It's ultimately up to you who do you do or don't invite to your wedding, but it's usually expected that those close to you - especially those in your wedding party - will be able to bring their loved ones with them to celebrate your marriage.
But one bride has left her maid of honour absolutely devastated after she told the woman she wouldn't be allowed to have her partners at the wedding because of concerns that other guests would be too confused.
The bride explained that her best friend and maid of honour, Marissa, is in a polyamorous relationship and currently has three partners - Greg, Brandon, and Ace.
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And while the bride herself is happy to support Marissa's relationship status, her fiancé, Mike, has a "conservative" family that wouldn't understand their situation.
So, the couple has decided to ban all three of Marissa's partners from attending the wedding, as they don't want to have to spend all day "explaining her love life" to Mike's family.
The bride and her husband-to-be have even replaced the spots saved on their guestlist for Marissa's partners by inviting some of Mike's co-workers instead, leaving Marissa heartbroken.
In a post on Reddit, the bride wrote: "I am getting married in September. My partner, Mike and I are doing a big wedding for 250 guests. I've always dreamed of having a storybook wedding. I asked my best friend Marissa to be my MOH [maid of honour] and she happily agreed. She's been a huge help to me in every step of planning the wedding.
"Marissa is in a poly relationship and she has three partners. Greg, Brandon, and Ace. She's been with Greg for 5 years and was the first partner she had. They added Brandon and Ace over the course of their relationship with Ace being the newest member. They all date each other and seem to be happy. I don't really 'get' it if I'm being honest but it's not my business.
"However, the issue came into play when Mike pulled me aside and said while he loves Marissa he didn't feel like spending the wedding explaining her love life to his family. I understand, they are very conservative and hardly accept LGBT people as is let alone an LGBT polyset. I had already reserved 4 spots for Marissa & co but my husband suggested he invite a few coworkers to take the partner's spot and Marissa could come alone. I didn't want to ruin his big day so I agreed reluctantly.
"I know I should have told Marissa from the get-go but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So when invites went out she called me up immediately and asked why she didn't have a plus 3 invite. I explained to her exactly what I said above and she just said 'oh' and hung up."
Marissa is now furious with the bride, and has told her she wants to drop out as maid of honour - as she doesn't want to go to a wedding without her partners by her side.
The bride added: "Next thing I know Brandon is calling me and begging me to reconsider saying they promise they won't act like they are in a relationship but they want to be there for me. Except I can hear Greg in the background telling him to tell me to f**k off and that I'm an a**hole and he doesn't even want to go.
"I explain to Brandon that I already gave their spots to Mike's coworkers. Brandon says okay thank you and hangs up. Marissa texts me the next day saying she isn't coming unless they can go.
"Mike said he can't uninvite his co-workers now so it's not his problem. I told him I would add them and pay the costs and he just said if I want to spend the whole time explaining their relationship to people then so be it but he isn't wasting his time doing it and will just send people my way.
"Our other friends think I'm an a**hole but Mike's friend and a few of my non-mutual friends don't think I am. Just want some more unbiased opinions."
Commenters on the post have blasted the bride for her actions, with many claiming she "betrayed" her best friend by putting the feelings of people who would shame her relationship first.
One person wrote: "Intentionally or not, you put the opinion of bigots over the reality of your friends. They likely feel betrayed, especially at the short notice."
While another added: "She's already been a huge help to you planning the wedding and yet you do this behind her back? When your husband brought it up with you that’s when you should've discussed it with her. On top of that, you don't just disinvite her new partners, you go as far as to now allow her to bring anyone.
"At the end of the day, it's your wedding, you invite who you like, but you had plenty of opportunities along the way to not handle this like an a**hole and you didn’t take any of them."
And a third said: "I can't even imagine how hurt your supposed best friend would be feeling right now. You're inviting 250 people and yet replacing her partners for your fiancé's co-workers without even having a respectful conversation with her first? You care more about the opinions of others than your best friend's feelings."
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