A friend of mine had a co-worker who is getting married on May 18. Invites went out three weeks ago (crazy early, it seems) and my friend RSVP'd yes right away, fully expecting to attend.
Last Friday, my friend found out her son has been invited to audition for a honor musical group. Auditions are in mid-April, and my friend won't know if her son is accepted until April 27ish. The performance is scheduled for...May 18. Logistically, it's impossible for my friend to do both. It's extremely likely her son will make the group - he's really good.
My friend asked me what she should do, and as a recent bride, I told her I'd want to know ASAP if there might be a conflict - just to know I'd need to follow up with her closer to the date and confirm her RSVP was still good. In my mind, letting the bride know by April 27th would still leave plenty of time to give the caterer a headcount, prepare a seating chart, or complete whatever other guest-name/number-dependent tasks existed. So, my friend went into work on Monday and explained the situation to the bride.
The bride flipped out - told my friend she PROMISED to attend, that her son would have LOTS of other performances, and it wasn't FAIR that she was possibly holding onto her seat until the 27th (helloooo, B list...). Ever since, the bride has refused to speak to my friend. They're both receptionists for a medical office and share a work area, so it's been...awkward. I thought I'd put it out there - is there something my friend could have done differently? She's now thinking about declining the wedding altogether, whether her son makes it into the honor group or not...but doesn't want to cause further drama at her work.