'My mum didn't show up to walk me down the aisle. She said she blames me.'

A wedding day is arguably one of the biggest days of your life. 

You're devoting yourself to the love of your life in front of all your family and friends, but what would you do if a key member of your family simply didn't arrive? 

It's a heart-wrenching tale taking the internet by storm, where bride Ariana* found herself walking down the aisle alone after her mother Linda* failed to show up to walk her down the aisle and give her away. 

The story, which was posted originally on Reddit, sparked a heated debate about wedding etiquette and familial responsibilities, as well as whether the bride may have been a little too hasty to get the wedding going without her mother. 

Let us explain this dilemma.  

A normal day quickly became a nightmare.

Ariana's wedding day started like any other, with the bride getting ready and final touches being made to the venue. 

By noon, Ariana was almost prepared for her big moment. Her mother Linda, however, had to make a quick trip back to the hotel, located 20 minutes away, to change and return with Ariana's grandmother and a family friend.

It shouldn't have made her late, nor interrupted the wedding plan at all.

Ariana's wedding invitation clearly stated that the ceremony would begin at 2pm, and her mother was aware of this. As is often the case with weddings, there was a slight delay, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

However, as the time came for Ariana to walk down the aisle, she was faced with a heartbreaking realisation: her mother, grandmother, and family friend were nowhere to be seen.

Ariana walks alone. 

This is where the story gets contentious. With no sign of her mother, and the ceremony due to start, Ariana made the decision to go ahead with her nuptials and walk down the aisle alone. 

She doesn't give much of an explanation for this, other than that the ceremony would proceed as planned regardless of her mother's tardiness. 

"Next thing I know I'm walking myself down the aisle with no mom, grandma, or family friend in sight," she recounted in her post.

The mother shows.

There's no denying that it's incredibly rude to be late for a wedding, especially that of your daughter (and if you're walking her down the aisle). 

Linda did eventually show up for the wedding, but that was a whopping 45 minutes after the ceremony had ended. Given wedding ceremonies usually go for around 30 minutes, we can safely assume that she was over an hour late to the nuptials. 

Ariana was understandably upset by the situation, informing her mother that she was so late that she had missed the ceremony entirely, and that Ariana had walked the aisle alone. 

Far from apologetic, Linda's reaction was something to behold. 

Instead of taking responsibility for her tardiness, Linda became hostile and began offering a series of excuses for her late arrival. 

She blamed the bakery for not having buns ready, claimed they were stopped by a train, and even suggested that it was Ariana's fault for not calling or texting to check on their whereabouts.

"My personal favourite was, 'It's your fault you didn’t call or text to see where we are.' EXCUSE ME!! Again the invitation said 2pm," Ariana shared. 

She adds that she really didn't have a choice when it came to walking down the aisle, as the officiant had another wedding they needed to get to. 

"It was a tight schedule," she said.

The real reason Linda missed the wedding.

While weddings should be about love, they often become the pinnacle of 'what she should be', and specifically 'what we should look like.'

Ariana said that she later discovered her mother was so late, not necessarily due to the buns or the train, but because she took so long to perfect her appearance. 

"Side note I found out the real reason why they were late, she wasn’t done getting herself ready therefore holding up everyone. But she is mad at me because it’s my fault," she said. 

Many commenters pointed out, in Linda's defence, that it was a bit unfair to expect the mother of the bride to get ready and do the pick up in such a small amount of time, and that potentially she may have needed more help. 

"None of the other family members could be responsible for taking grandma and the family friend to the wedding, so that mom could have her outfit ready in the same place as the bride?" one asked.

A bride's dilemma.

After the whole wedding debacle, Ariana found herself questioning whether she had made the right decision by starting the ceremony without her mother present. Between the officiant's schedule and her mother's tardiness, there was little room for delay, she reasoned.

In her Reddit post, Ariana asked, "So am I the asshole for not holding up my ceremony?" 

The overwhelming response from the online community was a resounding 'no', with many supporting Ariana's decision to proceed with the ceremony as planned.

This unfortunate incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of punctuality, especially on such a significant day.

Featured image: Getty