Internet Divided Over Man’s Refusal To Attend Sister’s Child-Free Wedding

A heated row between two siblings over an upcoming wedding has made waves online since it was first discussed on Reddit four days ago.

The dispute, which centers around a sister’s child-free wedding rule, highlights a growing social trend that has in some cases divided opinions between even the closest of friends and families.

As more couples opt to exclude young children from their nuptials for several reasons, they tend to face both support and significant backlash from family members, as perfectly illustrated by the story of this 27-year-old bride-to-be and her 28-year-old fiancé.

“My brother Josh is refusing to come to the wedding and I think he is being unreasonable and childish,” the woman shared on social media.

“Our wedding is going to be child-free, with no kids under the age of 13ish. The youngest guests will be around 12 or 13 years old at the time of the wedding. My partner and I don’t hate children and we have multiple reasons for having our wedding this way.”

“Josh, who is 32, has five-year-old twins, and he has said that we are being selfish for having a child-free wedding and that if we aren’t inviting his kids, he is not going. I can understand his perspective but I think he’s not making any effort to understand ours. When Josh got married seven years ago, he and his wife also had a child-free wedding.”

The woman, who goes by u/ok_cherry1650 on Reddit, said that her brother “scoffed” at her during the entirety of a recent family party that they had both attended.

“He made a comment that he ‘wouldn’t know’ about [the wedding] because he’s ‘excluded’. His comments caused short awkward silences but no one responded to them,” the woman wrote.

“Later when I was talking to Josh alone, I told him he’s still invited to the wedding and that he and his wife can go or not, those are his options and him making snide comments aren’t going to change the plans.”

“He said that I’m alienating his children and that they will be very sad about this when they’re older, as they would love to be flower girls. I called him a hypocrite and told him to grow the hell up and that was the end of the conversation. Our parents are now getting involved and my dad has told me that he and my step mom will not be at the wedding if Josh isn’t.

What Do the Comments Say?

As the debate over the woman’s child-free special day continues, both online and within families, it serves as a reminder of the complexities modern couples face as they navigate the intersection of tradition and personal preference in celebrating their union.

More than 8,900 users have upvoted the bride-to-be’s post, while more than 1,000 have left comments since it was shared online. While some Redditors have voiced their support of the engaged couple’s decision, others have asked questions about their reasoning or injected their own takes on child-free weddings into the conversation.

“He doesn’t get to change his outlook because his situation changed and be considered creditable. Not to the sensible ones in the crowd,” one user, Ardeth75, wrote.

Another user wrote: “It is possible for someone to suggest a different point of view years later without being a hypocrite. It does not sound like your brother is one of those people. He doesn’t seem to have had a change of heart on the subject, he just wants a special exception when it affects him. That is text book hypocrisy.”

“I notice parents of multiples tend to shove their children center stage because they’re accustomed to everyone cooing over them. They just want to show off their sprog. I’ll double down and say I’ll bet they’re identical twins, and he wants to show off what he can produce,” a third user, _just_another_woman, shared.

‘This Is a Prevalent Issue’

Rachel Goldberg, a psychotherapist and the founder of Rachel Goldberg Therapy in Los Angeles, California, told Newsweek that although heated, the family’s wedding dispute is not uncommon.

“This is a prevalent issue, increasingly so as individuals opt not to include children in their weddings. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the author’s request, it’s evident that there’s a power struggle within the family dynamic,” Goldberg told Newsweek.

“Ultimately, the bride and her partner must weigh whether they’re willing to compromise to maintain peace and ensure the attendance of important individuals at their wedding.”

“Alternatively, they may choose to establish a new precedent, asserting that in their adult lives, they won’t yield to demands, even if it strains relationships. Neither choice will feel satisfying, so it ultimately boils down to what the author is willing to sacrifice: her own desires or the sustainability of the current family dynamic,” Goldberg said.

Has a wedding come between your relationship with a loved one? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.