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Crazy bridesmaid, LONG

This happened months ago but still bothers me from time to time and so I just wanted to see some of your alls opinions as you aren't close to the situation.

After I got engaged I asked on of my friends *Kayla to be a bridesmaid. She and I had been good friends for ~3 yrs. and was the reason my FI and I met.

She and I had some issues a few months before I got engaged. She asked my opinion about a guy she wanted to date. I told her I didn't think he was looking for a serious relationship and had alcohol issues. I got this from comments on his FB such as "Fat chicks better not even bother talkin to me cuz I ain't wasting my time". Also he had multiple DUI's and had been to jail a few times for alcohol related incidents, still drinks regularly and not in any kind of program. She got mad that I would judge him because he told her he wanted a serious relationship and was fine with alcohol (yea like he is going to tell you he just wants in your pants). We stopped talking for a few weeks until the inevitable happened (he was an a$$ to her and she realized I was right, he just wanted in her pants). She apologized and was going to try to be a better friend. Even though she wasn't the biggest fan of fi and I dating anymore(jealousy I believe because as soon as she had a man she would always say how awesome it was we both had someone and want to double date, then when no man was around she hated that I spent time with fi) she had been a good friend to me previously so I thought we could give it another try.

Once FI and i got engaged she was super excited and wanted to help any way she could. I asked her to be a bridesmaid. She was great and super stoked about our destination wedding. As none of our friends have money to spend we worked it out so we could pay for most of the trip. 5 days, 4 nights in Costa Rica for $250 per person (doesn't even cover the plane ticket, was more of a guarantee they wouldn't flake on us). About a month and a half into planning (luckily before any money was put down on anything) I check in with her about the destination wedding and if she can afford the $250. She says yes and asks if it will be $250 for *Dameon as well. I ask who that is as I had never heard of him before. She tells me he is this guy she started dating a week ago. I say we can't afford that and we are only have close friends and family go(20 ppl total including FI and I). She says he may be able to pay some more but not sure. I say it makes me kind of uncomfortable as I had never met him and the wedding was still over 9 months away. That's a big thing to commit to for someone she's dating a week.

She and I hang out a few times and we discuss her and him. She tells me how great he is and that he has a degree, a good job, and even a house. I say wow and ask her about the house. She tells me where it is but says she's never been because (brace yourself) " Oh I haven't been to the house yet, his wife still lives there". Hold on a minute what? He's still married? Yeppers. Oh but he's gonna get a divorce.

I talk to my FI and we decide there is no way we can be comfortable with her bringing a MARRIED man that we've NEVER MET to our VERY private and intimate wedding. I try explaining to her we aren't comfortable with it but that we would love for him to come to the at home reception.

She gets extremely mad, tells me they are meant to be together and are spending the rest of their lives together (yea I'm pretty sure his wife thinks/thought that too). Says it's not fair she'll be alone at the wedding (all the other people going are couples because 1) they are married and I'm not telling someone to leave their spouse at home 2) both people are in the wedding). I try explaining to her our reasoning but it's to no avail. She then proceeds to tell my FI still has his ex girlfriends name on the house we live in (I already knew that bad decision plus market crash = can't get her name off) so its no different than *Dameon still being married. I say UM NO!! I find adultery MORALLY WRONG, having an ex's name on the house sucks but is not morally wrong. I  say i'm not trying to judge them, yes he marriage may really be over, yes *Kayla and he may be in love and live happily ever after I'm just saying i feel uncomfortable with the situation and would like to avoid it if possible. She then says "good luck with your marriage, we both know it wont last". I'm shocked at this point and just stand there silent, I wish I could have said "Wish I could say the same but oh wait he's not married to YOU now is he" but I couldn't I was just caught so off guard by her comment. She then also tells me I'm a selfish B and to go to hell. I say well i'm guessing your not going to the wedding. Good luck to you and *Dameon. I believe we are done. She hangs up.

On top of it all the day we have this convo is my birthday and she didn't even know it. I don't really feel to bad as she had become a bad friend anyways and it was best to end our friendship.

I still would like to have your opinions. I know your not supposed to judge invited guests relationships (I gave all my guests to the reception a plus 1 regardless of time dating, etc.) but what about adulterers? Was I wrong to tell her it made FI and I uncomfortable to have her married adulterous boyfriend (that she had just met) to our very private wedding (it seemed like a slap in the face at the principal of marriage, bad mojo you know)?


