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A bride-to-be has been hit with a backlash after she admitted that she didn’t want to invite her autistic cousin to her wedding.
The unnamed woman took to Reddit to garner opinions ahead of her big day, explaining that she was set to marry the ‘love of her life’ next spring.
Turning to the 'Am I the A**hole' subreddit, the woman said that she and her husband-to-be had planned a child-free wedding and since most of their friends and family either didn’t have children or were happy to get a sitter for the weekend it wasn’t a problem.
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However, as well as ‘no children’ the woman was also planning to ban her 20-year-old cousin who has autism, which did not go down well with her auntie and uncle who became ‘very upset’.
She continued: “She is what they call ‘high-functioning’, which means she can talk and wash/dress herself, and she has some friends.
“She graduated from high school a couple years ago and is currently living with her parents while working at a grocery store.
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“Despite her being technically an adult I just don’t see her as such. Every time I talk to her at a family gathering it’s like talking to a child. She is obsessed with toy ponies and barbie dolls, and brings them up at every opportunity.
“She draws in her notebook constantly and never makes eye contact when talking to me. She does not have loud meltdowns like other special needs kids I’ve met before, but I really don’t want to risk her ruining my special day.”
The woman said that she felt her auntie was trying to ‘guilt’ her, by telling her that her cousin had already chosen a dress and a gift.
The post ends: “My fiancé says I'm being an a**hole and we should let her attend because she has attended other weddings before with no issue. Everyone is making me feel horrible for not treating her like an adult when she doesn't act like one.”
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Fellow Reddit users pulled no punches when it came to telling the woman that they agreed with her fiancé, with one replying: “She is an adult. She has no history of having meltdowns. There is zero evidence that she'd do anything except be a happy guest. You should be ashamed. Why turn what should be a happy occasion into reason for everyone to think you're horrible and make people feel bad?”
Another said: “What exactly makes you think she would "ruin your special day"? Simply the fact that she is autistic?”
Someone else sarcastically added: “Your cousin will quietly mind her business and talk to her family members. It's going to be hard having a childfree wedding with your behaviour, though.”
Claire Reid