'AITA for cutting off the mic during the father of the bride’s speech at my friend’s wedding?'
"AITA for cutting off the mic during the father of the bride’s speech at my friend’s wedding?"
So, I (31F) was recently a bridesmaid at my best friend’s (let’s call her Sarah) wedding. It was supposed to be an amazing day, but things went completely off the rails during the reception. And now, I’m at the center of the drama.
Sarah and her husband are not religious. They made it very clear that they wanted a secular wedding—no prayers, no religious speeches, just a fun, drama-free day. Everyone seemed to respect that…except her father.
During the reception, it was time for the speeches. Her dad gets up, takes the mic, and at first, it’s all sweet—talking about how proud he is of Sarah, how beautiful she looks, etc. But then, out of nowhere, he shifts gears and starts talking about how a marriage isn’t real unless it’s blessed by God.
I see Sarah’s face freeze. Her new husband, who was raised in a completely different religion, looks super uncomfortable. But her dad keeps going. It turns into a full-on sermon. He starts talking about how he “prays they find their way to Christ” and even says, “A marriage without God is doomed to fail.”
The whole room goes tense. Sarah is staring at me, looking mortified. I know she doesn’t want a scene, but I also know she does not want this moment at her wedding. So I made a split-second decision—I went over to the DJ and signaled him to cut the mic. The speakers go silent. Her dad looks furious. He tries to keep talking, but obviously, no one can hear him.
Finally, someone from the catering staff gently takes the mic away, and he storms off. Now, Sarah secretly thanked me later, but the fallout has been insane. Her dad is LIVID, saying I “humiliated” him. Her mom is saying I “ruined the wedding” and that I “had no right” to interfere. Even some guests think I was out of line.
But I don’t know…wasn’t it more out of line for him to hijack his daughter’s wedding like that?
AITA for cutting off the mic? Or should I have just let it happen?
The internet had plenty to say in response.
Individual_Water3981 wrote:
The image of someone from catering being like "I'll just take that" and sliding the mic out his hand cracked me up. You're NTA but I would direct anything anyone says to you to Sarah. She needs to handle her parents. I get you want to be a good friend, but she needs to be one too and back you up and tell them to leave you alone.
theficklemermaid wrote:
NTA. You were there for Sarah and she’s grateful. No one else’s opinion matters. Block her parents. Her father sounds hateful. Who attends their child’s wedding just to say it’s doomed to fail?! If he felt so strongly against it, he could at least have had the dignity to stay away. That wasn’t a speech, it was a rant, you did the right thing.
kellyfromfig wrote:
So my stepdaughter is getting married in the Fall- they absolutely don’t want a religious ceremony (even though her step-grandpa is pushing to be the officiant, and he’s very religious). We’re supporting their search to find a non-religious officiant regardless of how “the family” feels. You absolutely did the right thing.
cressidacole wrote:
And here I was thinking you were doing God's work.
You'll be fine. Anyone that thinks you were out of line for cutting off someone who took a big shit on their celebration and told them their marriage would fail without an arbitrary sky puppet can get in line for the bus too.
Riversagee wrote:
NTA. Her dad was way out of line, and you did what any good friend would do. It was Sarah’s wedding, and he completely disregarded her wishes for a secular celebration. He hijacked the moment to push his religious agenda, making everyone uncomfortable, especially Sarah and her husband.
You stepped in to protect your friend from further embarrassment, and she thanked you for it. That’s all that matters. He humiliated himself by ignoring his daughter’s clearly stated preferences.
Dana0760 wrote:
NTA. "Wasn’t it more out of line for him to hijack his daughter’s wedding like that?"
Perfect line to use with the father of the bride and any guests who complain. Except don't phrase it as a question. Phrase it as a declarative statement.
LetitiaMaggie wrote:
NTA for sure/ My grandfather decided at the of end his speech at my aunty's wedding to announce that she was pregnant, like my grandmother was when they got married, after giving her in-laws backhanded compliments. He did it so quickly no one could cut off the mic, but I know if someone had they'd be my aunty's hero like you were to your friend.
1ReluctantRedditor wrote:
Of course you are the problem. Because if you aren't the problem then he is, and they are all super invested in THAT not being a thing.
Totally NTA. Thank you for looking out for your girl!
According-Pen-927 wrote:
Bestie for life!
Guests (especially people close to the couple) who don’t respect the couple’s requests can kick rocks.
My cousin got married to someone religious. Our entire extended family is from a different culture and none of us practice any religion. But, out of respect for his family, we bowed our heads and listened to the pastor bless them. It was their day, not any of ours. The mom and dad are complete AHs.
AprilisAwesome-o wrote:
There are literally only two opinions that matter here: the bride's and the groom's. If they're grateful, no one else's opinion matters. You were a wonderful friend. The way you can keep being a wonderful friend, and this one is going to be a lot harder and an even bigger ask, so it's up to you, is if neither of those two people want to actually tell their family that they are grateful for what you did.
Which would mean you taking the fall and all those clutching-their-pearls busybodies blaming you. I don't know if you are up for that, and it's totally okay if you aren't. NTA.
Reuk- wrote:
NTA, you were looking out for your friend and she (the bride) thanked you. But I am not surprised that her Dad and Mother are made, they saw nothing wrong with ignoring their daughters wishes and trying to convert them right then and there. So yes, they are upset with you because in their eyes you did nothing wrong.
They probably felt entitled to go on and on for as long as they’d like, but you stopped them and the bride is happy, ignore them. There was no way you could stand by your bestie’s wishes and keep them happy, since they didn’t agree with her wishes.