Claire wants to be the glamorous mother of the groom, but when she realises her sister-in-law has her own plans for the wedding, she backs off to focus on her own outfit, and on the day a fight breaks out between her and Alice. Alice claims that Claire ruined the wedding by stealing her dream dress, while Claire sees nothing wrong with her actions. Who’s wrong?
All I wanted was to be the mother of the groom. That’s all I wanted. I just wanted to be a caring mother who loves her son more than anything. But this is the story of how my attempt to make my son’s wedding perfect turned into a day we’d all rather forget.
When Mark introduced Alyssa to us, she was nothing like I expected her to be. Mark, my son, works as a lawyer at a top firm, a position he got right after graduating from Stanford.
‘I’m going to be a lawyer, Mum,’ he told me once when he was still in school and writing an essay on what profession he wanted to pursue.
‘I can easily understand that,’ I told him, making breakfast while he worked.
‘It’s to help fight injustice. For children in particular,’ he said as he finished his orange juice.
Mark had big dreams, and I knew my son would always aspire to the stars.
Alice, on the other hand, was completely different from my son. Her whole personality was light and carefree, while Mark was serious and thoughtful. Alice was a self-taught coder and worked freelance from their cosy flat. Their worlds, their politics, their interests didn’t match.
But it worked out for them, and for the most part they were a cute couple. But love, as they say, is blind.
When Mark proposed to Alice, we were all invited on stage to help surprise her.
‘Please, Mum,’ Mark said over the phone. ‘Alyssa isn’t very close to her family, so seeing you and Dad will be good for her. She’ll know she’s welcome and supported.’
‘Of course, honey,’ I told him, already picturing their wedding in my head.
I swallowed my doubts and offered to pay for the wedding. James and I had been saving money for Mark’s schooling, but he always got scholarships that paid for everything.
‘We can just use that money for the wedding, Claire,’ my husband said over lunch the day after the proposal.
‘That’s the best thing we can do for them,’ I agreed. ‘That way they can save up money to move out of this little flat. I know Mark has been talking about a house with a garden because he really wants a dog.’
Alice, on the other hand, was completely unlike my son. Her whole personality was light and carefree, while Mark was serious and thoughtful. Alice was a self-taught coder and worked freelance from their cosy flat. Their worlds, their politics, their interests didn’t match.
But it worked out for them, and for the most part they were a cute couple. But love, as they say, is blind.
When Mark proposed to Alice, we were all invited on stage to help surprise her.
‘Please, Mum,’ Mark said over the phone. ‘Alyssa isn’t very close to her family, so seeing you and Dad will be good for her. She’ll know she’s welcome and supported.’
‘Of course, honey,’ I told him, already picturing their wedding in my head.
I swallowed my doubts and offered to pay for the wedding. James and I had been saving money for Mark’s schooling, but he always got scholarships that paid for everything.
‘We can just use that money for the wedding, Claire,’ my husband said over lunch the day after the proposal.
‘That’s the best thing we can do for them,’ I agreed. ‘That way they can save up money to move out of this little flat. I know Mark has been talking about a house with a garden because he really wants a dog.’
Hi Claire, we are in the middle of picking out a wedding dress with the girls! I’m so excited! I wish you could be here!
Attached were pictures of her top five wedding dresses.
I knew that Alice and I had different opinions on what we thought a wedding should look like, but I wanted to be a part of the important events. I wanted her to include me in the wedding dress shopping process.
‘At least she’s sending you the best options,’ James said, reading the paper next to me.
‘I know, but it’s not the same,’ I said.
‘Do they look good?’ – He asked. ‘Can I look at them?’
We flicked through the pictures of potential dresses together. There wasn’t a bad selection, but nothing stood out.
Nothing that could meet my future daughter-in-law’s standards.
The dress that had been Alice’s favourite and the first contender for wedding dress was not at all what I had expected.
I typed back, letting Alice know it wasn’t the best choice. And I hoped that my financial stake in the wedding would make a difference. James and I hadn’t given the kids a budget. They had everything at their disposal.
Why not consider the second option? It might be more flattering to you.
James chuckled beside me.
‘You’re overreacting,’ he said.
