The unnamed woman, believed to be from the US, took to ‘s notorious Am I The A**hole thread to unravel the family feud.
The 25-year-old revealed that she tied the knot with her now husband, 27, two weeks ago – with her choice of dress sparking a bitter divide in the family.
Her stepsister had offered to handmake the bride’s ensemble but what she delivered was the ‘wrong color, the wrong style, and three sizes too big.’
In the post, which was shared at the weekend, the bride explained: ‘My now-husband and I paid for most of the wedding, but my father covered a few costs for us.
‘My father’s girlfriend “Stella” has a 21-year-old daughter “Zoey” who is finishing her degree in fashion.
‘She wants to get into the wedding dress industry once she graduates. When I started planning my wedding, she offered to design and make my dress.’
The woman continued: ‘I was hesitant at first, as I’d been excited about picking out my own dress. I agreed because I didn’t know Zoey well (my father had only been dating her mother for two years) and I thought this could be a nice opportunity to bond.’
‘Also, I’d seen some of her work (she’d made a couple ball gowns in college), and she seemed honestly good.’
‘We met up a few times to discuss our ideas. During those, I realized our styles were drastically different, but we still managed to agree on a design. I gave Zoey my measurements and asked her to update me.’
But the relationship started to turn sour as Zoey continually refused to share updates.
‘Whenever I asked her how she was doing, she’d say she would send me progress pictures when she got home (she never did). It took her longer than expected to finish it, and I didn’t get the dress until a month before my wedding,’ the exasperated bride dished.
‘It looked nothing like the design we’d agreed on. It was the wrong color, the wrong style, everything. It looked exactly like the type of dress Zoey would want to wear, but I knew I’d never wear anything like it. I really did not like that dress.’
‘When I tried it on, I found out it was also about three sizes too big. Though I knew I could probably have it altered, I truly did not want to wear that dress on my wedding day.’
The woman, whose nuptials were fast approaching, said she contacted Zoey to express how she felt about the creation.
‘I called Zoey and told her I wouldn’t wear the dress. I said it looked lovely, but not the style we’d agreed on, and I thought it would be best for me to find a different dress.
‘I offered to pay her for her work (she’d made the dress for free), but she declined and hung up on me.
‘I went to a retail bridal store with my maid of honor, and we found a beautiful gown that didn’t need much altering. It looked exactly like what I wanted,’ she divulged.
Then the day of the ceremony arrived where the bride walked down the aisle in the store-bought dress.
‘Zoey seemed to be on the verge of tears during the ceremony, and Stella gave me dirty looks throughout the reception. When I approached them a while later, they were both short with me.
‘My father, Stella and Zoey left less than an hour into the reception.’
She continued: ‘My father and Stella called me the next day and told me off for how I’d treated Zoey.
‘This had been her first time making a wedding dress and had been excited to see me wearing it. They said it was insulting of me to not wear the dress she’d put so much effort into.
‘I tried to explain why I hadn’t worn the dress, but they’re both insisting the dress was beautiful and I could have sucked it up.’
The woman concluded: ‘My husband and my younger sister (not Zoey) are on my side. I’ve been feeling guilty about this since I decided not to wear the dress. Am I the a**hole?’
She provided more context in the comments as she shared: ‘I don’t think she did this for attention. I think she got carried away and made the dress she wanted, instead of the one we’d agreed on.
‘In retrospect, I do regret agreeing to this. I think that besides the reasons I mentioned, I felt a bit pressured by the fact that there were parts of my wedding my father was paying for.’
She added: ‘Also, if she’d delivered the finished dress sooner, I might have had more time for alterations.
‘They know what I requested. They know I’m not lying. They don’t care. The dress can be altered to fit me. The size was a drawback, but not a problem. Had I actually wanted to wear the dress, I’d have altered it.’
Her post was quickly flooded with lots of mixed comments as most users agreed that she was not in the wrong – branding her Not The A**hole (NTA).
One person wrote: ‘NTA. The thing about being a designer, especially a bridal designer is listening to the bride and what sort of dress they see themselves in.
‘You likely didn’t get any progress photos because she knew this was her style, not yours.
‘It was your day and your desires should have been honored. She never prepared you for the fact it was nothing like you wanted.
‘She made your day all about her. Your father should have had your back.’
Another commented: ‘NTA! You were as fair as could be in rejecting the dress.
‘You were generous to go along with it as long as you did. If Zoey can’t satisfy a client, she doesn’t know what she’s doing. I’m sorry your father didn’t stick up for you.’
A third person added: ‘NTA. If Zoey wants to launch a career as a custom gown designer, she needs to learn to work with clients. As in listen to their needs and execute what was agreed upon.’
Someone else agreed: ‘Zoey thought you were going to be her pet project because her parents have made her feel like the world should bow down to her every whim.
‘She can sulk all she wants. And tell your dad if he continues this way, you will cut contact with him for a while.
‘You are a newlywed, go enjoy marital bliss, and let Zoey be a child. You don’t have to suck it up on your wedding day.
‘They tried to make it about Zoey, and you didn’t let it happen. Too bad she’s not learning her lesson. She sounds like a brat.’
But other readers were more focused on the her father’s behavior at the wedding.
One person wrote: ‘Your dad is the a**hole here for leaving your wedding. Sorry OP.’
Another added: ‘You dad leaving his own daughters wedding early, because the adult daughter of the woman he has been dating for two years got upset, is crazy.’
A third person commented: ‘I find it so crazy how people treat their stepkids better than their actual kids!
‘It was your big day and your father couldn’t have cared less.
‘NTA and I would be very careful with your interactions with them from now, because I doubt your feelings will be considered from here on out.’