There, sorry it was so long, kudos if you read the whole thing, you deserve a drink. LOL.

*name changed

Re: Crazy bridesmaid, LONG

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    Here's my take:

    If you feel that what she's doing is immoral and wrong (and I don't blame you), then you're within your rights to break off the friendship and not talk to her anymore. Which means that she's no longer a bridesmaid or a friend.  

    But if you're saying, "I still want to remain friends and you can be my bridesmaid, but your boyfriend isn't welcome to my wedding," then you're sending mixed messages. You're basically saying that her behavior is "immoral and wrong" but ultimately it's O.K. as long as you don't have to see it.

    You need to pick a side here ... either tell her that you don't like her behavior and you'd rather not be friends anymore, or just accept your friend for who she is and butt out of her love life.

    No matter what, you're not obligated to pay for her Flavor of the Month to attend your wedding.
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    edited March 2012
    Yeah, so, after skimming all of this, here are my thoughts....

    - It sucks and I do get what you're saying about having an individual you barely know at your intimitate wedding, BUT if Kayla and Damien are dating, he'll need to be extended an invitation.

    - I don't condone dating married men, HOWEVER, it's her life and her biz, so I'd just keep your comments to yourself. If you already have a feeling that they won't end up together, let alone, be together in 9 months, then I'd save your breath. If your moral obligation is that strong, you can always part ways with Kayla, and end the friendship.

    - You are in NO WAY obligated to pay for his trip. That's on them.

    - In my opinion, I'd keep this girl at an arm's length, and let her just do what she's going to do. I wouldn't say too much to her about the guys she is choosing to keep as company. Because, when you two discuss guys, that seems to be when the problems arise.

    Are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?
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    Personally, I wouldn't have asked someone who is so flaky and ready to cut you off to be a bridesmaid in the first place, but that's just me.

    I've always heard that it is courtesy to allow bridesmaids to have guests as your wedding.  It's not required, but it is sort of a thank you for being in your wedding, paying for a dress/shoes/etc.  Therefore, I would say you should invite her boyfriend to your wedding.

    You do not, however, have to pay for him at all.  My friend (now bridesmaid) had a destination wedding.  While my now FI (who I had been with for 4 years at the time) was invited, she was not able to pay for his accomodations, as she was going to do for me.  If he was going to come, we'd have to find our own accomdations.  That was totally fine with me and I thought it was fair - she was putting out a lot of money for this and I'm her friend, not him (he ended up not being able to take the time from work, but that's neither here nor there).  So, I do think she's out of line demanding you pay for him.

    As for judging your friend, yes, it's your right to do so.  However, I will say from personal experiences on the subject (ie friends with relationships that aren't exactly on the moral high ground) that that's a slippery slope.  Everyone has to live their own life.  You can make the choice to judge all of your friends decisions, but be prepared to lose a lot of friends.  Or you can make the choice to be supportive (but not too involved) and keep a lot of friends.  I chose the latter; some of our other mutual friends chose the former.  I am now still friends with these people and I am so lucky to have their friendship.  The others aren't friends with them (and have lost touch with a lot of our mutual friends for shunning the friends who'd made some bad decisions) but feel right in upholding their morals. It's up to you which is more important to you.  I'm not exactly sure if this applies to this friend (as, again, someone who is that vicious when you don't agree with her wouldn't be exactly my cup of tea), but it's just my two cents on the subject
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    Wow do we have the same friend???

    I dealt with a crazy B just like this and have since stopped talking to her.  Honestly...it was the best decision I have ever made.  Some "friends" just suck the life out of you, and that's not a true friend.

    HOWEVER if you do want to stay friends with her, apologize (I know, it's hard) and tell her you still want her in the wedding.  If he wants to come, he has to pay his own way in full since you can't afford paying for him.  This is a good compromise and let's face it, they probably won't still be together in 9 months.

    It all depends on what you want.  The path I took (cutting her out of my life) was right for me because it was a totally 1-sided friendship anyways.  If this girl really is a great friend to you, it might be worth it to swallow your pride and apologize.
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    Honestly, I'd get rid of her. She seems extremely unstable about a lot of things. If she asks your opinion then give it to her. Also, IMO, its your wedding and if there is someone you feel uncomfortable being there then they should be. I completely agree that I wouldn't put stock in their 1 week relationship and him being married. 9 times out of 10 we all know it never ends in divorce and the women gets strung along. He's saying what she wants to hear. For me and FI, her lasts comments would have been the final straw. Maybe the best thing you can do it make a break from this friend before your wedding and revisit the situation afterwards. I personally wouldn't apologize to her for HER behavior. She should never expect you to pay for a guest to come to such a small wedding. Most of our WP is not bringing guests because of our wedding size, BUT, they agreed to it and 2 of them actually gave up their guests (their idea) so that a mutual friend could attend. She was wrong, not you. I'd cut her loose.
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    Yeah, normally I'd say SOs should be invited, but if he's married, by ettiqute I believe you'd have to invite his wife?  That's what I would say, anyways. 

