Ashley’s wedding day should have been perfect, but her mother-in-law, Karen, arrived in a black dress, turning it into a spectacle. It looked like she was mourning a loss instead of celebrating, so Ashley decided to grant her wish. What she did next left everyone stunned.
From the day Dan introduced his mother, Karen, to me, I knew she wasn’t too fond of me.
A woman sitting in her living room | Source: Midjourney
In fact, I could always feel that she didn’t want her son to marry me. However, I had no idea she’d actually attempt to ruin my big day.
Before I share what happened that day, let me tell you how our first meeting went.
Dan and I met at work, and we dated for a few months before he wanted me to meet his mother.
“Mom’s really eager to see you, Ashley,” he told me one day. “She’s been asking me to bring you over to her place.”
A man talking to his girlfriend | Source: Midjourney
“Really? I’m a bit nervous,” I confessed, fidgeting with my phone. “What if she doesn’t like me?”
“Oh, come on, babe,” Dan said. “She’s going to love you. I mean there’s nothing not to love about you.”
“I hope so,” I replied, taking a deep breath.
Two days later, Dan drove me to Karen’s place. She lived in a small, cozy house about two hours from Dan’s.
A man driving a car | Source: Pexels
I was nervous and spent the night tossing and turning, imagining how things might go. But when I met her, I realized she wasn’t at all what I had expected. She was worse.
“Hi, darling!” she said, hugging Dan as soon as she opened the door. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Mom,” Dan replied. “Meet Ashley, my girlfriend.”
A man talking to his mother | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, Ashley,” she said, looking me up and down, her tone souring. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Karen,” I said with a smile and followed her inside.
As we sat on the couch in her living room, Karen began talking about her love for Dan, and how she and her late husband had raised him.
A couple looking at their child | Source: Pexels
“Dan was such a good boy growing up,” she began. “We gave him everything he needed, from the best schools to the most supportive environment. We sacrificed so much for him.”
“I’m sure you did, Karen,” I nodded. “He’s a wonderful man.”
Karen smiled tightly and added, “And he deserves someone right for him. Someone who appreciates everything we’ve done for him. Someone who can be a good partner and a good mother to my grandchildren.”
A woman talking to her son’s girlfriend | Source: Midjourney
“Of course, Karen,” I smiled, pretending not to catch her drift.
“Mom, Ashley is just the kind of girl I’ve been waiting for,” Dan interrupted. “She’s just perfect.”
“Oh, Dan,” Karen sighed, shaking her head. “No one’s perfect. And what really matters is that your partner understands your family values and respects them. I don’t want someone who dresses improperly or can’t carry herself well in public.”
That’s when the snide remarks began.
A woman looking outside a window | Source: Midjourney
Karen would never miss the opportunity to tell Dan how I wasn’t the right fit for him, how I was not a part of their family, and how I didn’t know how to dress “like a lady.”
She even criticized the chicken roast I made the other day, saying it wasn’t “good enough to be served at family dinners.”
The truth was, Karen didn’t like me, and there was nothing I could do to change her opinion. She’d always find a reason to complain, no matter how hard I tried to please her.
An upset older woman | Source: Midjourney
“That’s just how she is,” Dan would say every time she’d pass a mean remark. He’d brush off her comments like they were nothing, and I’d let him do that.
Looking back, I wish I had set boundaries with Karen. I should’ve told Dan to stand up for me and make it clear that her constant insults were not okay.
But I didn’t. I was too in love with him to rock the boat.
A couple hugging | Source: Pexels
Fast forward to our wedding day, I was so excited to dress up in the beautiful white gown I had selected after weeks of visiting multiple boutiques. As usual, Karen disapproved of it, but Dan said I looked beautiful and he wouldn’t want me to wear anything else but that.
I woke up early, or I’d say I just didn’t sleep the entire night because of the excitement and nerves. One of my bridesmaids drove me to the venue where I got my hair and makeup done.
A bride getting dressed | Source: Pexels
“You look beautiful, babe,” Dan told me the moment he saw me that day. “Absolutely gorgeous.”
We were standing at the altar, moments away from saying our vows, when Karen showed up. She was wearing a black dress, but it wasn’t the kind you could pass off as stylish for a wedding.
