Maid of Honor Backs Off Sister’s Wedding Over Choice of Dog’s Name
A woman who is supposed to be her sister’s maid of honor but backed off over her sister’s choice of dog’s name has received a widespread online support.
The 29-year-old woman who goes by the username U/firakti took to Reddit’s Am I the Asshole (AITA) forum on December 4, to detail the circumstances that led her to walk away from her duties as her sister’s maid of honor and also seek validation from the community for her decision.
According to the post, the woman, who had experienced fertility struggles and a miscarriage, expressed her joy at finally expecting a healthy baby girl whom she had long dreamed to name “Lila,” a name with sentimental value tied to her late grandmother.
“I (29F) am married to my husband (31M), and we’re currently expecting our first child after years of trying. It’s been a really emotional journey—there were some fertility struggles, a miscarriage last year, and honestly, we weren’t sure if we’d ever get here. But now I’m six months along with a healthy baby girl, and we’re over the moon,” she shared.
She continued, “Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve had a favorite name: Lila. It’s my dream name for a daughter, and I’ve talked about it so many times that my whole family knows it’s “my” name.”
“It has a special meaning to me—my late grandmother was named Delilah, and it’s my way of honoring her. My husband loves the name too, so we decided pretty early on that this would be our baby girl’s name.”
However things turned for worse six months ago after her younger sister, Emma acquired a golden retriever puppy and named her “Lila”
“We were all excited for her—she’s always been an animal lover and was thrilled to finally get her own dog. But when she introduced us to the puppy, she casually said, “This is Lila!” ” she explained.
Initially dismissing her sister’s choice as a joke, the woman confronted her about the name reminding her it was her baby name but Emma brushed off the concern, saying “It’s a name, not a copyright. I thought it was cute for a dog.”
The OP who noted that she was “stunned” but “didn’t want to make a big scene,” decided to let it go in the moment until “the whole family started referring to her dog as “Lila,” and it’s become the default association.”
The matters escalated during their recent baby shower when, after hearing she was planning on naming her daughter Lila, one aunt laughed and questioned her decision to name her daughter after her sister’s dog.
Humiliated, the Redditor decided to speak to Emma privately to explain how she felt. But Emma dismissed her feelings insisting that a name is just a name and that she doesn’t “own” it.
“I explained how important the name is to me, how it’s tied to Grandma, and how much it means to me after everything we’ve been through to have this baby,” the OP said.
“Emma rolled her eyes and said, “Oh my god, you’re seriously still mad about this? It’s just a dog’s name. You don’t own Lila.” I told her that while I’m still going to name my daughter Lila, she’s made it really awkward for me. She laughed and said, “Awkward for you, not for me!”
Now, with Emma’s wedding fast approaching, the Redditor has decided to walk away from her duties as her sister’s maid of honor. “I don’t want to stand up there and celebrate her when I feel like she doesn’t respect me or care about my feelings,” she shared.
However when the OP told Emma of her decision, her sister “lost it” calling her “selfish” and accusing her of “ruining her big day” over something as “stupid” as a name.
At present, her immediate family are siding firmly with Emma with her parents accusing her being “petty and hormonal” adding that “family is more important than a name.”
However, her husband supported her saying that “Emma has been dismissive and mean” in her decision to keep the name for her dog. He encouraged the OP to not put her “feelings aside just to keep the peace.”
The Redditor who says she now “feel torn” for skipping her sister’s wedding and at the same time “don’t want to cause a permanent rift,” but also feel like Emma has completely dismissed her feelings, has turned to the Reddit community asking, “AITAH for not attending her wedding?”
Commenters largely sided with the OP over her sister. “If family were more important than a name, Emma would have named her dog something else,” one person shared
Another added, “Emma is loving that it hurts and annoys…there is literally no other explanation, because any remotely reasonable person would have changed it straight away.”
One person even suggested that she get a pet and name it after her sister. “You know what you have to do right? Get a dog and name it after sis,” the person shared.
The post has since gained over 5,000 comments and 15,000 likes
