Buying a wedding dress is one of the most exciting steps in the wedding planning process for most brides.

The people she takes with her are usually the ones she trusts the most to help her look her best on her big day.

This bride included her best friends and grandmothers, but left her stepmother out in the cold.

It turns out the stepmother might not have the relationship with the bride she’s imagined.

Check it out.

AITA for not inviting my stepmother wedding dress shopping?

I went shopping for my wedding dress last weekend and picked a dress.

I brought my two best friends and my two grandmas.

My stepmother saw our photo on the bridal store’s page, and she was upset that I didn’t ask her to come.

This woman found out that her stepmom wanted to go shopping with her.

Two of her sons are married, and their wives didn’t invite her either.

And her third son is gay, so I was her only chance to experience this because she has no daughters.

She told me she wanted to come, and wanted to know why I wouldn’t invite her.

Her stepmom kinda got hurt that she was left out.

She claimed she became my mom when I was 10 (which is when she married my dad), and she had no other girls.

So, having me leave her out was extra hurtful.

She vented about her DILs not including her in that process either, and how one went solo even though she was free and close by to go with her.

She never really considered her as a parent.

For reference, I do not consider her my mom, and I never considered her in a parental light.

She’s married to my dad and makes him happy, so I appreciate that.

But I never liked how she seemed to obsess about me being a girl, and having a mother/daughter relationship.

My own mom passed, so it made me more protective of who claims that title for me.

But even still, I do not feel like she would have made any effort to be a mom to me if I were a stepson vs a stepdaughter.

So, she doesn’t plan on giving her any role at the wedding.

I wasn’t going to include her in anything wedding related.

She’ll be invited as my dad’s wife.

She’ll be in photos because they’re married.

She’ll be seated with him for the same reason.

This is, apparently, a big deal to her stepmom.

But she’s not the mother of the bride or anything.

And I don’t have a relationship with her where I would ask her to help with wedding related stuff.

I’m no longer that close to my dad either, so I don’t see them often anyway.

But she has been making her point about being left out and asking me why I excluded her.

It’s very clear she’s unhappy.

AITA?

Let’s see what others have to say about this situation.

A mother speaks up and shares her thoughts.

Here’s a valid point, too.

You did nothing wrong, says this one.

Indeed, it’s not about her!

Finally, here are some well wishes from this user.

Nobody gets free access to you just because they think they should.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

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.