My name is Corinne, and I can’t stop thinking about something that happened at my son’s wedding.

I raised Landon alone after his father left when he was five. I worked long hours, sometimes multiple jobs, sacrificed sleep and meals, but we always had each other. Every choice I made was for him.

Years later, Landon got engaged to Seraphine. I tried to be nice to her, to make her feel welcome in our little family, but she always seemed distant and cold. And although her attitude always bothered me a little, I tried not to take it personally, all for the sake of my son.

Three weeks before the wedding, I tried on the navy gown I had bought months earlier. I’d lost a lot of weight after a medical procedure and it hung off me like a sack. Tailoring it was too expensive, and with my budget already drained from wedding expenses, buying another dress wasn’t an option.

In my closet, I had one other formal dress: an antique ivory gown my late mother had worn to her 40th wedding anniversary. It wasn’t pure white, but close enough to make me nervous.

I called Landon immediately. I told him the whole story, sent him photos, and asked if it would be a problem. He said, “Mom, it’s fine. It’s not a bridal dress. Don’t stress about Seraphine, I’ll handle it.” When I offered to call her myself, he said, “No, I’ll tell her. Trust me.”
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But at the wedding, when Seraphine saw me, she froze. She stepped back and then started yelling at me in front of everyone, asking me why I had worn something white, that it was HER WEDDING, and that I was trying to compete with her, that I just wanted to ruin everything.

I looked at Landon as if asking him to please explain what was going on. Instead, he laughed somewhat uncomfortably and said, “Yeah… Mom, maybe another color would’ve been better.”

I sat through the ceremony in silence. When the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, everyone clapped. At the reception, Seraphine took the mic. “Thank you to everyone who respected my wishes about wedding colors,” she said with a smirk. Guests chuckled. Landon just smiled.

I would appreciate some words of guidance at this time, because I really need them. Thank you very much for reading.