October 6, 2024 at 1:47 am

Woman Refused To Lend Her Grandmother’s Dress To Her Cousin For Prom, But Things Got Ugly And Now Her Cousin’s Parents Are Berating Her

by Heide Lazaro

Source: Reddit/AITA/Canva

Some people are really close to their cousins, treating them like part of their immediate family.

This girl had no problem lending her grandmother’s dress to her cousins, especially after establishing a tradition of wearing the dress to their proms.

However, when she learned that one of her cousins would be going to her sister’s prom and wanted to wear the dress instead of her sister, she refused.

Now, family members are on different sides.

Read below for the full details.

AITA for ‘ruining’ my cousin’s prom?

I (24F) own a dress that was passed down by my grandmother to my mother (her only daughter to 4 boys), and then to myself.

It was a gift from my grandfather for their first anniversary.

She loved it so much that she had only worn it once before she put it away, preserving it.

This girl’s mom wore her grandma’s dress to the prom.

By the time my mother’s prom came around, grandma had passed away.

Mom wore the dress as a homage to her.

(To clarify, all cousins mentioned here are from my maternal side, and I’m the oldest of them.)

And then her mom passed it on to her.

When the time came for my prom, I asked and wore the dress as well.

It’s a timeless piece in my opinion, and I love the sentiment behind it.

Some of her cousins joined the tradition.

One of my cousins, Cara, wanted to join in on the tradition when her prom happened.

Back then, I asked my mom who told me that the dress belongs to me now, and she said I’m free to do whatever I want with it as long as I take care of it.

And so, I said yes to Cara, and then another cousin named Maddie.

All of us are similarly sized, and we each had the dress professionally altered to fit our styles and trends.

Nothing permanent and easily reversible for the next person who might want to wear it.

Now, meet 2 more cousins who wanted to join in.

My cousin, Ava (20F) and her sister Zoe (18F ) are the focus of my story.

When Ava was in her junior year, my uncle and his wife went through a nasty, brutal divorce, and it had affected her deeply that she dropped out of school.

We all knew she wanted to join in on the tradition, so when she got her GED, all of us cousins decided to throw her a surprise photoshoot with the dress/celebration, so she doesn’t feel left out.

That was that, or so we thought.

Zoe went to her boyfriend’s prom wearing a different dress.

Zoe had her prom this year, and had asked for the dress at the beginning of the year.

Months passed, and she hadn’t told me anything or even mentioned her prom which I found weird. (Yes, we’re that type of family.)

Zoe was dating a senior guy last year, and she had been his date to his prom.

She got a dress for it, and was saving our family dress for hers.

She got a call from Ava saying she would attend the prom instead of Zoe.

A few months ago, I got a call from Ava asking when she could pick up the dress to take to the shop and get it altered to her liking.

I asked her what she meant.

She gleefully revealed that she’s going to Zoe’s prom instead of Zoe because she never got a ‘real’ experience, and Zoe got hers last year by going to her boyfriend’s.

She said no, and things got ugly.

I got upset because I knew Zoe wouldn’t give up her prom unless she was guilt tripped.

I immediately said no, which turned into a screaming match I’m not proud of.

My uncle and his ex-wife called and berated me.

Now, she’s wondering if she did the right thing.

My mom and other cousins are on my side.

Zoe ended up going to her prom in the dress, but she felt guilty.

Ava, of course, thinks I’m the wicked witch of the west, even now, and tried to confront me again at a family event yesterday which I managed to shut down real quick.

Relatives are telling me to make it better.

AITA?

Let’s find out how other people reacted.

This user shares their honest opinion.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This one makes a valid point.

Source: Reddit/AITA

People are ranting about Ava.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Here’s another one.

Source: Reddit/AITA

It’s a bit weird, says this one.

Source: Reddit/AITA

It’s her dress and it’s her decision to make.

They have to get over it.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.