AITA family stormed out of wedding reception
I brought my wedding forward a year because my nan was diagnosed with cancer and likely 12 months to live. This side of my family live 2.5 hours away from myself and my partners family and most of our friends. I moved the wedding to their location so that my nan could make it.
Order of day as I've found out the missing pieces to how the day has played out.
Ceremony: pretty much perfect, my uncle allowed his autistic child to play on his phone loudly listening to toy story (other guests couldn't hear our vows) but I figured this is what he might have needed so accepted it as I wanted them both to be there.
Ceremony finished around 2:15pm and reception started at 4pm. We have guests the instructions to have some chill time and we will see them later at 4pm. I found out by my Aunty (who I've had an amazing relationship with most of my life and has only solidified over the past 10 years as I've been an adult) that my nan wouldn't make it to the reception so suggested going for a drink together and maybe some food. So most of my family (bar my dad) leave and go to the pub we spoke about. I was slightly annoyed as we were taking pictures outside but not too bothered and thought we will have some quality time soon. When we got to the place my guests were turned away, I call my Aunty to explain as the host wouldn't let us in and the line was bad she hung up and no one came to me. It turns out it was a restaurant and my family had not only booked a table but had pre ordered food. Me, my daughter and 2 friends squeezed on the end and my family didn't get up or say a lot. My friend buys me a drink and we grab my daughter some food when my husband returns (he was grabbing some nappies etc). My nan goes home after not too long (my aunt takes her home) and it was about 3:40pm so we said we would head to reception and my family stayed there.
My friends help me with my daughter (my fault for wearing silly heels and walking to the reception!), we get there, my partners family are all there by 4:20pm and time goes on and I'm unsure where my family are. They arrived around 5:15pm and had been drinking at a local pub they go to. I was angry at them and expressed this as I couldn't get why they wouldn't just arrive on time and drink at the reception? There was a bar and I had hired it all for this reason. They also excluded themselves and sat by the bar instead of the large tables round the corner.
They also brought 2 people who me and husband had met one of them once and didn't see an issue with this and hadn't raised anything to let us know that's what they had done. It wasn't heaving and there was space but it's the principal.
There was a misunderstanding with my husband and dad (which is now resolved) which led to another Aunty asking my husband why he had a go at my dad (he hadn't).
My uncles son also fingered our cake and ran out on our first dance.
Turns out there was a few altercations where my friends had asked my family not to talk through the speeches as that was returned with rude comments.
My Aunty then comes to me around 8:30pm saying she's leaving. I was confused and asked why and also got my husband's attention so he could say bye. Within this split second my husband had joked my dad had been a bit of an ahole and my Aunty (the one I was close to) was screaming in his face and pointing saying that he was never welcome at her house again and then all my family stormed out. With my other Aunty mentioned, taking her card back and shouting that we didn't deserve her money.
Obviously we were shocked and it led to me and my husband crying on our wedding day and just put a dampener on the evening. We did spend quality time with our friends and his family after this but it was so embarrassing and we've not been right since.
I woke up the day after with an awful text message from my Aunty saying I just stood there whilst my husband was calling my dad and coercive mind control comes to mind and that she had never felt so unwelcome or uncomfortable in her life and that a lot of apologies were owed. I haven't replied.
The day after this, I'd been messaging my dad and he had sent my Aunty a message about something else. She called him and said my husband had called him a c***. Which wasn't true but she did leave out how she had acted as when my husband explained this to my dad he had no idea they'd done that. For the record my dad is fine with it and laughed it off.
I'm feeling really low and just embarrassed they've done this to me.