No, it was the type of black dress you’d wear to a funeral.
A woman smiling at her son’s wedding | Source: Midjourney
As she walked toward the altar, people started whispering among themselves, saying how mean it was of her to wear a black dress to her son’s wedding.
I could feel my heart pound against my chest, but part of me knew this was coming. I knew Karen would do something to ruin my big day.
But the worst part was yet to come.
Karen paused right in front of the altar, turned around, and told everyone why she chose to wear black that day.
An older woman at her son’s wedding | Source: Midjourney
“Well, I’m just mourning THE LOSS OF MY SON,” she announced.
The room fell silent, stunned by her words. Meanwhile, Dan stood there, confused, trying to process what had just happened.
I felt my face flush with anger.
How dare she?
I thought.
How dare she turn my wedding into a funeral?
But I wasn’t going to let her ruin my day. Not this time.
A close-up shot of a woman’s face | Source: Midjourney
Soon after her dramatic entry, the guests settled into their seats, and the wedding ceremony commenced. I would’ve been the happiest woman saying my vows that day, but Karen had ruined it for me.
Instead of enjoying the most beautiful moment of my life, I couldn’t stop thinking of a way to get back at her. To make her understand that she couldn’t mess with me again.
After the ceremony, we had planned to play a slideshow during the reception, showcasing our journey as a couple. What Karen didn’t know was that I had made a last-minute addition to it, especially for her.
A woman using a laptop | Source: Pexels
The slideshow began as expected. It had cute pictures of Dan and me from our childhoods, our early dating days, engagement photos, and all the usual stuff. Everyone was loving it, clapping and laughing.
But then, the screen went black, and a message popped up:
In Memoriam: The Loss of a Son.
The entire room went silent, and the look on Karen’s face was just priceless. She just stared at the screen with wide eyes, unaware of how her world would soon turn upside down.
A woman staring with wide eyes | Source: Midjourney
The next slide showed a fake funeral invitation with Karen’s name and address.
It read,
We mourn the loss of Dan, who has been ‘taken’ from his mother on this day. May she find solace in knowing he’s not lost… just married.
The entire hall erupted in laughter, while Karen’s face flushed red with embarrassment. But I wasn’t done yet.
A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney
The following slides had photos and videos of Dan and I dancing, laughing, and basically enjoying our time together. Then, a final message appeared on the screen:
Don’t worry, Karen. Your son is very much alive and happy.
“This is hilarious!” one of my bridesmaids said, while everyone else in the hall couldn’t stop laughing. Even Karen’s beloved son, Dan, was enjoying the slideshow.
Meanwhile, Karen was just sitting there, fuming in anger.
An older woman looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
She knew she couldn’t say anything because that would make her sound like a villain. She had done this to herself and there was nothing she could do to repair her damaged reputation.
Then, to top it all off, I had arranged for a special bouquet toss. This wasn’t the regular bouquet toss by the bride. Instead, it was a special one with black roses that I had gotten for my beloved mother-in-law.
A bouquet of black roses | Source: Midjourney
“I thought I’d get these for you since you’ve been mourning all day, Karen,” I said as I handed her the bouquet in front of everyone. “I hope you like them.”
“Thank you,” she said while accepting the flowers. She knew she had no other option left.
That day was the last time Karen ever tried to mess with me. From that day on, her passive-aggressive comments disappeared, and she stopped complaining about how I wasn’t the right match for her beloved son.
Besides, I never saw her in a black dress again.
An older woman in a white dress | Source: Midjourney
I also noticed how uncomfortable she gets whenever she sees photos or videos of our wedding.
Watching herself in the black dress holding a bouquet of black flowers reminds her of how humiliated she felt that day. And that her daughter-in-law is better than her at playing the kind of games she loved.
And Dan? He had no idea about the part I had added to the slideshow, nor the flower bouquet I had ordered last minute until the moment he saw them.
A man talking to his wife | Source: Midjourney
After the wedding, he told me I did the right thing and apologized for what his mother did because he believed she was totally wrong.
I’m so lucky to have such a supportive partner like him.
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This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
