Woman Brings Baby To Child-Free Wedding But Is Confused When She Is Criticized For Her Decision

Jun 10, 2022 by apost team

Weddings are a time for joy and celebration, but sometimes they can be overshadowed by family drama, especially when you come from a large family. Even small weddings come with their fair share of drama that cannot be foreseen, so it is natural that brides can become stressed by everything, from planning to the execution of their dream wedding. 

Many brides decide early on that the best way to minimize stress and make their day better is by limiting the guest list. More recently, childfree weddings have become quite popular. A childfree wedding affords all the adults to have more fun without worrying about whether their child is doing okay. Moreover, the celebration is also not interrupted by children who can be noisy and get in the way of the service sometimes. 

However, not everyone who is invited to a wedding likes the childfree aspect. Along with finding a babysitter they can trust, parents can also feel worried about leaving their child behind. However, there is a general respect for what the bride wants on her day even if people disagree wit the premise of a child-free wedding.

In June 2022, one woman was scolded by her family for not agreeing to the bride's wishes and coming to a child-free wedding with her baby. She assumed that her child could be the exception and showed up to the ceremony without getting explicit permission from the bride and groom first. Naturally, this caused drama after the wedding and the woman was left wondering if she really did do the right thing by taking her baby along, even after she was specifically told that it would be a child-free wedding.

In her Reddit post, the OP wrote, "My cousin lives a 6 hour drive from me and the rest of our family. A few months ago we all drove over there for his wedding. Due to limited space, no children were invited to the wedding except the bride's young nieces and nephews."

It has been made clear in the above text that the wedding would strictly be child-free. However, the OP decided that these rules were not for her and her child. 

She explained, "My baby was 10 months old at the time and I wasn't comfortable leaving him alone in an unfamiliar place with a stranger, which was a babysitter that my other cousins hired for their own kids. So I decided to bring him to the wedding."

She also wrote how she handled the situation, "I wrote on the RSVP that I was bringing him but he would be sitting on my lap and I would bring my own food for him. My cousin didn't say anything so I assumed that he was OK with it." 

At the wedding, however, things didn't go so smoothly. "My baby cried at the ceremony but I quickly took him out of the room. At the reception I had him with me the whole time in a body carrier. He didn't make much of a fuss and I thought everything was OK." 

It was clear by what happened next that everything was certainly not okay for the bride and groom's family. "After the wedding my aunt (groom's mom) confronted me and told me that I was rude for bringing my baby without permission," the OP said. 

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She tried to explain her side of the story by retorting, " I explained that I wrote on the RSVP what I was planning to do but my cousin didn't object. She said that my cousin and his bride had a problem with it but the bride didn't want to start any drama because she doesn't know me well." 

This also resulted in the wedding getting disrupted in other ways, "And some of my cousins were upset because they thought that the groom gave me special treatment by letting me bring my baby and making them leave their kids with a babysitter."

The OP was adamant that "I didn't mean to start any drama," but asked if she was wrong to bring her baby to the wedding. The responses all vehemently criticized the OP for her actions. 

The top comment stated, "YTA - your baby literally did the thing that the bride/groom wanted to avoid - disrupt the ceremony. You had plenty of time to find a babysitter or other family member to watch your kid while you went to the wedding but decided that you were just above the rules."

Another user chimed in, "YTA. You can't just write in a plus one. Especially a child at a child free wedding. Your child was disruptive for the bit before you took them out, which is exactly what the couple didn't want. You disrespected the bride and groom, violated their wishes, and disrupted the ceremony. This was extremely not okay of you. If you can't find a suitable childcare arrangement, stay home." 

It is possible that the OP was looking for support for her decision, but it is clear that she was in the wrong based on the comments. 

What is your opinion about the OP's decision to take her baby to a child-free wedding? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to ask your friends and family as well.