A Bride's Sister Brought Her Teen To A Child-Free Wedding & The Age Cutoff Has People Split

What's the age cut-off for a childfree wedding — and is it okay to bend the rules if you're in the bridal party?

That’s the debate playing out in one Reddit post about a bride's sister who brought her 15-year-old to a childfree wedding, as many people are split over how to categorize a teen.

The whole thing started with a woman asking if she's the "a**hole" for bringing her daughter to a childfree wedding.

In the post, the woman shared that she was the maid of honour at her sister’s wedding, and her sister had specifically organized it to be childfree because she felt children would be too “loud and noisy.”

“I brought my 15yo daughter because her aunt was getting married, and she wanted to wish her well,” she wrote in her post.

“At the wedding, my parents were shooting me daggers, and my sister came over furious. She asked, 'Who was I to completely disregard her rules?' I was confused until she pointed out that my daughter should not be there,” read the post.

“I argued, saying that the reason she didn't want children there was because they would misbehave. My daughter was silent, never on her phone, and was extremely respectful.”

Because of all the drama, the woman decided to leave the wedding early and says she has been having trouble with her parents and sister since.

Her husband agreed with her but still admitted that she “could have handled the situation better.”

“My sister is refusing to speak with me until I apologize, but I don't think I did anything wrong,” wrote the woman.

People in the comment section were quick to conclude that she was the a**hole for bring her daughter, and many pointed out that she should have at least asked her sister for permission because teenagers are a grey area.

The woman eventually edited her post to admit that she “was rude for not at least checking in first.”

“I should have verified whether or not my daughter could come,” she wrote. "There was no malintent, but all the same I will apologize to my sister and daughter. My sister and daughter are very close, another reason why I thought she would have been invited.”

She added that the wedding invite was very “generic” and she RSVP’d for two people on the card. "I assumed my daughter would be allowed because my sister stated that she didn't want children at the wedding due to noise, tantrums, misbehaviour, etc."

But people in the comment section were still torn.

One commenter wrote: "YTA (you’re the a**hole) — Hi internet, I did a thing I was specifically asked not to do, AITA? Yes, you definitely are."

Another commenter defended the woman and asked: "Is a 15 yr old considered a child though?"

"I might make the same mistake unless it specifically said 18+ or similar. I don’t consider teens to be children, especially teens that don’t act like children," continued the comment.

Another person agreed and wrote: "Yeah, when you say 'children' I'm thinking like 12 and younger." Another commenter wrote: "I think anyone under 18."

One person suggested that there should be no issue if the daughter is quiet, but the mom "still should have asked."

"The daughter wasn’t specifically invited, and the bride likely assumed +1 meant (the original poster's) husband," read the comment.

Another Redditor pointed out that the issue is bigger than just one teenager.

"I think it's more the issue that other parents with teens weren't able to bring them and may have said something," wrote one commenter. "Also the bride may have wanted to have a big drinking party, and having a minor around could have ruined the vibe."

It seems like people are pretty torn up on what they consider to be a "child," but the overall consensus was yes, she’s the a**hole.

What do you consider the cut-off to be for a "childfree" event?

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.