Social media users are in disbelief after a bride’s Reddit post about spending her entire wedding catering budget on appearances from Mickey and Minnie Mouse mascots went viral.
The post, which has since been deleted, sparked a debate over the psychology of “Disney adults”, a term that refers to adults who are fixated on Disney movies and theme parks, often visiting Disneyland on a regular basis.
It drew mixed responses, with some people criticising the couple for being “weird Disney Adults”, while others defended them because “they’re having fun and aren’t hurting anyone”.
The bride asks Reddit users to determine if she is the a**hole for not providing any food or drink for her wedding guests because she and her husband spent US$5,500 (£4,406.22) on two 30-minute appearances by the iconic cartoon mice.
She added: “My fiancée and I are huge Disney fans, and we travel to Disney World as much as we can throughout the year. Disney is such an important part not only to us, but also our marriage.”
However, several of the couple’s guests, including the bride’s aunt, complained about the lack of food and drink at the event.
The bride said there were “plenty of facilities at the venue where people could eat”, as well as “vending machines”.
The post was shared on Twitter, where it received thousands of comments and retweets.
One person said: “I was prepared to defend this couple’s right to be Weird Disney Adults but no. If you can’t afford to feed guests AND pay the Mickey/Minnie cameos, don’t have a wedding reception! Elope! S*** isn’t hard.”
Another wrote: “I’ve said it once, I’ll say it now, and I’ll say it 100 more times. Disney adults are the absolute worst people. Having Mickey and Minnie Mouse at your wedding instead of food is absolutely preposterous.”
Others defended “Disney adults”, with one person writing: “The hate for Disney adults that aren’t toxic is cringe. Long as they’re having fun and aren’t hurting anyone it’s not anyone else’s business. I’m sorry you hate joy and fun but that’s not anyone else’s problem.”
Another person pointed out: “I find the discourse surrounding ‘Disney adults’ so weird. It’s literally just a group of adults that like watching films or visiting theme parks.
“These are perfectly normal activities to do. Owning Mickey Mouse memorabilia is no weirder than owning football team merch.”
Professor Jodi Eichler-Levine, a religious studies professor from Pennsylvania, warned people to “stop pathologising Disney adults”.
She wrote in a Twitter thread that many adult Disney fans “find immense meaning in the parks”.
“Would I want to go to a wedding with no food because the bride and groom wanted photos with Mickey? No,no I would not. But when they say Disney is a big part of their lives, I take that seriously. Maybe they met there. Maybe the ideas the Mouse stands for bring them joy,” she explained.
“So stop pathologising people’s joy. There’s little enough of it in this world.”
