Rebecca Meyer
This 28-year-old woman and her husband, 28, have been together for quite a while, and she has a close bond with his family. His mother treats her like a daughter, and she feels grateful she didn’t wind up with a mean mother-in-law.
Her sister-in-law recently married a wonderful man. Since her husband’s mom hung onto her wedding dress, she always hoped her daughter could take pictures while wearing the dress.
In the months before the wedding, her mother-in-law mentioned the idea several times, stating that even though she didn’t want her daughter walking down the aisle in the dress, she wanted photos of her daughter wearing it.
“I was at a dinner party when they were discussing it, and I guess my mother-in-law felt guilty that I never wore it at my wedding, even though she views me as a daughter,” she said.
While her feelings weren’t hurt, her husband’s mom repeatedly told her she was sorry. Throughout the last few months before her sister-in-law’s wedding, her sister-in-law began gaining weight quickly. According to her husband, his sister struggles with depression and anxiety and uses food to cope.
Because her sister-in-law’s dress was tailored, it wasn’t too tight on her wedding day, but when she tried on her mother’s dress, it was too tight. Even though she and her mom were upset that they couldn’t take photos of her in the dress, they moved forward with the rest of her wedding day as planned.
“After my sister-in-law returned from her honeymoon, my mother-in-law asked her if she thought she’d ever lose weight and put on the dress. I will admit, the way she asked at dinner, with everyone around, was rude and awkward,” she explained.
In response, her husband’s sister suggested tailoring the dress so she could fit into it, but her mother-in-law rejected the idea, stating she could hang onto the dress so that future grandchildren could maybe wear it someday.
A week later, her mother-in-law asked her to come to her house. Once she arrived, her husband’s mom expressed how desperately she hoped for a daughter to try on her wedding dress and her concern that she wouldn’t be alive long enough for a granddaughter to wear it.
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