A parent has sparked a debate after revealing that they got a “rude” invitation to their cousin’s wedding via a text message, two weeks before the ceremony.
In a recent post shared on the discussion-based site Mumsnet, a user who goes by the username @BatFink260 explained how a wedding invite from the bride-to-be came off as “intentionally” half-hearted.
“[Am I being unreasonable] to think this wedding invite comes across as intentionally luke warm? From my cousin whom I always thought I had a good relationship with, if not a close one,” the post began.
The guest then noted that they live in the same city as their cousin and were slightly surprised to have only received a text about attending the wedding, as opposed to an actual invitation.
“Hey…I’m getting married in two weeks’ time,” the bride wrote in her message. “Obviously you’re invited but I do understand with [the] baby you may not want to come. The wedding will be at such and such church at such and such time, followed by dinner at 6pm.”
“That was all,” @BatFink260 continued. “As I say, we’re not close, but [we] grew up together and see each other a few times a year. It doesn’t seem like a genuine invitation to me at all.”
As of 29 April, the post has more than 160 comments, with Mumsnet users coming to original poster’s defence and agreeing that the bride’s invitation didn’t appear to be sincere. Others claimed it was strange that the bride sent it two weeks before the wedding.
“She was probably forced to invite you but it doesn’t sound like she wants you there, or doesn’t care if you’re there,” one comment reads. “Sorry!”
“It seems a bit of an afterthought,” another person wrote. “Who invites someone by text to their wedding two weeks before the event. Bizarre.”
A third person wrote: “It sounds like you weren’t invited originally, so someone has either said something (parents perhaps?) or dropped out.”
However, some users felt like the wedding invitation wasn’t all that rude and that the bride was actually trying to be considerate of her cousin’s schedule.
“Maybe she just didn’t want you to feel pressured to attend,” one person wrote. “They wouldn’t have invited you if they didn’t want you there, and the fact that they say ‘Obviously you are invited’ sounds positive - like ‘Of course we want you there, but we do understand that circumstances mean you might not be able to be.’”
“I used to invite people like this. I did want them to come! But I wanted to give them an exit in case they didn’t want to,” another person wrote. “It was bad and way too complicated, I realise that now. However, people don’t send invitations unless they want you there. Or, if they do, it’s really their own fault if you turn up.”