Weddings bring out the best in people, and by “best,” I mean the absolute, unhinged worst. We have seen brides demand their friends dye their hair, cover their tattoos, and lose weight. But just when you think you have seen it all, a bride on Reddit comes along to remind us that the bar can always go lower. This particular bride didn’t just ask for a stylistic change; she asked her friend to literally disable herself for the sake of the “aesthetic.”
Our narrator starts off by singing the praises of her bridesmaid, Tara. She describes Tara as “stunning” and “legit the prettiest out of our entire group.” You might think this is a sweet compliment, but hold onto your veils, because it is actually the setup for a backhanded slap of epic proportions.
The problem, according to the bride, isn’t Tara’s attitude or dress. It is her eyes. Specifically, the fact that Tara has terrible vision and requires “very strong glasses.” The bride notes that even with thinned lenses, they are thick, and her eyes can’t tolerate contacts. This is a medical necessity. It is how Tara navigates the world without walking into walls.
But does the bride see a medical device? No. She sees an eyesore. In a “bridal meeting” (which already sounds like a hostage negotiation), she asked Tara if she could take off her glasses for the main photos.
The bride claims she “wasn’t saying this to be cruel.” She graciously offered to let Tara wear them during the party so she wouldn’t have to “walk around blind.” How generous! She just wants them off for the photos because, and I quote, “with them on her eyes look weird and distorted and would take all the attention away.”
So, let’s get this straight. You asked your friend, who cannot see without her glasses, to stand in front of a camera, blind and vulnerable, because you think her corrective lenses ruin the vibe of your pictures. You looked at your “stunning” friend and told her that the thing she needs to function makes her look “weird.”
Tara, understandably, got “huffy and sulky.” She even challenged the bride to try on her glasses to see just how bad her vision is without them. The bride admitted it was “horrible” but then doubled down, saying she could “stomach it for a few minutes to help out a friend.”
The audacity is truly breathtaking. She thinks asking someone to stand there unable to see facial expressions, cues, or the photographer is a reasonable favor. She even tries to spin it as doing Tara a favor, claiming that without the glasses, she’d be the “hottest bridesmaid.”
The rest of the bridal party immediately turned on her, calling the request “horrible.” And they are right.
So, is she the ahole? Yes. A thousand times, yes. You are the ahole. You are prioritizing your Instagram aesthetic over your friend’s comfort, safety, and identity. Tara wears glasses. That is what she looks like. If you can’t handle your friend looking like herself in your wedding photos, maybe you don’t deserve to have her in them at all.
I think the girls is overreacting she can take her glasses off for a few of the pictures. Just have someone hold them for the picture. Don’t be an asshole. It’s different if the person was handicapped or covering up a whole bunch of tattoos.