Groom bans sister-in-law's 'dog' from wedding, 'wherever she goes, the dog goes.' AITA?
"AITA for refusing to let my sister-in-law bring her dog to my wedding?"
So, I (35M) am getting married in two months. My fiancée, Sarah, and I have been planning this wedding for over a year, and we’re both excited. It’s going to be a relatively small event with close family and friends, very intimate. We’re having it at this beautiful outdoor venue with a lovely garden, something we’ve dreamed of for a long time.
Here’s the issue: my sister-in-law, Emily, has this dog. And by "this dog," I mean a tiny, yappy Pomeranian that she takes everywhere. I’m talking everywhere—family dinners, grocery shopping, you name it. Emily’s super attached to her dog, and she assumes that wherever she goes, the dog goes too. It’s basically like her emotional support animal, though not officially.
A couple of weeks ago, she casually mentioned that she couldn’t wait for the wedding and joked about what the dog would wear. I laughed, thinking she was kidding. Then it hit me: she wasn’t. She fully intends to bring her dog to our wedding.
I told her flat-out, “Sorry, no dogs at the wedding.” Emily got really upset and told me that her dog is like family. She claimed it would be cruel to leave him behind for an entire day, and that she couldn’t enjoy the wedding if she was worrying about him the whole time. She even said, "Well, you know dogs can sense love, right? What’s more loving than a wedding?"
Sarah and I talked about it, and we both agree that a wedding is not the place for a dog, especially one that barks at random and can be a bit of a handful. Not to mention, my aunt is allergic to dogs, and the venue has a strict no-pets policy. I explained all of this to Emily, but she insists that I’m being unreasonable and that everyone knows how much her dog means to her.
Now, my future mother-in-law is involved, and she’s siding with Emily, saying that “family is family,” and I should just let her bring the dog to keep the peace. But Sarah’s standing by me, and we don’t want to compromise the atmosphere of our wedding for one guest’s dog. AITA for sticking to my no-dog rule and refusing to let Emily bring her pet to our wedding?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
Basic-Regret-6263 said:
NTA. "Family is family." = "Great! Glad you agree that SiL should put her pettiness aside for a family event. Maybe go talk to her about that." "You should keep the peace." = "Yes, we will be keeping the peace at our wedding - by not having a dog there. If you don't like that SiL is stirring up trouble over it, talk to her."
JeepersCreepers74 said:
NTA. I've got dog kids, too, but the venue does not allow pets, end of story. And even if it did, the bride and groom's wishes govern at the wedding.
Aggravating-Item9162 said:
Definitely NTA. Girl sounds off it to me. Tell sis she can stay home and play with her dog.
Fun_Milk_4560 said:
NTA. It's crazy what people think they can get away with at other people's weddings as someone who has never made a demand of any bridal party.
Waste_Worker6122 said:
NTA. Your wedding your rules. Your SIL is barking up the wrong tree.
OhmsWay-71 said:
NTA. Just keep repeating yourself. You are doing nothing wrong. She can have a friend watch her, she can go check on the dog part way through or she can miss it. She has lots of options.