About a month ago, I tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony. For my wedding, I chose to wear the same lacy, floor-length dress that my mother had worn at her own wedding. Tragically, she passed away two years earlier, making the dress an incredibly sentimental token for me.

Due to its sentimental value, I was extra cautious to protect it from any harm. I decided beforehand that I would only wear it during the ceremony and switch to a different, more casual outfit for the party later. Additionally, I refrained from consuming anything but water to avoid stains, and I decided to stay indoors while wearing it.

I’m not usually one to fret over tidiness, but wearing my mom’s dress without a hitch meant the world to me. My bridesmaids were well aware of how much the dress meant to me and my plans to safeguard it. On the wedding day, I prepared upstairs in a special room, my precious gown hanging securely.

However, while I was downstairs briefly, an incident occurred as recounted to me by my bridesmaids. They had popped open a bottle of Pinot Noir, my favorite wine, to celebrate. While admiring my dress, one bridesmaid, let's call her "Elise", aged 27, accidentally spilled wine on the dress’s hem while touching the fabric.

Upon returning and learning what had happened, I broke into tears. My maid of honor immediately contacted several cleaners, but none could help before the ceremony. They gave us some advice on how to preserve the dress until it could be professionally cleaned, and my maid of honor began following those instructions.

Infuriated, I confronted Elise, questioning why she would carry red wine near the dress knowing the precautions I had set. Her dismissal of the incident as trivial and her claim that wearing the dress posed a similar risk of damage infuriated me further. I was so upset that I asked her to leave the wedding and dismissed her from her duties as a bridesmaid.

I ended up wearing my backup dress for the receptions, and it was devastating not to wear my mom's dress. After the wedding, some bridesmaids commented that I might have overreacted by firing Elise for what they called a simple mistake.

I still believe I was justified in my reaction, especially given Elise's lack of remorse. But sharing this story here, I’m hoping to get some neutral perspectives. Am I actually in the wrong here?

Imagine how this might unfold if it were an episode on a reality wedding show. You can just picture the dramatic zoom-ins and tense music as the wine spills, followed by the heated exchange and me asking Eliz to leave. Viewers would probably be split; some might sympathize with my desire to preserve a precious memory, while others might think the reaction was too extreme for reality TV.

Was I too harsh kicking out bridesmaid over dress stain?

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