There's no right way to celebrate a wedding and although they all merge into one in our memories in the end, no two special days are the same. While some people spend years dreaming and ruminating about their big day – meticulously planning every last detail, from table names and glassware to the right change of footwear – others prefer a low-key affair and opt for something simpler that ideally costs less than the deposit for a house.
What unites all weddings, however, is that it's (at least) one day that's all about the two people getting married. So is it ever okay to share the limelight with the happy couple by announcing big news of your own? Users of the Reddit forum 'Am I The Asshole' seems to have reached a unanimous verdict.
A groom recently shared an anecdote on the platform about when his brother's wife went into labour on his wedding day and the brother announced the news to a few of their guests before fleeing to witness the birth of his child. The groom didn't have a problem with his brother leaving, but rather with the fact that he told people where he was off to. 'Word spread out and suddenly everybody was talking about it, which disrupted the event,' the groom wrote. 'Even my parents started calling and there was a huge fuss which frankly was unnecessary if my brother just left in silence or made up some excuse.'
He then later contacted his brother to express his 'grief and frustration' at him taking away attention from him and his wife on their big day. He went as far as to suggest his wife felt like her day was ruined. The brother, so the thread reveals, 'lashed out' and asked 'how any of that was his fault' and said he didn't mean any harm and was just worried and in a hurry when he told guests why he was leaving.
The brother's defence was that he hadn't made a big announcement and in turn felt disrespected by the whole argument. 'Our parents sided with him and told me to "get over myself" and are now expecting me to apologise,' the groom went on to add. Let the debate commence!
As always on Reddit, people in the comments had a lot to say. One sarcastic (but funny) commenter wrote, 'the baby is at fault here. Selfish jerk couldn't even wait until after the wedding to be born. What an AH.' In that same vein, someone else wrote, 'and now their anniversary and the baby's birthday are probably on the same day too. The nerve!'
Someone else chimed in with a similar experience, except their sister actually went into labour at their wedding. They said, 'in no way did I ever feel my sister distracted from my wedding. Entirely the opposite as no on is going to forget the weekend. I still all these years later think this is a fantastic story to tell and it brings me fun and joy to share it with anyone who will listen.'
While others weighed in with alternative show-stealing life events that could have occurred, and asked the groom if he'd react in the same way if something else happened instead. 'Would your wife get upset with a guest who suddenly had a heart attack at the wedding? Or an allergic reaction requiring an epi-pen and ER trip? Sh*t happens, even on wedding days.'
The discussion then veered into constructive criticism, with some users offering not-so-helpful tips on what the groom should have done. One person suggested that the brother could have made a quick speech to celebrate the new family member and then 'everybody toasts and gets back to the party'. If only the groom could travel back in time!
The Reddit consensus on this one was so clear that the groom even edited his original story and added: 'I just came back and started reading the comments. First comment [the one about the baby being a selfish jerk' I appreciate the sarcasm but in all seriousness, I did not expect people to come against me in this matter. I do accept my judgement but still am taken aback a little.' Perhaps it's time to send a hearty maternity hamper to his sister-in-law...