A woman's decision to skip a celebratory meal that followed her brother's wedding has sparked widespread support among viewers online.
The woman, known on Reddit as u/previousindividual13, took to the platform on August 9 to say that she chose to give the dinner party a miss after her brother's wife decided that family members under the age of 21 should not be invited to their wedding ceremony.
This policy resulted in the woman being uninvited, as she was 18 when the wedding was being planned. Her viral post, which detailed her decision to skip the meal, quickly garnered over 16,000 upvotes, with many readers siding with her stance.
"His wife decided it would be inappropriate to have anyone under 21 at their wedding since they would be serving alcohol and didn't want any 'minors' to get drunk at their wedding," the woman said.
Her repeated requests to reconsider were dismissed, leading the poster to distance herself emotionally from the event. The tension came to a head when she refused to attend a family dinner celebrating the marriage, citing her exclusion from the wedding as the reason.
Sandra Kushnir, founder and CEO of Meridian Counseling, told Newsweek that the woman's feelings of hurt and rejection are entirely understandable.
"The feelings of frustration that stem from not being invited to a sibling's wedding are completely valid," Kushnir said. "Exclusion from such a significant event, especially for a reason that seems arbitrary or unfair, can naturally lead to feelings of rejection and anger."
The licensed marriage and family therapist added that it is now crucial for the woman to understand and reflect on these emotions before deciding how to move forward.
"While the choice not to attend the celebration was a way of asserting her boundaries, it's also important to consider the long-term effects this decision might have on her relationships with her brother and the rest of her family," said Kushnir, who leads a team of mental-health providers in both California and Utah.
The therapist advised having an open conversation with the brother, saying that it could be beneficial if focus is kept on expressing feelings without assigning blame to allow for healing.
In her post, the woman said that other younger family members, such as her 13-year-old female cousin and 15-year-old male cousin, were similarly uninvited to the wedding due to the no-under-21 rule. However, unlike her, they did attend the family dinner, though she believes they likely had little choice in the matter.
The Reddit post has resonated with many readers, who felt the woman's decision to skip the celebratory dinner was justified, given the circumstances.
"'Sorry, I understood the celebration was for family, and I am apparently too young to be included in your family. Besides, the restaurant served alcohol, and of course you can't possibly allow a minor in a place that serves alcohol lest I completely lose control and drink myself silly as I have never done in my life even without your supervision'," one user, u/katja1236, wrote. Their comment has been upvoted more than 8,600 times.
Another user, u/deus_vult666, added: "With all due respect, you brother's a jerk for allowing this behavior and his wife is acting with such stupidity. Not to mention, you were 18, you were not a minor."
"It was rude, hurtful, and silly of them not to invite you," a third user, u/used_mark_7911, shared.
Newsweek reached out to u/previousindividual13 for more information via Reddit.
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