Gals, I have epically screwed up. A few months ago I accidentally added a friend to an email thread where I was asking my bridesmaids about dresses. She chimed in with what dress she wanted, seemingly unsurprised by the randomness of the email, and then called me later, in the middle of the night saying "I guess this is you asking me to be a bridesmaid?" I should not have picked up the phone. It was the middle of the night. And I kind of half-confirmed what she was saying until I realized who I was talking to. Then, feeling like I was unable to backpedal, I confirmed she was a bridesmaid. I woke up the next morning and decided to just go with it and bought her a bridesmaid dress, but it has been eating at me. She does not have a good relationship with my fiance and our relationship is studded with some crappy history. I have tried to lob hints but she has not picked them up and it felt inappropriate to renege the bridal party invite, no matter how mediocre it was. Still, it feels wrong to imagining her up there with me, participating in all these intimate wedding events, and posing for all these photos that I'll have forever. Then, at my bachelorette party, all my bridesmaids were showering me with love and she seemed so put upon, asking me questions like how many outfits she needs for the wedding, sighing heavily when I told her (it's a multi-day indian event), complaining that we weren't in enough pictures and it's "like she wasn't even there," barely trying to get to know my friends, asking us to turn the music off in the party bus so she could nap, complaining about airfare and hotels (I am paying for everything for my bridesmaids besides airfare and a two night stay and a mid-tier hotel), asking why our airbnb "had to have a pool"....and I realized that I had unwittingly given her a burden, not a gift. So I tried to give her an out via email after the bachelorette, saying she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do and she doubled down on being a bridesmaid, saying she really wanted to go to an Indian wedding but that she doesn't have the luxury of being a doctor or a lawyer and not asking about cost (two of my friends are residents...not rolling in it by any measure of the word) She also told me she was surprised by some of the bachelorette costs (one nice dinner, drinks, and Ubers in wine country on top of regular costs). I was told my MOH was very transparent about costs but I paid her tab anyway. Finally, I came clean and told her about the email flub. She was embarrassed but mostly cared how many people knew. I was surprised she didn't ask me what I wanted -- if she had I probably would have told her I would rather her be a guest at my wedding, but if she wanted to remain in the bridal party I would understand, hoping she would take the hint. But she is historically bad at taking hints. She once came to visit me, got in a fight with my fiance on the first day, and stayed for three more weeks even though my partner was clearly unhappy about it, and no amount of subtle hinting could get her to shorten her visit. So now, I feel taken advantage of. I cannot imagine being a bridesmaid if someone told me I was accidentally included on an email thread three months ago. Including this woman in my wedding, obligating her to attend all the small intimate events, be in all these photos, giving her free hair & makeup and food, and R&B just seems so inappropriate. She is my friend, but I know like she feels like the sentiment of all this doesn't matter to me since I can "afford it" and that it will be embarrassing to her if she relinquishes her role as a bridesmaid since she's already told her co-workers and stuff that she is going. No one in my bridal party really knows about this. I'm still two months out from the wedding. Am I a bridezilla or is this woman being obtuse and taking advantage? How badly have I screwed up? I know I need to be more assertive but feel like I'll lose a friend if I'm direct. However, no amount of subtle hinting that maybe this is not what I want seems to work and my fiance and now my bridesmaids do not seem to like this person. What do I do?
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