A Tense Affair
Brooke had been dreaming of this day since she was a little girl. As the day drew close, Brooke’s fantasies of the picture-perfect day became more of a reality. As she stood in the antechamber, she took one last glance at herself and felt radiant.
The day so far was exactly as she’d dreamed. That was until she stepped out and saw her mother-in-law for the first time that day. Suddenly, her perfect day turned into a nightmare.
A Lifelong Dream
Like many young girls, Brooke Johnson had dreamed of a perfect wedding day. From the moment she got her first doll house with a bride and groom doll to live in it, she had pictured the day she’d meet her own prince charming.
She worked hard throughout high school and college and eventually began a successful career running her own catering business. Her life was great, but one thing was still missing.
Finding The One
Brooke was a beautiful woman. As a consequence, there were always suitors after her. Although she dated a few guys after school, none of the relationships ever panned out.
Since Brooke always had an idea of her perfect man, she was never going to just settle for the sake of it. She was in her mid-twenties when she began to wonder if she would ever find that special guy.
A Chance Encounter
Brooke had placed her search for Mr. Right on the back burner while she continued working hard. Brooke was excited when she secured a large catering order for a corporate event.
This was a huge chance to expand her business. With a large corporate client, Brooke knew other doors could be opened, so she pulled out all the stops. However, the job also came with a benefit she hadn’t anticipated.
The Event
The event was a two-day business seminar. Many large companies sent delegations from their marketing and strategy departments. Brooke had outdone herself.
She and her small team put together a vast buffet-style lunch menu for the attendees. The people were friendly, and she received many compliments on the food. One of the businessmen stood out.
Mr. Right
From the moment Brooke laid eyes on Jenson, she liked him. He was handsome, charming, and looked very smart and professional in the suits he wore to the seminar.
The pair initially started speaking after he complimented her on the food. From there, they began chatting after each workshop. By the second day of the seminar, Brooke was utterly smitten. There was only one problem.
Butterflies
As the next day wore on, Brooke caught a few fun conversations with Jenson. However, the seminar was due to end that day, and she wondered if she’d ever see him again. He seemed to enjoy speaking to her too and made a point of returning to her spot throughout the day.
At the end of the seminar, Brooke was packing up and secretly sad that she wouldn’t get to see Jenson after that. To her surprise, he approached her and asked for her number.
A Dream
After their chance encounter, Brooke and Jenson began dating steadily. She was overjoyed as he was her dream man in every way. The couple grew close over the next eight months and even moved in together.
Things seemed to be going perfectly. Brooke couldn’t help but rekindle her childhood fantasies. That was until she eventually met Jenson’s family.
A Bad Vibe
Although Jenson was a humble person, he came from a wealthy family. He was also successful in his own right as the VP of a significant Manhattan-based marketing firm. When Brooke met Jenson’s mother, she got a bad vibe.
Evelyn Johnson was an austere woman of refined taste. Brooke, being a simple girl herself, felt uncomfortable around her. Evelyn also seemed to dislike her on sight.
The Conflict
Despite Jenson’s assurances and being an only child, it was clear that Jenson was the apple of his mom’s eye. Some of his cousins had also told Brooke that she was very picky and, in her eyes, no woman was good enough for him.
These worries aside, Brooke did her best to navigate the tricky relationship with Evelyn. Soon enough, all of this was out of her mind. She was happier than she’d ever been when Jenson suddenly proposed.
The Engagement
Jenson got down on one knee and created a magical evening for Brooke. She was ecstatic as her lifelong dream was finally coming true. A date was chosen, and the exciting planning began.
While Evelyn, who didn’t seem too pleased about the wedding, did her best to try and control every aspect of the preparations, Brooke put her foot down. This was her big day, and nothing was going to spoil that. At least, that’s what she thought.
Awkward
Brooke wasn’t close to her future mother-in-law. And now, more than ever, she got an intense feeling that Evelyn didn’t like her.
Because of this and the way Evelyn had tried control other aspects of the wedding planning, Brooke didn’t invite her wedding dress shopping. Instead, she sent her a picture of her chosen dress to make her feel included. It was a decision she’d later regret.
Unexpected Reply
The dress Brooke sent her future mother-in-law was a beautiful flowy beachy-looking dress that had an embroidered corset detail on the waist.
She bought it from a local small boutique that both she and Jenson loved. After sending the photo to her mother-in-law, Brooke expected to receive a nice text back. Instead, all hell broke loose.
An Aggressive Answer
Evelyn immediately wrote back and demanded that Brooke find another dress. Brooke thought she was joking until she followed up with a stream of hysterical texts.
Brooke flicked through the aggressive texts in disbelief. She made it obvious that she didn’t approve. She wrote back utterly confused and asked her why but her response left her reeling.
Indignant
When Brooke asked her why she thought she couldn’t wear that dress, Evelyn replied: “I don’t need to give you a reason. You should do what I say without questioning me. That dress is inappropriate.”
But there was a secret reason – and it was wild! “Sorry, but I’m still wearing this dress,” Kelly replied, adding fuel to the fire.
