Internet commenters were left aghast after one recently-married bride revealed why her sister was unable to attend her wedding, as well as her furious reaction to her absence.
In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/throwawayweddingprep (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said her younger sister declined to serve as maid of honor but agreed to bring the cake to the wedding venue as conciliation before she was forced to miss out on the celebration altogether.
Titled, “[Am I the a**hole] for blowing up at my sister after she didn’t pick up the cake for my wedding?” the post has received more than 5,000 upvotes and 1,200 comments in the last day.
“I got married a few days ago,” OP began. “I still feel really upset.”
Reiterating that her sister refused to be a part of her bridal party, the original poster said she planned on cutting the wedding cake immediately after dinner, but was disappointed to learn the cake—and her sister—never arrived.
“During the ceremony I couldn’t see [my sister] or her husband anywhere,” OP wrote. “I tried calling her…but she didn’t pick up.
“[When] she finally decided to call back, she sounded like she was crying and said she was sorry for not getting the cake, she got caught with something [with] her husband,” OP continued. “I was losing my mind at this point.”
Continuing to explain that a groomsman eventually retrieved the cake from a local bakery, the original poster said she confronted her sister via text, causing tensions to boil over on both sides.
“I messaged [her] saying that she could’ve at least let someone know as soon as possible that she couldn’t attend,” OP wrote. “[She] went off at me, cursing me out and calling me all sorts of names. I blew up after that and said that not everything’s about her.
“I found out later [her] husband collapsed and was taken to the hospital,” OP added, in an amendment to the viral post. “He has sarcoma.”
Sarcoma is a name for a group of cancers that generally start in the bones or connective tissues, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The wedding cake, whether homemade or procured by a professional, is arguably the most important desert in the world.
Last year, bridal magazine Brides reported that in the United States, the average cost of a wedding cake is roughly $350.
That $350 figure, however, falls onto a sliding scale. So while some couples spend just over $100 on their cake, other couples tack on an additional zero, eclipsing the $1,000 mark for their wedding desert.
The Knot, a leading online resource for wedding information, also reports that the cost of wedding cakes is dramatically impacted by the size of the guest list.
For weddings with 50 or fewer guests, The Knot reports that couples spend an average of $319 on cake. For weddings accommodating 100 guests or more, that number jumps up to $600.
Because of high costs, and the symbolic nature of a couple’s cake-cutting ceremony, great emphasis is placed on ensuring baking perfection, and even greater emphasis is placed on transporting the cake to the wedding venue without issue.
All of that added emphasis, however, goes out the window when health issues arise.
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Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors echoed that sentiment and expressed disbelief that the original poster could have been so upset about her sister’s absence considering the circumstances.
“Kinda odd that you seem more concerned about the cake than your sister missing the wedding,” Redditor u/FunkyOrangePenguin wrote in the post’s top comment, which has received more than 13,000 upvotes. “[You’re the a**hole].
“He has terminal cancer and you’re the one telling her that not everything is about her?” they questioned. “You’re still whining about your cake being delayed.”
Redditor u/capmanor1755, whose comment has received more than 2,000 upvotes, offered a similar response and called out the original poster for omitting her sister’s reason for being absent until Redditors demanded she disclose it.
“She actually WAS in the emergency room. With her husband who’s dying of sarcoma,” they wrote. “You win the 2022 award for most [deceiving] post.
“Way to bury the lede and drop some inconvenient facts out of your story,” they continued. “[You’re the a**hole].”
“You failed to mention in your post that her husband had late stage cancer and collapsed,” Redditor u/coppeliuseyes chimed in, receiving more than 1,500 upvotes. “You made it sound like she’s some kind of drama queen.
“How are you this heartless?” they added. “Do you really care more about a cake than the health of your [brother-in-law]?”
Newsweek reached out to u/throwawayweddingprep for comment.