Woman Left Aghast After Her Stepdaughter Asks To Wear Her Deceased Daughter’s Wedding Gown

Dec 07, 2021 by apost team

Weddings are incredibly special moments in someone's life, not only for the couple getting married but also for their loved ones.  For mothers and fathers especially, it's a sign that their child has fully grown up and is ready to start their own family. 

But in this heartbreaking story from March 2019 on Reddit, one mother of a bride didn't get to witness her daughter on her big day since she unexpectedly died from sepsis in the same month she was set to get married. Then, shockingly, her stepdaughter asked if she could wear the deceased daughter's wedding dress to her own wedding. After the woman said no, her husband and the stepdaughter attempted to guilt her into letting the stepdaughter wear the dress. The woman took her dilemma to Reddit's "AITA" subreddit and people couldn't believe her situation.

In her post, the woman explained that she's only known Zoey, her stepdaughter for 2.5 years and that she married her father less than five months earlier. She explained that the wedding was small since she was still grieving her daughter Lauren, who was only 26. She said:

"It was so sudden. She was doing okay and was getting ready for her wedding that was supposed to happen the same month she passed away. We still don't know what went wrong. We were devastated to say the least. Her fiance had a hard time adapting to the new normal. I still have contact with him. We're very close."

The woman revealed that she took most of her daughter's belongings including her wedding dress since they "bought it together and she put (a lot) of her touches on it. Worked hard on it. Although it hurt to look at it. I make sure it's safe."

But sadly that's not where the story ends. The woman explained that Zoey is 23 and although they're "very respectful towards each other," they're "not very close and distance is one of the reasons why." The issue only arose after Zoey visited to discuss her own wedding in April and asked to see Lauren's dress.

The woman let her see the dress but was taken aback when Zoey "said she'd like to wear it at her wedding." The woman said she "felt uneasy" and "told her (she) wasn't sure that was a good idea." But Zoey said "it's fine" and that she'd have to change a few things to "fit her size and style," which was why the mother "had a hard time accepting."

The woman told her sorry but she couldn't let her have it. Zoey then offered money for it but she explained that "its sentimental value is what matters to (her)." But somehow, Zoey didn't quite understand. The mother wrote:

"She argued saying I was making things complicated and it was alright since she too is my daughter. She asked if I don't love her as much(.) I told her my love for her is different but she threw a fit calling me unfair and unreasonable to still say no."

What's worse is Zoey then got her dad involved and he sided with his daughter and couldn't see why his wife was against it. She declined to discuss it further but they brought it up again and said that Lauren — who neither of them knew — "would've wanted someone else to have the opportunity to wear (the) dress since she unfortunately couldn't." The mother said:

"This made me so mad I lashed out at both of them and kept saying no."

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Her reaction led others to say she "had no right to act like that" and that it's not worth "leaving the dress in the closet when (her) stepdaughter can make good memories with it." But beyond having said no multiple times, the woman wasn't happy that Zoey planned to change the look of the dress.

People in the Reddit comments were absolutely outraged at the situation and made it clear that she was not in the wrong. The top comment said:

"The fact that both your step-daughter AND your husband are continually guilting you after you have FIRMLY said no is not just disrespectful, it’s preying on your grief. I’m disgusted that any person who claims to love you would presume to tell you what your recently deceased daughter would want, all so a girl can avoid having to look for another wedding dress."

Another person wrote:

"This dress is a tangible reminder of your beloved daughter that you lost."

The woman replied that her husband thinks Zoey is just trying to get close to her and bond but she wouldn't open up. She said: "But the dress shouldn't be involved in my relationship with Zoey. I don't know why he refuses to see how unreasonable they are being."

Meanwhile, many others warned her that she should store the dress safely elsewhere until Zoey's wedding was over. Many called out her husband and said he might even help his daughter steal it so she can wear it to her wedding, and noted that if he can disrespect his wife's boundaries so easily then there's no telling what they would do.

What do you think about this situation — who was in the wrong? Let us know, then pass this on so others can read out about it too.