Am I Wrong for Telling My Mother-in-Law to Leave Our Wedding Even Though She Paid for It?

After her mother-in-law tried to ruin her wedding day, the woman refused to back down. But since the MIL’s only possessions are her, her spouse, and their child, she feels terrible for standing up.
A 28-year-old woman said on Reddit in 2021 that when she first began dating her 27-year-old son, her mother-in-law did not approve of her. The couple met four years after he separated from his ex-wife, who his family still refers to as “the love of his life.”

The original poster (OP) said that her spouse reassured her that he does not view his ex as his true love, thus she is not bothered by this. Despite “Mindy”‘s desire to stay in the marriage, their toxic connection ultimately caused them to divorce.

The two were high school sweethearts who later got married and divorced young. According to OP, the reason the MIL loved Mindy so much was because she forced her husband, who struggled academically, to focus on his future. Their attendance at various universities gave rise to jealousy.
The former couple, according to OP, just got married for comfort, which made matters worse when the husband chose to petition for divorce at age 21. OP went on to say:

“It was pretty hard for me to get accepted into his family, especially for his mother, she was so, so, so in love with Mindy and adored her as her DIL.”

OP disclosed that Mindy’s mother-in-law was so attached to Mindy that she experienced a depressive episode after Mindy moved to a different state to be away from her husband. However, OP gradually grew close to her MIL over time, although unfortunately.
This came about following the demise of her father-in-law, whose loss devastated her mother-in-law. Since then, the MIL has had a lot of assistance from OP and her spouse because he is the only child in the family. The MIL was happy once OP and her husband welcomed their first son. She revealed:

“MIL found a new push to live thanks to him, and even though we didn’t become the perfect family, we are close enough to let my MIL know that she’ll never be alone again.”

After giving birth to their child, OP and her hubby had to prioritise their needs after the global epidemic made things difficult financially. They therefore made the decision to use some of the couple’s savings and the money her FIL had left for her husband to buy their first house.
Additionally, they had planned to celebrate their official marriage with a little party, but the MIL refused to let them. Being proud of her son for raising his child well, she volunteered to cover the cost of the wedding.

But because it didn’t feel right, OP and her child’s father turned down the MIL’s offer of assistance. However, she persuaded them that, like her late husband, she would miss the wedding if they put off getting married for too long.

The couple decided on a small, private wedding ceremony and even gave their mother-in-law some input into what they should include and exclude from the ceremony. The couple was confused when the MIL unexpectedly brought Mindy along as her plus one on the wedding day.

They asked the MIL, who had come over, what was going on. Mindy was invited, she explained, since it was a “special day.” “My husband said that yes, it was a special day for us and that Mindy had no business being there and would appreciate if she left,” said the OP.

Upon glancing at her, her mother-in-law expressed her desire for Mindy to be removed from the ceremony. After that, the in-law became irate and told the couple that because she had paid for the wedding, they could invite anybody they wanted.

However, the couple contended that Mindy was not just anybody and that it was improper of her to extend the invitation without informing them. If Mindy had to go, she threatened to go, and OP’s spouse said, “By all means.”

It’s interesting to note that the MIL decided to stay behind but advised the couple to urge Mindy to go. OP’s wife was delighted to comply, and his mother became enraged for the whole evening. The newlyweds offered to cover all or part of the MIL’s costs after the wedding, but she refused, claiming the damage had already been done.

Because they requested the family matriarch to depart, OP and her husband feel some sort of way about the events that took place. Since the husband is her only child, they are aware that she had been anticipating their wedding day more, therefore they believe it was unjust to her.
Other Redditors, on the other hand, commented that the OP and her husband made a wise choice and that it’s obvious that this was the MIL’s ruse to split them up. Someone made the observation that Mindy seemed strange for having agreed to attend in the first place, particularly considering how poorly their marriage had ended.