She brought her daughter along to a child-free event(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

'I was invited to a child-free wedding but brought my 2-year-old anyway'

A woman has been slammed for bringing her two-year-old daughter along to a child-free wedding - but some people believe she's done nothing wrong and had no other option

12 Oct 2024, 06:00 by Paige Freshwater · Irish Mirror

A woman has sparked a debate after bringing her two-year-old daughter along to a child-free wedding because her babysitter cancelled on her.

The 19-year-old mum explained how she wasn't able to find another trustworthy sitter in time for her friend's big day so she asked the bride whether she could make an exception to her child-free rule.

Helpfully, the bride understood her predicament and allowed the youngster to attend the wedding as a guest. However, her in-laws deemed this 'unfair' - and made a scene about the situation. She said on Reddit: "Last year, I was asked to be a bridesmaid in a family friend’s wedding.

"I was thrilled and immediately said yes, even though it was a child-free event. I had arranged for a babysitter, but about a week before the wedding, she informed me that she would no longer be in the city and couldn’t watch my daughter.

"Given the short notice, I approached the bride and asked if I could bring Amelia to the wedding, as I didn’t have time to find another trusted babysitter. My daughter is overall a very easygoing baby — she’s comfortable with people and happy as long as she’s fed.

"The bride knew this since she’d watched my daughter on multiple occasions before, and she happily agreed, saying that having Amelia there would make the wedding photos even more special." After the ceremony, the 19-year-old noticed the groom's parents staring at her from across the room and whispering in her direction.

She added: "Amelia stayed with my sisters for most of the day, but during the reception, I took her with me to congratulate the couple. As I approached with Amelia in my arms, the groom’s mother suddenly commented, 'You shouldn’t have brought a baby to a child-free wedding, especially when she doesn’t fit the family'.

I was completely taken aback. For context, my daughter is mixed—I’m half white and half Hispanic, and her father is Black. I’ve been called “white-washed” because I’m not in contact with my Hispanic family, so I knew exactly what she meant by saying my daughter didn’t 'fit the family.'." Annoyed, the groom stood up and led his parents away.

AITA for Bringing My Daughter to a Child-Free Wedding?
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"Taking this as my cue, I decided it was time to leave. I made the rounds to say goodbye to everyone and put Amelia in her stroller," she added. "As I was leaving, the bride came over to apologise for her in-laws’ behaviour. I was upset, but I knew it wasn’t her fault, so I simply wished her luck and left.

"Now, about a week after the wedding, I got tagged in a Facebook post — strange, because I don’t use Facebook. The post read: 'I’m outraged that my grandchildren weren’t allowed at this event, but when a teen mother who couldn’t be responsible enough to leave her child with the father brings her baby, it’s perfectly fine.' The post was from the groom’s mother.

"To make things worse, she’s also been telling family members that I’m lying about what she said regarding my daughter’s appearance." While most users agreed the in-laws are the real villains, others believe she put the bride in an awkward position as soon as she asked for special treatment.

Commenting on her post, one user said: "When you make the call for a child-free wedding, everybody has to make the sacrifice. The bride and groom shouldn’t have given you an exception. Amelia should’ve stayed at your sister’s away from the wedding. And the groom’s parents just suck in every possible way."

Another user added: "The bride said it was ok. The groom apparently agreed based on the fact he took his parents out of the situation. Those are the *only* two people who get a say." A third user said: "You're in the wrong, especially since you put the bride on the spot by asking.

"It is your job to find a sitter or not go to child-free events. You asked the bride and she said yes, but you never should have made your childcare anyone else's problem. Taking just one baby to a child-free event causes everyone who didn't bring kids to wonder why that baby is here but mine aren't. If you had better manners, you would know this. & where was the father of this child?"

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