    But honestly, I would just leave things alone.  She doesn't sound like someone I would want as a friend, regardless of who she's dating. 
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    Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend. - Andrew Futral

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    In Response to Re: Crazy bridesmaid, LONG:
    [QUOTE]Yeah, normally I'd say SOs should be invited, but if he's married, by ettiqute I believe you'd have to invite his wife?  That's what I would say, anyways.  But honestly, I would just leave things alone.  She doesn't sound like someone I would want as a friend, regardless of who she's dating. 
    Posted by dubird[/QUOTE]

    This is exactly what I was thinking.

    I would be tempted to play dumb and say that if he wants to come you will send an invitation to he and his wife, but you obviously can't invite just him, as that would be very rude. This would almost definitely end your friendship, but it would be so very fun to say.

    I would probably end up actually just leaving it be unless she contacted me again.
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_crazy-bridesmaid-long?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:37Discussion:4106ae8a-3ace-44ee-9a7d-fe83fcaa23a6Post:014bc969-60cc-4f7f-86e8-01b5bec5edb5">Crazy bridesmaid, LONG</a>:
    [QUOTE]<strong>This happened months ago but still bothers me from time to time and so I just wanted to see some of your alls opinions as you aren't close to the situation.</strong> After I got engaged I asked on of my friends *Kayla to be a bridesmaid. She and I had been good friends for ~3 yrs. and was the reason my FI and I met. She and I had some issues a few months before I got engaged. She asked my opinion about a guy she wanted to date. I told her I didn't think he was looking for a serious relationship and had alcohol issues. I got this from comments on his FB such as "Fat chicks better not even bother talkin to me cuz I ain't wasting my time". Also he had multiple DUI's and had been to jail a few times for alcohol related incidents, still drinks regularly and not in any kind of program. She got mad that I would judge him because he told her he wanted a serious relationship and was fine with alcohol (yea like he is going to tell you he just wants in your pants). We stopped talking for a few weeks until the inevitable happened (he was an a$$ to her and she realized I was right, he just wanted in her pants). She apologized and was going to try to be a better friend. Even though she wasn't the biggest fan of fi and I dating anymore(jealousy I believe because as soon as she had a man she would always say how awesome it was we both had someone and want to double date, then when no man was around she hated that I spent time with fi) she had been a good friend to me previously so I thought we could give it another try. Once FI and i got engaged she was super excited and wanted to help any way she could. I asked her to be a bridesmaid. She was great and super stoked about our destination wedding. As none of our friends have money to spend we worked it out so we could pay for most of the trip. 5 days, 4 nights in Costa Rica for $250 per person (doesn't even cover the plane ticket, was more of a guarantee they wouldn't flake on us). About a month and a half into planning (luckily before any money was put down on anything) I check in with her about the destination wedding and if she can afford the $250. She says yes and asks if it will be $250 for *Dameon as well. I ask who that is as I had never heard of him before. She tells me he is this guy she started dating a week ago. I say we can't afford that and we are only have close friends and family go(20 ppl total including FI and I). She says he may be able to pay some more but not sure. I say it makes me kind of uncomfortable as I had never met him and the wedding was still over 9 months away. That's a big thing to commit to for someone she's dating a week. She and I hang out a few times and we discuss her and him. She tells me how great he is and that he has a degree, a good job, and even a house. I say wow and ask her about the house. She tells me where it is but says she's never been because (brace yourself) " Oh I haven't been to the house yet, his wife still lives there". Hold on a minute what? He's still married? Yeppers. Oh but he's gonna get a divorce. I talk to my FI and we decide there is no way we can be comfortable with her bringing a MARRIED man that we've NEVER MET to our VERY private and intimate wedding. I try explaining to her we aren't comfortable with it but that we would love for him to come to the at home reception. She gets extremely mad, tells me they are meant to be together and are spending the rest of their lives together (yea I'm pretty sure his wife thinks/thought that too). Says it's not fair she'll be alone at the wedding (all the other people going are couples because 1) they are married and I'm not telling someone to leave their spouse at home 2) both people are in the wedding). I try explaining to her our reasoning but it's to no avail. She then proceeds to tell my FI still has his ex girlfriends name on the house we live in (I already knew that bad decision plus market crash = can't get her name off) so its no different than *Dameon still being married. I say UM NO!! I find adultery MORALLY WRONG, having an ex's name on the house sucks but is not morally wrong. I  say i'm not trying to judge them, yes he marriage may really be over, yes *Kayla and he may be in love and live happily ever after I'm just saying i feel uncomfortable with the situation and would like to avoid it if possible. She then says "good luck with your marriage, we both know it wont last". I'm shocked at this point and just stand there silent, I wish I could have said "Wish I could say the same but oh wait he's not married to YOU now is he" but I couldn't I was just caught so off guard by her comment. She then also tells me I'm a selfish B and to go to hell. I say well i'm guessing your not going to the wedding. Good luck to you and *Dameon. I believe we are done. She hangs up. On top of it all the day we have this convo is my birthday and she didn't even know it. I don't really feel to bad as she had become a bad friend anyways and it was best to end our friendship. I still would like to have your opinions. I know your not supposed to judge invited guests relationships (I gave all my guests to the reception a plus 1 regardless of time dating, etc.) but what about adulterers? Was I wrong to tell her it made FI and I uncomfortable to have her married adulterous boyfriend (that she had just met) to our very private wedding (it seemed like a slap in the face at the principal of marriage, bad mojo you know)? There, sorry it was so long, kudos if you read the whole thing, you deserve a drink. LOL. *name changed
    Posted by vsnoberg[/QUOTE]

