This happened yesterday and I still feel sick about it. My sister Emma (26F) and her boyfriend Jake had been together for 3 years. We all knew a proposal was coming. At our mom’s birthday dinner, Jake stood up and started a heartfelt speech. Emma looked emotional, clearly realizing what was about to happen.
He pulled out the ring, got down on one knee, and in that moment, my dumbass yelled, “FINALLY!” Way louder than I meant to. The entire restaurant went silent. Emma’s face turned bright red. Jake fumbled the ring and dropped it. Total chaos.
Emma said yes, but she was clearly upset. Later she told me I ruined the moment and made it about myself. I was honestly just excited and thought I was being funny, but I see now how selfish and inappropriate it was.
My whole family is mad at me, and Emma won’t return my texts. I’ve been replaying it constantly, wishing I could take it back. I didn’t mean to steal her spotlight, but I did.
TL;DR: I yelled during my sister’s proposal and completely embarrassed her, ruining what was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life.
Comments
Ooooo yikes. Hopefully when it’s not so fresh she’ll be ready to talk about it
IMO, their reaction is a bit over the top. Yes, you did get overexcited. As long as you profusely apologized (did you?) , they should forgive and forget.
I mean yeah you got excited and messed up their moment, but they need to get over it and move on. It shouldn’t be a forever grudge. Why would he propose on your mom’s birthday anyway? That seems more odd than you yelling.
Awww it’s obvious you’re sorry, but you can’t go back in time, all you can do is make a heartfelt apology and try to make it up to them. Can you afford to get them a gift card for a dinner somewhere really nice?
*edit typo
You know those people who everyone wonders why they are how they are and wishes they would just stop? You are them.
Tou have to do it again I n at the wedding!
I dunno. I would’ve found it funny but I have a messed up sense of humor. Doesn’t feel like you meant any harm.
More AI slop.
A few years from now you’ll all be laughing about this. Your sister will be getting drunk on telling the story of how her sister was the most excited person about the engagement!
Yeah, you know you did the wrong thing. In the short term, accept she’ll be angry and let her reach out in her own time. If you’ve already apologised, leave it there.
In the longer term, you need to do some self-reflection. Why was your instinct to cause a bit of mayhem in your sister’s big moment? Take a good hard look at that imp with the pointy trident that’s been whispering in your ear.
How do you really feel about your sister, about her boyfriend, about engagements, about yourself? Enquire within. It could be you need to make a longer apology to your sister than just the one about the engagement.
This reminds me of when I see weddings where people shove each other’s faces in the cake. Yes, they say it’s all in good fun, yes, yes, yes. But “Hmmm”, I always say to myself, “There are unresolved issues at play here”.
You can’t really embarass someone else, only yourself.
If she can’t get over it, that’s not for you to solve.
Another AI …
What a bunch of stuck up stiffs. Big woop!
Op. do it again at the wedding, yell Finally!
And also when they announce their pregnancy..
Continuity!
Lol tell your sister this redditor got proposed to in a bathroom. At least she got a real proposal and ring with it.
You didn’t fuck up, they did, by not finding it hilarious.
> The entire restaurant went silent. Emma’s face turned bright red. Jake fumbled the ring and dropped it. Total chaos.
They should not have done a public engagement announcement. They weren’t ready for it.
> I didn’t mean to steal her spotlight, but I did.
You didn’t. You actually put an even brighter spotlight on them, causing the entire restaurant to go quiet, waiting for her response.
They were not ready for that, which caused their fuck-up.
> Jake fumbled the ring and dropped it. Total chaos.
And at that moment, she should have hugged him, kissed him, answered Yes, and only then go after the ring, in that specific order, to show that he is more important than the ring.
> At our mom’s birthday dinner, […] Later she told me I ruined the moment and made it about myself.
She’s actually the one that was stealing the spotlight. That dinner should have been all about your Mom, and the celebration of her life and the years still to come.
Instead they were the ones that hijacked it.
That FINALLY was well deserved, as they weren’t even able to propose on their own, and it took a birthday of a different person before they were finally capable of a proposal.
Ehh, on one hand it’s really not that big a deal and they should have just laughed it off and moved on. On the other hand the Sister is kind of right that you made their moment about yourself by trying to make a joke and get a laugh. You could have waited until after she had said “yes” and had their moment before poking fun at them.
LOL they will get over it
I literally did this with my sister who shares the name and literally nobody cared.
Just wait until you ruin the first night of their honeymoon by shouting, “Finally! My turn!”
Tbh you would think that your sister would be happy that you’re so excited for her, not mad that you expressed that??
I hope they laugh about it later – this is something either one of my insane and loud as heck brothers would do, and I love them both for being such weirdos!
I mean, if this is real they made your mom’s birthday about them so idk why they’re being hypocritical about this. sure you messed up but like low-key get over it lol.
Being sorry doesn’t undo damage or consequences.. that was a once (presumably) in a lifetime moment. If you have a history of this with her then it makes sense why she wouldn’t want to talk to you for awhile at least
I mean, this was an FU, but I feel like it’s one that hopefully you all can laugh about in a while..lol, if you were my sibling I’d be angry at first but once I got over it you’d never get to live it down, I’m talking constant sibling teasing
This reminds me of a family reunion I went to as a kid. My father’s family has a bunch of Methodist Ministers and we were gathered in the family church. Each one was giving a different sermon, like 8 in total.
My mother was asking me about school during one of the last ones and if the kid that had been trying to pick on me was still being a problem. I told her that he was no longer bothering/picking on me. She replied with a ‘Thank God’ right as the minister stated ‘Thats all I have to say about that’.
The whole church just stopped and stared at my Mom and you could just see her dying of embarrassment trying to sink into the pew as much as she could.
This will just be a funny story they tell in a few months. Don’t beat yourself up.
This doesn’t rate as a “moment ruined” in my book.
They’re claiming you made the moment about yourself, while they made your mom’s birthday about themselves? The hypocrisy!
This feels like a dumb thing to be upset about. You were excited! Don’t obsess. If youve already apologized, youve done all you can. Cant change the past.
They need to get over it. My sister put my husbands wedding band in her bra when she washed her hands before our ceremony. When it came time to exchange rings, she had no idea where it was. My dad ended up passing us his wedding band to use during the ceremony which hadn’t been off his finger in 40 years. After the ceremony she searched everything high and low for the ring until she found it safely in her bra. I could have made a big deal about it, but who the hell cares? It’s a funny story,
It was kind of sweet to use my dad’s ring, and I married the man of my dreams! Can’t let little things ruin big moments.
Everyone who’s ever had their special event co-opted by an engagement is saluting you. Don’t worry about it.
Well they ruined mom’s birthday dinner, like seriously how rude!
You didn’t mess up. They did. They ruined someone else’s birthday dinner.
Sounds like they all take life way too seriously.
Another ChatGTP story. He “fumbled the ring and dropped it”, lmao.
Whoa buddy, just be ready for when you finally propose because i have a feeling your sister and BIL will be looking to get some revenge .
You will all hopefully laugh about it some day. If you have the money, gift them a nice dinner out.
Three years is not long at all. Not a very good joke, and might be a good lesson for yourself not every moment needs your commentary.
I know this feeling all too well – I’m also impulsive and talk before I think. I think you’ll need to give it time, unfortunately.
Also a tip, don’t drink too much at the wedding in case you say something silly (source: me 🤦♀️)