May 4, 2024 at 1:38 am

Her Stepsister Selfishly Made Her A Handmade Wedding Dress That Wasn’t Her Style, So She Ended Up Going With What She Liked

by Matthew Gilligan

Source: Reddit/AITA/Unsplash/@hernameisbu

You only get one shot at a wedding…

Well, a lot of people take MORE THAN one shot, but you get my point…

So, let’s get to the story: was this woman out of line for refusing to wear a dress her stepsister made her for her big day?

Get all the details below and see what you think.

AITA for not wearing the wedding dress my stepsister handmade for me?

“I (25F) got married two weeks ago. My now-husband (27M) and I paid for most of the wedding, but my father covered a few costs for us.

My father’s girlfriend “Stella” has a daughter, “Zoey” (21F), who is finishing her degree in fashion. She wants to get into the wedding dress industry once she graduates. When I started planning my wedding, she offered to design and make my dress.

She wasn’t so sure about this…

I was hesitant at first, as I’d been excited about picking out my own dress.

I agreed because I didn’t know Zoey well (my father had only been dating her mother for two years) and I thought this could be a nice opportunity to bond. Also, I’d seen some of her work (she’d made a couple ball gowns in college), and she seemed honestly good.

We met up a few times to discuss our ideas. During those, I realized our styles were drastically different, but we still managed to agree on a design.

I gave Zoey my measurements and asked her to update me.

She got the cold shoulder.

She didn’t.

Whenever I asked her how she was doing, she’d say she would send me progress pictures when she got home (she never did).

It took her longer than expected to finish it, and I didn’t get the dress until a month before my wedding.

This wasn’t good!

It looked nothing like the design we’d agreed on. It was the wrong color, the wrong style, everything. It looked exactly like the type of dress Zoey would want to wear, but I knew I’d never wear anything like it. I really did not like that dress.

When I tried it on, I found out it was also about 3 sizes too big. Though I knew I could probably have it altered, I truly did not want to wear that dress on my wedding day.

She had to tell her the truth.

I called Zoey and told her I wouldn’t wear the dress. I said it looked lovely, but not the style we’d agreed on, and I thought it would be best for me to find a different dress. I offered to pay her for her work (she’d made the dress for free), but she declined and hung up on me.

I went to a retail bridal store with my maid of honor, and we found a beautiful gown that didn’t need much altering. It looked exactly like what I wanted.

Fast forward to my wedding, I walked down the aisle in the dress I bought. Zoey seemed to be on the verge of tears during the ceremony, and Stella gave me dirty looks throughout the reception.

See ya later!

When I approached them a while later, they were both short with me. My father, Stella and Zoey left less than an hour into the reception.

My father and Stella called me the next day and told me off for how I’d treated Zoey. This had been her first time making a wedding dress and had been excited to see me wearing it.

They said it was insulting of me to not wear the dress she’d put so much effort into. I tried to explain why I hadn’t worn the dress, but they’re both insisting the dress was beautiful and I could have sucked it up.

My husband and my younger sister (not Zoey) are on my side. I’ve been feeling guilty about this since I decided not to wear the dress.

AITA?”

Here’s what people had to say about this story.

This reader said she’s NTA.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Another person shared their thoughts.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This individual made a good point.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Another Reddit user asked a question…

Source: Reddit/AITA

Another person explained why they think she’s NTA.

Source: Reddit/AITA

I hope these two can bury the hatchet.

Let’s wish the luck!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.