Before I could say anything, my phone beeped with a message from Alice.
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t agree. I’m choosing this particular dress.
That night at dinner, as James plated salmon for us, I shared my disappointment with him.
‘Alice doesn’t even consider my opinion, and yet I’m paying for the dress!’ I exclaimed.
James tried to mediate; he also texted Mark to make sure he knew how I felt too.
‘I think you should leave the wedding planning to them,’ James said. ‘Give all your attention to yourself and what you’re going to wear.’
But it turned out that Mark was able to persuade Alice to wear the dress I preferred.
I had to admit that it was the less stressful option, and I hadn’t been able to shop around looking for a dress before.
So that’s what I did.
I visited several different boutiques and finally found my perfect dress. It was an emerald green colour that I knew accentuated my eyes.
‘It’s beautiful,’ James said as I tried the dress on him.
I felt different. I no longer felt like the mother of the groom who had been sidelined. On the contrary, I felt beautiful in my own skin, and my self-esteem grew every time I thought of the dress.
When the week of the wedding came, James and I tried to attend as much as possible. We went to every event Mark and Alice were to attend, including the rehearsal dinner where we greeted them and drank champagne to celebrate.
‘All sorted, Mum?’ asked Mark to me. ‘Your dress and everything?’
I smiled at my son. Even though Alice and I were in the centre, he was always checking on me.
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I’m ready to celebrate you and Alice’s wedding.’
On the morning of the wedding day, I put on my green dress and did my make-up. It was just the way I wanted to look for my son’s wedding – elegant and sophisticated.
When I pulled up to the venue, there was a thick murmur in the air. I ignored them, thinking that everyone was so used to me wearing comfortable clothes that it was something different for them.
I headed straight for the bride’s dressing room, hoping to see Alice and compliment her before she walked down the aisle.
When I opened the door, Alice looked up, her joyful expression replaced by an expression of utter devastation. She looked me over from head to toe, and then burst into tears.
‘Why did you do this to me, Claire?’ – She sobbed, her voice choked with emotion.
Confused, I walked into the room and closed the door.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.
‘Your dress!’ – she exclaimed.
‘What about it?’ asked I, questioning everything.
‘It’s my dream wedding dress, only in a different colour,’ she said, almost shouting.
I was stunned.
‘Alice, honestly,’ I said. ‘I didn’t realise – they look so different in colour.’
But Alice wasn’t satisfied with that. She sat on the edge of the sofa, resting her head on her hands.
‘How could you?’ – she exclaimed, raising her head. ‘You have made this day for yourself! Just because we didn’t take any of your suggestions!’
Mark, hearing a commotion from the neighbouring dressing room, ran into the room.
‘Mum, what’s going on in here?’ – He asked me.
He shifted his gaze from Alice to me, looking for an explanation.
Trying to calm him down, I slowly explained everything.
‘I didn’t see the resemblance, Mark,’ I said. ‘I just really liked the dress, and I thought…’
Alice stood up and walked towards Mark.
‘No!’ – she exclaimed. ‘You decided to show me something I could have had, but in green. Isn’t that so?’
‘Mum, please,’ my son said. ‘Let’s just try to get through this day. Please, for me.’
I agreed and walked out of the dressing room. I just wanted to find James and sit in silence until the day was over.
I knew Alice and I were walking a fine line, but I didn’t expect her to yell at me the way she was now.
Naturally, I was upset, but I didn’t want to ruin their day any further.
Now I was thinking that maybe I should have been more open to Alice’s preferences. After all, it was her day, not just mine. The question of whether I was wrong hangs heavy over me.
Yes, in trying to impose my vision, I might have lost sight of what was really important – Alice’s happiness and Mark’s peace on their special day.
Was I wrong to do what I did?
When Evie’s best friend’s wedding is coming up, she wants to be a part of the occasion. But in the run-up to the wedding, rumours begin to circulate about Evie’s husband, James, including the fact that he’s not invited. What secrets lie behind these rumours?
This work is inspired by real events and people, but fictionalised for creative purposes. Names, characters and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claim to the accuracy of events or portrayal of characters and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided ‘as is’ and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
