I was shamed on Facebook for taking my baby to a kid-free wedding

"But I couldn't believe the biggest problem for one person was that she doesn’t fit in," the young bridesmaid says.

A 19-year-old mum said she brought her two-year-old daughter, Amelia, to her friend's child-free wedding and was taken aback by the groom's mother's comments. 

"Just a bit of backstory: last year, I was asked to be a bridesmaid in a family friend’s wedding. I was thrilled and immediately said yes, even though it was a child-free event. I had arranged for a babysitter, but about a week before the wedding, she informed me that she would no longer be in the city and couldn’t watch my daughter," she said on Reddit.

Given the short notice, she approached the bride and asked if she could bring Amelia to the wedding, as she didn’t have time to find another trusted babysitter.

She says her daughter is "overall a very easygoing baby—she’s comfortable with people and happy as long as she’s fed."

"The bride knew this since she’d watched my daughter on multiple occasions before, and she happily agreed, saying that having Amelia there would make the wedding photos even more special," the mum explained.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

RELATED: Parents’ controversial way to get alone time on family cruise

In-laws "outraged" by teen's move

Cut to the day and the wedding was going smoothly, though the mum said she noticed "a few stares" from the groom’s parents.

"Amelia stayed with my sisters for most of the day, but during the reception, I took her with me to congratulate the couple," she continued. "As I approached with Amelia in my arms, the groom’s mother suddenly commented, 'You shouldn’t have brought a baby to a child-free wedding, especially when she doesn’t fit the family.'

Image: IStock

"I was completely taken aback. For context, my daughter is mixed—I’m half white and half Hispanic, and her father is Black. I’ve been called 'white-washed' because I’m not in contact with my Hispanic family, so I knew exactly what she meant by saying my daughter didn’t 'fit the family.'

"The bride looked shocked, and the groom immediately stood up and led his parents away. Taking this as my cue, I decided it was time to leave. I made the rounds to say goodbye to everyone and put Amelia in her stroller. As I was leaving, the bride came over to apologize for her in-laws’ behavior. I was upset, but I knew it wasn’t her fault, so I simply wished her luck and left."

Now, about a week after the wedding, the OP got tagged in a Facebook post from the groom's mother. The post read: "I’m outraged that my grandchildren weren’t allowed at this event, but when a teen mother who couldn’t be responsible enough to leave her child with the father brings her baby, it’s perfectly fine."

To make things worse, she’s also been telling family members that the OP was lying about what she said regarding her daughter’s appearance.

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

RELATED: My 2yo uses the f-word as a very personal attack

"You're in the wrong"

Some people in the comments agreed the in-laws were awful, but others believed the OP put the bride in a tricky position as soon as she asked her for an exemption from her rule.

One person said: "When you make the call for a child-free wedding, everybody has to make the sacrifice. The bride and groom shouldn’t have given you an exception. Amelia should’ve stayed at your sister’s away from the wedding. And the groom’s parents just suck in every possible way."

Another person chimed in: "The bride said it was okay. The groom apparently agreed based on the fact he took his parents out of the situation. Those are the *only* two people who get a say."

A third Redditor replied: "You're in the wrong, especially since you put the bride on the spot by asking."

"It is your job to find a sitter or not go to child-free events. You asked the bride and she said yes, but you never should have made your child care anyone else's problem. Taking just one baby to a child-free event causes everyone who didn't bring kids to wonder why that baby is here but mine aren't. If you had better manners, you would know this & where was the father of this child?" someone else wrote.

And another concluded: "It was not the groom's mother's place to decide who could and could not attend. Given the nasty thing she said on that day, and the drama she's so determined to stir up online, it is very obvious that the groom's mum is TA in this situation. You did your best in a rough situation. She, on the other hand, only seems able to do her worst."

Originally published as I was shamed on Facebook for taking my baby to a kid-free wedding