A groom has been applauded online after events led to him dismissing his best man during his wedding ceremony.
The 30-year-old man's wedding took an unexpected turn when his best man hijacked the reception with a surprise proposal for his 25-year-old girlfriend, prompting the groom to remove him from the wedding.
His account of the incident, shared under u/inside-werewolf-3400 on Reddit, under the headline of “AITA for firing my best man for proposing at my wedding?” has garnered over 11,000 upvotes and comments of support, sparking discussions around wedding etiquette and personal boundaries.
"My wedding was supposed to be the happiest day of my life," the groom shared. "My wife, 28, and I spent months planning every detail, and it turned out perfect—almost."
The meticulously planned celebration took a sharp turn when the groom's best man used his speech to propose to his girlfriend, diverting attention away from the newlyweds.
"Everything was going smoothly until the speeches," the groom said. "He got up to give his best man speech. At first, it was full of the usual jokes and heartfelt stories. But then, out of nowhere, he turned to his girlfriend and started talking about their relationship.
"Before I knew it, he was down on one knee, proposing to her right there in the middle of my reception!"
The groom described the room falling silent as his best man proposed and his girlfriend accepted, leading to cheers and applause from the guests. He and his bride felt overshadowed and disrespected on their special day.
"I could feel my wife's hand squeezing mine tighter and tighter," he noted. "Instead of celebrating our marriage, everyone was now focused on the best man and his fiancée."
After the initial shock, the groom confronted his best man, expressing his anger and disappointment.
"I told him he was out of line," the groom said. "He said he thought it would be a great surprise and assumed I would be happy for him“.
"I told him he was selfish and inconsiderate, and I ended up kicking him out of the reception."
The groom's decisive action has evoked various reactions from their social circle.
"Some of our mutual friends are saying I overreacted and that I should have let it slide for the sake of our friendship," he added. The bride fully supported his decision.
On Reddit, users overwhelmingly supported the groom, criticising the best man for his lack of consideration.
"If he thought you'd be happy, why didn't he take two seconds before to clear it with you? Don't propose at other people's weddings," one user, u/somethingstrange87, said.
Another user, u/tryintobgood, added: "Oh, he knew it was inappropriate, that's why he didn't clear it first. I think public proposals are cringe as well."
A third user, u/branchbarkleaf, shared: "What the hell?! Talk about stealing someone's thunder! That was your special day and he robbed it from you!"
"At my cousin's wedding, her new husband's best man proposed to his long-term girlfriend and it was fine...because the best man asked if it would be OK as their whole family, including their terminally ill grandfather, was in attendance," u/catfish1960 wrote.
"He also waited until after the speeches were complete and dinner had been served. It was lovely. But if the groom had said no he would have waited."
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