    You say this happened months ago; do you know if she's still with Married Guy?
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    I don't really feel like most girls just out of the blue start making terrible decisions like dating married men or alcholics that won't get help.  I know it's hard to talk to her without sounding judgmental, but you really need to just either accept that 1) your friend makes terribly poor decisions or 2) you can talk to her about it.  Like I said, I believe she's always been this way.  Just because it's your wedding doesn't mean your friend is going to start dating a nice guy and having a normal relationship.  Regardless of all of those things, I don't believe etiquette requires you to invite these two together because in my eyes they aren't a social unit, and yes, I believe that would very much be saying that you're okay with the relationship.

    If and when you do talk to her about it in the future, you need to keep the focus to "Friend, I'm concerned for you because I don't want to see you get hurt."  Not "I can't believe you would do that, you know better."  You need to express your concerns in a way that shows you're concerned for her and that she could do better without chastising her.
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    edited March 2012
    I can understand you not wanting to pay to have a known adulturer and his mistress come to your wedding.  I agree with PPs who said you should not have been expected to pay for him, but I disagree that after one week of togetherness he was significant enough to be an automatic plus one, not to mention her track record with relationships so that she may go through 4 or 5 horrible boyfriends between now and then.

    All that being said, she's a horrible friend, do you really have time in your life to dealwith her constant drama?  I would lose her number and dodge her calls, seriously, just have nothing else to do with her.  She's a fairweather friend, only around when things are absolutely perfect, but let anything not be her way, and watch the storm come.  Don't let this girl occupy anymore space in your brain and move on.
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    Is he actually committing adultery? You don't say whether the wife knows he's dating your friend. 

    I say that because I was legally married when I met my fiance. We had been separated over two years at that point. For financial reasons, we hadn't finished the divorce yet, and I was still living with him. I was not cheating, it was well past over at that point, and we both knew it and had accepted it.

    You aren't obligated to pay for her guest. I think you should let it go, though, because it happened a long time ago. You've got better things to stress about. Just let the friendship be over and move on. 
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    Thank you all. You've made me feel better. I haven't talked to her since she told me my marriage wasn't going to last. I think it's for the best as i couldn't keep dealing with her drama and such when she was a bad friend most of the time. As she introduced FI and I, I think i kept trying to hold on to the friendship.

    I love the invite to him AND his wife lol.

    I have no idea if they are still together and yes I know they were comitting some kind of adultery as she told me that he told her his wife doesn't really want the divorce and will contest it when (if) he filled paper work. The way she talked about their relationship (she can only get a hold of him Thursday and Friday evenings "cuz of his work") it seemed like the wife may not have even know (whole thing was "shady").
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