Defiance
Brooke’s mother-in-law was a very judgemental woman who cared deeply about keeping up appearances. She grew up surrounded by wealth and seemed to always get everything she wanted.
Brooke’s defiance felt like a hard slap to her face – and one that would send her spiraling out of control and into the arms of security.
Tensions Rise
Brooke got a call later that day. It was from her father-in-law. If she didn’t change the dress, the whole family would withdraw from attending their wedding.
Their wedding was a small group of 40 people. 15 of those people were Jenson’s family – uncles, aunts, and cousins mostly – who were all acting completely unreasonable. Tensions rose between the engaged couple.
Giving In
Jenson begged his future-wife to be accommodating. His reaction brought Brooke to boiling point. How could he side with his family? They were acting utterly out of line.
But her whole wedding was at stake. She didn’t want her future husband to have a wedding without his family there, but she also felt like she needed to stand her ground. Eventually, she made a decision that would come back to haunt her.
The Wedding Stunt
Brooke surrendered and picked a different wedding dress. Even though she had won, Evelyn still became a lot moodier in the weeks leading up to the wedding.
The day finally arrived. Everything was perfect, from the location to the weather, food, and decor. Brooke glanced outside as she sat in her antechamber, awaiting her cue to walk down the aisle. The in-laws came to her wedding and everyone was playing nice – until Kelly saw what her mother-in-law was wearing.
Complete Shock
Evelyn had found a cruel way to take revenge for not being allowed to control the wedding arrangements. Brooke’s eyes filled with tears when she saw that Evelyn had worn a wedding dress to the ceremony.
To make matters even worse, her mother-in-law had decided to attend her wedding in the same dress she had planned on wearing! Malice was written all over her face as she strutted around in what should have been her wedding dress. Now, it was personal.
She Was Livid
Brooke could not believe how insensitive Evelyn had been. It was clearly a stunt designed to take the spotlight off her as the bride. Word got to Jenson that his bride was in tears. The ceremony was placed on hold while Brooke and Jenson confronted Evelyn.
Brooke marched up to her mother-in-law with a rage so consuming she felt like she could spew hot lava from her pores.
Confrontation
“How dare you! This is why you didn’t want me to have my dream wedding dress? Because YOU wanted to wear it to my big day?!” Brooke spat. A crowd began to form.
Evelyn was belligerent as ever and refused to apologize or change her dress. Then, the spiteful woman accused Brooke of being after her son’s money.
No Choice
Brooke’s soon-to-be husband now had no choice but to acknowledge the disrespect his own mother showed to his wife. Even he could no longer excuse her childish behavior.
Brooke stepped away and tried to ignore her for the rest of the day, but she couldn’t deny it – she was ruining her wedding day. She had to do something.
Taking Action
The entire fiasco had made Brooke’s day a nightmare. Jenson was just as disgusted at his mom’s behavior. Brooke was devastated, more than anything, because of what she was accused of.
Brooke should have been surrounded by people who loved her and Jenson equally and who wanted to celebrate their union in a joyous and unselfish manner. But her mom-in-law was making her feel small. After dinner, Brooke pulled Jenson aside and confided in him. What they did next astonished everyone.
Kicked Out
Jenson understood where Brooke was coming from and couldn’t help but agree with her on her point of view and how his mom was acting.
They agreed to approach his mom and ask her to leave now that the meal was over. However, she didn’t go quietly and made scene – even smashing a piece of cake in the bride’s face!
Second Thoughts
When Evelyn eventually left, she took most of Jenson’s family with her. Although Jenson was devastated to have to ask his family to leave, he couldn’t condone their behavior any longer.
He felt he did the right thing. Brooke also felt like she did the right thing, but the drama put a horrible damper on her big day. And she became unsure if she had acted correctly. She posted the story to Reddit and asked for help.
Looking For Advice
Brooke explained the story online and asked Reddit users if she was wrong for what she’d done. After all, if she was being small-minded about the whole situation, she wanted to be able to address her wrongdoing and apologize.
These people were now her family, and there was no getting away from them now. But here’s what Reddit users said.
Online Opinions
One comment said: “You can wear whatever you want. But at some point, you might need to think if this dress is more important than your wedding and your relationship with your in-laws.”
Another concurred, but emphasized that Brooke hadn’t deserved that kind of treatment: “I agree with this, but mom-in-law and her family are ridiculously overreacting.”
A Warning
However, another user had words of warning to say to Brooke. “With how crazy all these people are, she should rethink even marrying into this family. These people are nuts and will make her life a living hell.”
Despite the warning to run away from the crazy family, Brooke and Jenson were determined to let love win – and set the mother-in-law from hell straight on one thing...
A New Start
Jenson confronted his mother alone. For the first time, Evelyn learned that the couple had been keeping a secret from her. Months before the wedding, Jenson’s company had suffered a substantial financial loss, and he had lost his job.
Brooke insisted that he let her support him till he got back on his feet. Only then did Evelyn realize the kind of person Brooke was. She made a considerable effort to reconcile with Brooke and begged her forgiveness. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.