When my fiancé and I announced our wedding date, I never expected the uproar that followed. Her strict, unconventional rules alienated our closest friends and family, leaving me torn between love and loyalty. As the wedding day loomed, I began to wonder if we would make it to the altar at all.
“Michael, we should announce the date tonight,” Natalie said, sipping her coffee. She was the planner, the detail queen. Everything in her world was lists and schedules.
That evening, we told everyone: August. It was going to be perfect, or so I thought. Natalie took the reins in planning our wedding. She reassured me. “I’ve got this, Michael. Don’t worry.”
few days later, the invitations went out. Then the messages started pouring in. First, it was my brother, Dave.
“What the hell, Mike? What’s with these rules in the wedding invitation, man?” Dave’s text read.
He read them to me. “Everyone cleans up. We aren’t hiring any staff, so everyone will need to do their part. You will be sent a list of tasks specifically chosen for you.”
“Everyone out by 10:30. We love the party animals who stay up late and want to have fun, however my husband and I have an early morning the next day.”
She didn’t even look up. “What do you mean?”
“These rules! Did you write this? Clean up, leave by 10:30? Seriously?”
Natalie sighed. “Yes, Michael. We need to save money. We can’t afford staff, and we have an early flight the next day to get to our honeymoon destination.”
It was a big deal. My phone kept buzzing with angry messages. My friends and family were furious. The invites had been a bombshell, and now the fallout was all over me.
My mom called next. “Michael, what’s going on with these wedding rules? Clean up after ourselves?”
“Mom, I just found out. Natalie thought it was necessary.”