A woman’s decision to skip a celebratory dinner following her brother’s wedding has sparked widespread support from viewers online.

The woman, known on Reddit as u/formerindividual13, shared on the platform on August 9 that she decided to stay away from the dinner party after her brother’s wife decided that family members under the age of 21 should not be invited to their wedding ceremony.

This ruling resulted in the woman being disinvited because she was 18 at the time of wedding planning. Her viral post detailing her decision to skip the meal quickly garnered over 16,000 upvotes, with many readers supporting her stance.

“His wife decided it would be inappropriate to invite anyone under the age of 21 to their wedding because alcohol would be served and she did not want ‘minors’ getting drunk at their wedding,” the woman said.

Her repeated requests to reconsider were refused, and the author emotionally distanced herself from the event. Tensions reached a peak when she refused to attend a family dinner to celebrate the wedding, citing her exclusion from the wedding as the reason.

Sandra Kushnir, founder and CEO of Meridian Counseling, said Newsweek that the woman’s feelings of hurt and rejection are completely understandable.

“The frustration that comes from not being invited to a sibling’s wedding is entirely valid,” Kushnir said. “Being excluded from such an important event, especially for a reason that seems arbitrary or unfair, can naturally lead to feelings of rejection and anger.”

The licensed marriage and family therapist added that it is now crucial for the woman to understand and reflect on these emotions before deciding how to proceed.

“By choosing not to attend the celebration, she was trying to assert her boundaries. But you also have to consider the long-term impact this decision could have on her relationships with her brother and the rest of her family,” says Kushnir, who leads a team of psychologists in California and Utah.

The therapist advised an open conversation with the brother and said that continuing to focus on expressing feelings without blame might be helpful in facilitating healing.

In her post, the woman wrote that other younger family members, such as her 13-year-old cousin and her 15-year-old cousin, were also not invited to the wedding due to the rule that no children under 21 are allowed to attend. However, unlike her, they attended the family dinner, although she believes they probably had no other choice in the matter.

The Reddit post resonated with many readers who felt that the woman’s decision to skip the feast was justified given the circumstances.

“‘Sorry, I understand the party was for family and apparently I’m too young to be included in your family. Also, the restaurant was serving alcohol and of course you can’t possibly let a minor into a place that serves alcohol, lest I completely lose control and get drunk like I’ve never done in my life, even without your supervision,'” wrote one user, u/katja1236. His comment was upvoted more than 8,600 times.

Another user, u/deus_vult666, added: “With all due respect, your brother is an idiot for allowing this behavior and his wife is acting so stupid. Not to mention you were 18, you were not a minor.”

“It was rude, hurtful and stupid of them not to invite you,” shared a third user, u/used_mark_7911.

Newsweek I reached out to u/previousindividual13 on Reddit for more information.

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