Weddings are all about the love, emotional vows, and tipsy uncles attempting a new dance trend. But let’s be honest, half of the buzz of a wedding is about the dress…at least for the bride it is. Finding the perfect dress can feel more emotional than saying “I do.” But what happens when that dress comes with an X-rated backstory?
One Reddit bride-to-be found herself in the middle of a lace-covered, mother-in-law-induced nightmare when her fiancé’s mom demanded she wear her old wedding dress, that’s seen more “under-the-shirt” action than a Saturday night disco in the ‘80’s.
More info: Reddit
RELATED:When the wedding dress has seen more action than your pre-wedding honeymoon, it’s time to run, not walk, from the altar
Bride-to-be pressured by her fiancé and his mom to wear her mother-in-law’s old wedding dress, which she repeatedly used in the bedroom with her husband
The woman is disgusted by her fiancé’s mom’s wedding dress, in which she made love to her husband multiple times, refuses to wear it
The man gifts his fiancé his mom’s old clothes without her knowing, she’s creeped out when she finds out and tells him to send everything back
The woman considers ending her engagement after discovering her fiancé has a weird obsession with his mom
The OP (original poster), a 29-year-old bride-to-be, excited to marry her partner Peter, was hit with a request that no bride should ever have to entertain: wear her future mother-in-law’s “well-loved” gown. And when I say “loved,” I mean taking it to the bedroom for some husband and wife play time not once, but multiple times.
While the OP and her mother-in-law are the same size (lucky OP), that’s where the compatibility ends. The OP had already told Peter she wasn’t comfortable wearing the dress. Not only is it super personal, but hearing the words “we made love in it” ruined the vibe real fast.
But that didn’t stop the mother-in-law. Oh no! She brought up the idea again during a family get-together. When this lady gushed about how excited she was to see the OP walk down the aisle in her sacred X-rated dress, the OP finally snapped with a firm “No.” Direct. Not up for debate.
The offended mother-in-law threw a tantrum and stormed off. But back at home, things got even weirder. Peter casually asked the OP if she liked the sweater she was wearing. When she said yes, he smugly revealed it was one of his mom’s old sweaters. The OP immediately took it off and told him to return any clothes that belonged to his mother.
Peter’s response? He refused to sleep in the same bed, like a pouting toddler denied his favorite blankie. The OP’s response? She sent him a message saying they need to talk, planning to end things with her fiancé who apparently has a weird thing for his mom.
The pros might call that enmeshment, at a disturbing level, I could add. It might sound like a fancy psychology term, but enmeshment basically means your emotional, and physical, boundaries got thrown in a blender. In families where this happens, people often don’t know where their feelings end and their relatives’ feelings begin.
Sometimes, enmeshed parents treat their children as friends and overshare inappropriate personal information with them, like how many times they did it with their partner in their wedding dress. Well, if that’s not enough to say no to wearing your mother-in-law’s dress, I don’t know what is.
You know, the wedding dress is not just fabric and sequins—it’s practically a wearable statement. Historically, wedding dresses weren’t even white until Queen Victoria wore one in 1840 and made it the ultimate bridal fashion flex. Before that, brides just wore their nicest dress—yes, even if it was brown or mustard yellow.
Today, the dress has become a symbol of identity, fantasy, and emotional investment. It’s the one day you get to dress like a royal and have everyone cry about it. So, when someone tries to assign you a dress with their own history, it feels less like a gift and more like a haunted heirloom.
Weddings are about your love story, not reliving someone else’s romantic flashbacks. If your future husband is more concerned about pleasing his mom than respecting your comfort, that’s not a wedding, it’s a red flag parade.
What do you think of this story? Why was the poster’s fiancé so keen on her wearing his mom’s clothes? Let us know in the comments below!
Netizens side with the woman saying she is not a jerk in this story, advising her to call off the wedding
