When it comes to planning a wedding, most brides spend hours going over every detail to make sure their special day goes off without a hitch.
But one bride-to-be has been left feeling numb after having to ban her best friend's guide dog from her wedding day because she is highly allergic to dogs.
Taking to Reddit, the 28-year-old explained how she has to take 23 pills per day to keep her allergies at bay - and doesn't want them to spark up on her special day.
She said: "I have chronic illnesses - severe asthma and an extremely severe dog allergy.
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"Usually when I meet with my friend we meet in the open and I take two allergy pills.
"However because of all the other medication I take, these pills make me extremely drowsy to the point where I am officially not allowed to drive.
"I usually crash as soon as I get home from our get-togethers."
Explaining how she has planned a "very intimate" wedding in a small reception room, the bride has expressed her concerns about the guide dog ruining her big day.
"I feel horrible about this but I don’t think I can let my friend bring her dog," she added. "It just wouldn’t work. I talked about it with my fiancé and some friends.
"Finally, I talked to my friend about it, explained the situation and said I would love her to come but she can’t bring her dog.
"I said that four of our mutual friends had offered to 'be on a roster' and assist her should she need it.
"Alternatively, if she is not comfortable with this she could bring a person of her choosing to the wedding or I’d pay for a professional aid for the day.
"I think it is important to note that her dog is not for any additional issues like seizures or anything like that.
"Unfortunately, she was less than happy with my suggestions. She accused me of being ableist and thinking her disability can be switched off for the day.
"I understand what I asked was a lot and it is a difficult topic. I told her to tell me if she changes her mind and I’d be happy to make arrangements. But I won’t budge."
While most users understood the woman's reasoning, others shared a thought for her best friend who relies on her guide dog to help her carry out every day tasks.
One user said: "It sounds like you've gone out of your way to try to make sure she can still be included without the service dog.
"Maybe give her some time, start off with if you weren't allergic then you'd absolutely have no problem with it being there but with the venue type and other offers of aid, then unfortunately they just may not come.
"Also I note you said it doesn't provide anything else other than helping aid with sight but you have to realize that a guide dog for the blind also allows a huge sense of freedom and independence for them too.
"I do think they should suck it up for the day, but also understand if she's just not willing to give that up and opts out of the wedding."
Another user added: "The independence that her service dog gives is a very big part of it.
"I think the woman comes from a very good place trying to find a solution so her friend can come.
"I sympathise with her friend as well as it’s a hard pill to swallow having to depend on other people when she’s so used to being able to do things on her own with the help of her service dog."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
