Bride Criticized for Excluding Co-Worker With Complicated ‘Diet Restrictions’ From Wedding Invites

On Reddit, a bride is being criticized for excluding a co-worker from her wedding due to their dietary restrictions. 

"I am getting married in a few months, and I’m currently finalizing the guest list. I work in a small office, and we’re a pretty tight-knit group, so I decided to invite most of my coworkers. There’s one coworker, let's call her 'Jane', who I get along with well enough, but we’re not super close," she began.

"Here’s the thing: Jane has a lot of very specific diet restrictions. She’s vegan, gluten-free, and allergic to a bunch of common ingredients like soy and nuts. Whenever we have office lunches or potlucks, it’s always a bit of a challenge to accommodate her, and sometimes she just brings her own food because it’s easier," the bride continued.

The woman shared that when it was time to come up with the menu for the wedding, it would be difficult and costly to create a dish that Jane could eat.

"When I was working with my caterer to plan the menu for the wedding, I realized how difficult (and expensive) it would be to create a dish that Jane could eat. I was already stretching my budget, and the thought of spending extra money to accommodate just one guest felt overwhelming," she wrote.

"So, I made the decision not to invite Jane. I felt bad, but I rationalized that we’re not that close, and I’d rather avoid the stress and additional cost. I didn’t mention anything at work, but word got out that I was inviting other coworkers, and Jane noticed she wasn’t included. She confronted me about it and seemed really hurt. She said she thought we were friends and that she would have been happy to bring her own food if it was an issue," the bride added.

"Now, some of my coworkers are giving me the cold shoulder, and I’m wondering if I really messed up. I didn’t want to make her feel excluded, but I also didn’t think she’d want to come if I couldn’t accommodate her diet," the bride concluded.

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Users in the comments section sounded off on the situation.

"Anyone with that number of dietary restrictions should understand that they can't be 100% catered for. I probably wouldn't not invite her, just explain the situation," said one person.

"We should feel 100% free to invite whomever we want to things like weddings, and those around us should understand that we don't always make the cut. BUT that was a very weird and specific reason to exclude someone. Glad it got resolved," added another.

"I'm vegan and I've been to more than one wedding where all I ate was the clif bar I brought in my purse. I appreciate when couples take the time to include a plant based option but I don't go to weddings for the food, I go to celebrate the people I care about committing to a life together. And the dancing," chimed in a differed Reddit user.

"My brother has several Celiacs. He brought his own food to HIS OWN wedding, and he doesn't mind doing it for all events. You can invite people with dietary restrictions, they can handle themselves," commented someone else.