All I wanted was to be a supportive, glamorous mother-of-the-groom at

my son Mark’s wedding. But my effort to make everything perfect led

to an unexpected and regretful conflict. Mark, a driven lawyer,

introduced us to Alice, a carefree self-taught coder. They were different, but happy together. When Mark proposed,

he asked my husband and me to join in the surprise since Alice wasn’t

close to her family. I offered to help with the wedding, using some

of the money saved for Mark’s education.However, Alice and I quickly disagreed on wedding plans, from flowers to

decorations. I decided to step back and let Alice take charge,

2 / “Bride Blames Me for Ruining the Wedding — All Because of What I Wore”

offering to just choose a dress color that wouldn’t clash with the

bridesmaids. She promised no green dresses, so I picked one for myself.

When Alice sent me photos of her wedding dress choices, I felt hurt

she didn’t invite me to shopping. I suggested an alternative dress,

but she picked the one she loved. I felt dismissed despite contributing

to the wedding. As the wedding day approached, I found an emerald

green dress that I felt great in. But when I arrived at the venue,

Alice’s expression changed as she saw me. Tears filled her eyes as

she accused me of wearing her “dream dress” in green. I tried to explain,

but she thought I was trying to make the day about me. Mark intervened,

asking us to get through the day. I left feeling defeated, questioning

if I had been too focused on my idea of the perfect wedding instead of

letting Alice have her moment. In the end, I’m unsure if I was wrong, but it wasn’t my day to control.