Bride’s Mom Buys Her Wedding Dress Without Her Permission

After you’ve hired your planner, booked your venue, and mailed your save-the-dates, your focus may turn to another crucial component of your upcoming nuptials: your attire. Whether you envision yourself in a classic A-line gown or dream of a pearl-embellished wedding suit, you may head to a local bridal boutique with some of your loved ones to participate in the time-honored tradition of dress shopping. Yet that wasn’t the case for one bride, after she learned that her mother had already purchased her gown for her—without ever stepping foot in a store. 

In a post on Reddit’s “Wedding” subreddit, the bride detailed her unexpected gift from her mother. “Got a text this morning from my mum saying she’d found ‘the perfect dress’ for me on eBay and won the bid,” she wrote. “It’s [an] ex-sample, so [it’s] apparently a bargain, but it was still very expensive. Far more than I would’ve spent myself. We haven’t gone dress shopping. We haven’t ever discussed the styles I like or what I have in mind…” However, while another bride may have been frustrated with her mother for potentially crossing a line—and making such a large purchase without her input, this Redditor was elated. “Luckily I LOVE IT!,” she wrote in her post. “And it’s so heartwarming that she knows me so well! Now just hoping it looks as nice on me as it does in the pictures… (and, bless her, she’s promised to still take me dress shopping if I don’t like it on me)” 

While the original poster was clear about her excitement around the unexpected gown in her post, some Redditors reminded her that she could still change her mind about the pre-selected dress. “If you end up not liking it, it’s not your fault and tell her the truth,” one person wrote. “Sometimes you can love the look of dresses that don’t fit you the right way. It’s not your fault.” However, even though this user wanted to prepare the OP for a less-than-ideal outcome, it appeared unlikely that such a situation would arise between her and her mother. “She’s an ex-seamstress, so luckily, I think she’d understand!,” the bride said in response. “She’s had her fair share of bridezillas in her day, haha.” 

Other Redditors seemed unconcerned about a potential fallout over the bargain purchase. “It sounds like you have a nice relationship with your mom where she knows your style well and also understands she made a big purchase without talking to you, so there would be no hard feelings if you decide to go dress shopping instead,” one person said. “A one-off gift is not her taking over the wedding planning from you and your partner. I hope you and your fiancé are making your own decisions on the rest of it.” And while the user’s situation may not have been typical, it wasn’t the only tale of a loved one selecting a gown for a bride. “My sister picked my wedding dress out,” another Redditor added. “I tried it on and it not only fit perfectly, I loved it.”