As the church doors opened after our wedding ceremony, my husband lifted his mother into his arms instead of me because “she deserved this moment too.” I stood frozen in my wedding dress while the guests stared. Then my mother stepped forward and did something that silenced the entire church.I got married on a bright Saturday in June.The church doors opened, and guests stood from the pews in a wave, smiling, already holding up phones.For one beautiful moment, everything seemed perfect.Then my mother-in-law, Diane, stepped forward and grabbed my husband’s arm.My stomach churned.

Diane had spent the whole wedding acting like she was fighting for camera time.
She interrupted the photographer twice to “fix” the angle of her face and even corrected the officiant during our vows.Every time attention moved away from her for longer than half a minute, she’d sigh like a Victorian woman fading from a mysterious illness.I was used to Diane’s attention-seeking, but I never expected her to turn my wedding day into her finest performance.When Ethan and I started dating, I thought Diane was just intense.