A Woman Attended Her Best Friend's Backyard Nuptials. Then, She Found Out the Bride Secretly Had a Second, More Lavish Wedding
- - A Woman Attended Her Best Friend's Backyard Nuptials. Then, She Found Out the Bride Secretly Had a Second, More Lavish Wedding
Erin ClackAugust 21, 2025 at 4:30 AM
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Bride (stock image); two friends arguing (stock image) -
A woman attended her best friend's small backyard wedding — then, she found out the bride secretly had a lavish "secret second wedding" the next day and didn't invite her
"Turns out, the one I went to was the 'pre-wedding' for friends who 'wouldn’t fit into the real event,' " she explained on Reddit
The woman said she now feels "duped" by her friend
A woman attended her best friend's intimate backyard nuptials, only to later find out the bride secretly had a more lavish second wedding — and didn't invite her.
The woman shared the story on Reddit's "Wedding Drama" forum, beginning by explaining that her friend had a "cute" and "intimate" backyard ceremony last weekend, with about 40 people in attendance.
"We all assumed it was her actual wedding," the OP (original poster) wrote.
But then, days later, the OP found out something that shocked her.
"I saw someone post photos from a second wedding she had the following day — same groom, completely different location, guest list and vibe. Big white dress, expensive venue, live band, plated dinner," she wrote.
"Turns out, the one I went to was the 'pre-wedding' for friends who 'wouldn’t fit into the real event,' " the OP added.
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Upset woman looking at wedding photos on phone (stock image)
She said the situation left her feeling "duped."
"I bought a gift, traveled 3 hours, and now it feels like I wasn’t invited to the real thing," she concluded her post, which was titled "The Secret Second Wedding."
In the comments section, fellow Redditors weighed in. Many described the bride's behavior as "tacky" and "rude."
Some even suggested that the bride treated the first wedding like a "gift grab."
"You have every right to feel slighted and dismissed," one reader wrote. "This person hosted an elaborate gift grab from her 'lesser than' friends. Even friends should be in quotes because she couldn’t even be honest with you about the second wedding."
Sympathizing with the OP's position, another commenter said, "That is not a real friend. Personally, I would cut this person off after this, especially since you 'don't fit in' to her standards."
Still, others tried to give the bride the benefit of the doubt, suggesting there may have been practical reasons why she had two weddings with different guest lists.
One user cautioned the OP to "get more context [about the situation] before assuming the worst."
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"Weddings are expensive. And each guest costs the bride and groom $$$$, especially at a nice venue," they wrote. "I bet the other wedding was for family and a few select friends. And how they choose those select friends likely has a lot of factors."
The same person continued: "But they wanted 40 other people they care about to share in their union as well! It’s possible (even if it was a faux pas) that the bride didn’t know how to communicate the two weddings info because people might take it wrong — like is happening here. Context is key, and honestly the most important thing is you were invited to celebrate their union and did so."
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