveals at weddings!

Jimmy, being a peacemaker, said he didn't mind. But I know he was just trying to calm me down.

He knew how much effort I'd put into making that day ours. And he knew how hurt I was that someone I considered a friend would think so little of that.

If you're reading this and planning a wedding, here's a tip: make it clear that your big day is just for you.

No surprise announcements, no proposals, and absolutely no gender reveals.

Some moments are meant to be shared, others should never be hijacked.

*Names changed for privacy reasons.

Feature Image: Getty. (Stock image used for illustrative purposes).