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Just Said Yes November 2019

Fired Matron of Honor Etiquette

Amanda, on June 25, 2021 at 5:33 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 16
Hi wedding peeps, I have a question about etiquette after being fired from my position of Matron of Honor. The bride knows I have anxiety, a newborn and other such stressors, and said she was understanding. Fast forward to a disagreement about the shirts for the bridal party; I was going to do the whole bridal party as a gift to the bride and groom, shirts already ordered and all. But the other bridesmaids were basically telling me that they had talked to the bride and wanted to do something different. It hurt and when the bride got wind, she asked me if I was ok and what could be done to make things ok again. I said I had unrealistic expectations of what I wanted after we’d know each other for over 10 years; but what I really wanted was an apology from the maid of honor and the bridesmaid who I felt were the ones responsible for the disagreement. I left the conversation open for a while but conversations just moved on so I silenced notifications for the massive group text (that was receiving 30 plus comments about nothing that was life or wedding related) I would open them every other day at the longest and catch up. Eventually my husband said to accept the fact that I wasn’t going to get the apology I’d asked for and to either be the bigger person or step down.
I decided to suck it up.I unmuted fully and took tons of pictures of shoe shopping and dress shopping. I was invested. Then the shirts got brought up again. I figured that the ones who took over shirts had a plan in mind, come to find out that they really didn’t, and they kept asking me ideas. I eventually wrote to the Maid of Honor that I didn’t care what they did for the shirts, it wasn’t my wedding, and honestly, I was still a bit sore about the subject. The conversation was a long one and shouldn’t have taken place over text. I reached out to the bride and asked if she had mentioned anything to the others because I was feeling like we were back in the other conversation months prior. She said that I was unjustly defensive and the girls were just doing what they thought she wanted. That “to be honest the way I was talking made her nervous about how I could get along with the other gỉrls” I said I would make it work. After calming myself I asked the maid of honor if we could talk on the phone instead of text. Three hours later, we both apologized for miscommunications and I felt the two of us were in a good spot to truly move forward.
Several days later I get a call from the bride (who I’d talked to on a number of occasions and got no frustration vibes from) and she stalls the conversation by telling me that my anxiety made me self-centered and she didn’t want to deal with my drama on her big day. Which is still three months away. She said she didn’t want to deal with a breakdown on my end (which honestly only would happen if I couldn’t make her day perfect) between now and then when it came to the bridal shower and bachelorette party (both in the planning works). But apologies for her meant very little at this point.I’ve already bought the dress, shoes, and plane tickets ($2000 plus) all of which are non refundable at this point. I’m not saying the bride was fully in the wrong (honestly I wish I’d had the courage to ask my own MOH to step down when she had her own breakdown), and I wished she’d just let me sit with my tail tucked for a minute after my apology to her and the MOH. I’m wondering what my etiquette is at this point? Do I still attend the wedding? Do I not go? I don’t know if I want to see some other “friend” standing in my place. She’s a close family friend but my family doesn’t want to go if I don’t. Help!!!

16 Comments

Latest activity by CountryBride, on June 25, 2021 at 1:32 PM
  • devotedlydavis
    Expert March 2022
    devotedlydavis ·
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    That’s a tough one. Texting is definitely hard to communicate and it seems like no one had a clear idea of what was going on. I think whether or not you go largely depends on whether or not you want to continue the friendship. If you want to keep her in your life, I would offer to sell the dress to the new bridesmaid and ask her if there is anything else you can do to support her on her big day. I’d go, but know it will be tough.


    If you’re ok with ending the friendship, I’d respectfully decline. I think this option could come across as dramatic, so I think it may permanently impact your relationship. Although it’s not an unjustified response at all.
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  • Sarah
    Master September 2019
    Sarah ·
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    If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t go and I’d be demanding the bride reimburse me for my expenses. She chose to kick you out, and based on the post you wrote, it sounds like she kicked you out for non-existent issues. Sure you have anxiety but anxiety doesn’t equal not getting along with people or causing drama so it sounds like that was just an excuse for her.


    I see people all the time on this forum say that weddings bring out people’s true colors. Usually they’re talking about guests, but it’s just as applicable to the couple getting married. This “friend” has shown her true colors. Is that someone you want to continue being friends with?
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  • Piper
    Dedicated April 2022
    Piper ·
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    In this case I wouldn't go. If it means losing $2k because you can't get your money back, so be it coz losing 2k is still better than attending an event that you won't trully appreciate because of the bride's and MaidOH's behavior.
    Sure: 2k is a lot of money for most people, including for myself and my fiancé but it's nothing comparated to being ignored, belittled and disrespected by these 2.

    The fact these are the bride's event and pre-events doesn't mean she has the right to dismiss you feelings.
    That being said: you're the ONLY ONE who know whether or not you want to attend but I know I wouldn't go and would end that so-called friendship, I don't care about being the bigger person or 'the smaller person', if you don't respect me I will throw our relationship in the trash LOL.

    In your situatio, I would have dropped out from the wedding party right after the 'shirts' case to be honest and would told the bride and MOH to do whatever they want, without me, see ya girls!

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  • Janet
    Expert October 2018
    Janet ·
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    I would end the friendship over that. You didn't deserve to be treated that way. Those who throw away years of healthy friendships over there one day event don't deserve them. Some brides get so caught up in being a Bride that they forget how to be a friend.

