Dad Says He Won’t Give Another Dime Towards Daughter’s Wedding after Seeing Her Dress

When bride-to-be Olivia took her father to pay the vendors for her wedding, she stopped by the tailor shop. Excited, she went inside with her father to try the dress and show it to him. When she came out of the changing room, she saw her father’s eyes widen as he stared at her angrily.

For most people, their family members are the only ones who support them in their time of need. They know they can rely on their parents and siblings during bad times, but sometimes, things don’t go as planned.

The girl in today’s story asked her parents to bear her wedding expenses because her husband-to-be couldn’t pay for them. Everything went well until the girl took her father to the tailor shop to try her wedding dress. He was shocked to see her in her wedding gown and decided not to pay a dime for her wedding.

THE FATHER

Olivia’s father, Reddit user TRADressDistress took to Reddit after he saw her bridal dress at the tailor shop. Under the AITA sub, he shared details of what had happened that day.

Before jumping to the main story, the man revealed a bit about his family. He had four children with his wife, three daughters, and a son. To support his children, the Redditor offered them financial assistance for either paying school fees, house downpayment, or wedding expenses.

The story revolved around his wife’s wedding dress that she had made with her mother. She never wanted to give it to someone else. Instead, she allowed her children to wear the gown at their weddings.

THE WEDDING DRESS

The couple’s eldest daughter donned it at her wedding, while the youngest refused to wear it. Meanwhile, their daughter-in-law agreed to wear the dress at her reception, while her husband took photos with the dress, so he didn’t feel left out.

Little did he know that he would be shocked to see his daughter a few minutes later.

When it was Olivia’s turn to get married, she agreed to wear her mother’s dress and gave it to the tailor to get it fitted. Olivia’s mother had already told her children they couldn’t alter the dress. All they could do was get it resized.

WEDDING ERRANDS

Since the Redditor had offered his children financial assistance, Olivia asked him to bear all her wedding expenses. She took him to the vendors a month before the wedding to clear all the payments. At the end of their trip, they visited the tailor shop, where the man noticed something. He said:

“Olivia was really nervous and I figured it was just usual pre-wedding jitters and excitement.”

The man waited for Olivia to come out of the changing room after she stepped in for the final fittings. Little did he know that he would be shocked to see his daughter a few minutes later.

THE SHOCK

When Olivia stepped out of the changing room wearing her wedding dress, her father looked at her with his eyes wide open. He couldn’t recognize his wife’s dress. He could only see patches of his wife’s gown she wore at their wedding decades ago. He recalled:

“She took the straps, the sash, the train, and the embroidered top skirt and had it added to this new dress.”

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Olivia’s mother had strictly told her not to alter the dress, but she had an explanation for why she did what was forbidden.

HER EXPLANATION

While Olivia’s father was angry at her for ruining his wife’s dress, he told her to present her explanation in front of her mother after they reached home. He recounted:

“My wife was devastated.”

When Olivia showed the dress to her mother, she also explained why she got it altered despite knowing the rules. Since she was the last child to wear it, and no one would wear it after her, Olivia thought it would be okay to redesign it. She also said she had asked the tailor to return the remains of the original gown to her.

THE FAMILY’S REACTION

Olivia’s parents weren’t satisfied even after hearing her explanation. At that point, her mother said she wouldn’t attend the wedding, while her father said he wouldn’t pay for her wedding expenses anymore. He had even planned to cancel his payment at the tailor shop. He revealed:

“Our youngest daughter thinks I’ve gone overboard, knowing Olivia planned her wedding with our help in mind, and without it, she can’t finish paying for everything.”

Meanwhile, Olivia’s in-laws also said they couldn’t afford the expenses and asked the man to pay for his daughter’s wedding. They even suggested Olivia’s parents stop talking to her after her wedding was over.

LOOKING FOR ADVICE

Olivia’s father concluded his post by saying he knew he had committed to pay for her wedding expenses but felt he should cancel his offer after learning what she did with her mother’s dress. He asked other Redditors if he was at fault for not paying for Olivia’s remaining wedding expenses, to which a user replied:

“NTA. She destroyed your wife’s precious dress without even a thought.”

THE COMMENTS

Meanwhile, Redditor mdthomas said what Olivia did was disrespectful to her mother. The user suggested that Olivia and her husband downsize their wedding if they can’t afford the remaining expenses. Reddit user alexemalexem agreed, saying Olivia should have discussed her plans with her mother first. The user added:

“It doesn’t matter that your daughter is the last one to use the dress – it doesn’t give her the right to destroy/alter it.”

Reddit user LockWithoutAKey assured Olivia’s father he was not at fault and highlighted that his wife had already made it clear that no one could alter her dress. The Reddit user felt Olivia deliberately disrespected the rules and redefined the dress, knowing it would hurt her mother.

DIFFERENT OPINIONS

Another Redditor said Olivia’s in-laws were also t fault for saying that her parents should stop talking to her after the wedding. The user added:

“Emotionally, it isn’t the same, I know, but if you have all the pieces, a good seamstress can probably reassemble it to look original.”

“I got the original dress back but not all of the pieces,” OP (Original Poster) replied. He said he could tell the seamstress about the missing parts and get the dress remade.

Olivia’s mother didn’t want anyone to alter the dress because she had made it with her mother and had memories attached to it. The gown had a high sentimental value in her heart, and she was shocked when Olivia showed her the new dress.

Do you think Olivia’s father did the right thing by saying he wouldn’t pay for her wedding expenses? Do you think his decision was justified? What would you do if you were in his shoes?

Also, would Olivia’s mother forgive her for ruining her wedding dress? Would you forgive Olivia if you were in her mother’s place? We would love to know your opinions.

If you enjoyed reading this story, share it with your friends and family to let them know how Olivia got her wedding dress made.

Click here to read another story about a bride-to-be who prepared a dress for her wedding day but was forced to wear it to her fiancé’s grave instead.

Anomama