    I know you spent 2k on plane tickets, but can you still use them and have a weekend get a way out of it? If the dress is nice enough, dress up, go out to a nice dinner maybe? The bride should offer to reimburse you since the dress was bought for this event, and now you don't get to take part.

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  • Katie
    Expert August 2021
    Katie ·
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    I absolutely agree with all this. She sounds like a terrible person who didn't have your back when she should have. When things happen between bridesmaids the bride should be a buffer who helps clear things up. That's what i have done. And even after you and the other bridesmaids worked things out she still kicked you out. I get you have anxiety but just because you have anxiety doesn't mean you are a horrible person who is self centered, which personally I feel she is making you out to be and blaming it all on your anxiety. I suffer from bad anxiety as well and have social anxiety but that doesn't mean everytime someone is out of line with me it's my fault. If I was you I'd definitely not go and tell her she owes me the money I spent on the wedding. Do yourself a favor and stand up for yourself other wise you will always be treated this way and she will always blame her crappy behavior towards you on your anxiety.
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  • Katie
    Expert August 2021
    Katie ·
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    Also to add remember one thing just because you have been friends with someone for a long time and they are family friends absolutely does not mean you have to put up with their terrible behavior. You have every right to cut people out of your life for being crappy towards you regardless of the time you have been friends or them being a family friend or what other people have to say. Toxic people are toxic no matter who they are and don't deserve a spot in your life.
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  • Ava
    VIP May 2022
    Ava ·
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    I am assuming if you have plane tickets, you also have hotel reservations? Is the wedding someplace you would enjoy going (or close to somewhere you would enjoy going)? If so, I would ditch the wedding and use those plane tickets/hotel accommodations as a little romantic mini-vacation for you and your husband! You’ve already paid for it, so you might as well enjoy it!
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  • Allie
    VIP November 2021
    Allie ·
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    I will say, as a bride who has had some issues with my bridesmaids communicating with each other...I wouldn't ever kick anyone out 3 months before my wedding, especially if I knew how much money they put into it. Now I know there's always 3 sides to the story (your side, her/their side, and what truly happened), but it sounds like your intentions were to make her day perfect and not anything else and she should recognize that! You don't HAVE to get along with the other girls because they're not your friends, they're hers! So it was absolutely wrong of her to do what she did and kick you out and I would not be attending that wedding. However, that will have an impact on your relationship as a whole as someone else said. So if you don't want to end that friendship, I'd get on the phone or ask to meet up and tell her how you've really been feeling and that you're hurt with her actions and how things went down. And remind her that these people are HER friends and family, not yours...you don't need to get along, you just need to be respectful of her and the other people, which to me sounds like you would have been. She should reimburse you for those costs that she caused you to incur.

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  • A
    Super December 2020
    Anais ·
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    There’s no etiquette for this, it depends on what you want to do. Do you still want to be friends with the bride? If so, attend the wedding.
    If you don’t want to be dealing with this again and are fine ending your friendship, don’t go.
    Removing someone from a wedding party is super rude and the bride shouldn’t be shocked if you don’t want to be friends anymore. And if she is, she made the decision herself so not sure what she’d expect.
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  • SLY
    Master January 2022
    SLY ·
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    I like Ava's suggestion. You've already spent the money to go, why not skip the wedding and just use this as a relaxing, well deserved, getaway with you and your husband?

    It sucks that all of this has gone down, and unfortunately weddings tend to bring out people's true colors.

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  • M
    VIP January 2019
    Maggie ·
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    I agree that this isn't actually an etiquette question; this is a relationship issue. I think you should think about how you would feel with each choice (going/not going) and choose the option that feels the best for your own mental health.

    And for the record, there is no way to "fire" someone who is not an employee. People don't fire their friends, but they do treat them badly and use their "perfect wedding day" as an excuse. We see this ALL the time.

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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    So she demoted you from the position over misunderstandings that were resolved with the other bridesmaids and refused to apologize for the original disagreement, saying that you are currently at fault for being too emotional. Is that correct? In that case, don’t attend. She knew that by doing that and creating unnecessary drama on her end that it is a friendship ending move. You don’t need that toxicity in your life. Demand reimbursement though and be as persistent as you need to but don’t continue the friendship. If the friendship was truly valuable to her, she would never have acted that way.
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  • Natalie
    Super November 2020
    Natalie ·
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    I don’t think I would go to the wedding, for multiple reasons, the first being the way you were treated and how the situation was handled. While your friendship may eventually be mended in the distant future, I don’t think attending the wedding will be emotionally or mentally beneficial for either of you. Also, it is a great distance for you to travel. You mentioned that you have a newborn. I’d decompress and enjoy my baby. Airline tickets can typically be cancelled for airline credit. When you are ready, use that credit to take a vacation with either your husband or husband and baby to a destination of your choosing!
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  • Florida Marlins
    Expert October 2017
    Florida Marlins ·
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    This post is from November 2019, but it just reaffirms my thoughts on: Why do people think being in a wedding is something you can fire someone from?

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  • J
    Just Said Yes April 2022
    Jess ·
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    I probably wouldn't go after hearing how she thinks you're a ticking time bomb and too selfish. I would just say "you made it clear I was casting a shadow on your big day during our conversation. Since I don't want you to feel that way (nor do I wish to be made to feel as though I'm on the verge of a break down when introspection proves I am not), I've decided that my gift to you will be my absence. I wish you all the best.
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  • CountryBride
    VIP April 2022
    CountryBride ·
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    Im so sorry sweetie I would demand the bride pays for the dress and shoes, I am sorry she is being not a kind person

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