Groom Forced To Choose Between Inviting His Brother Or Having Decorations At His Wedding Due To Brother's Unusual Eating Habits

The groom's parents are on his brother's side.

By Taylor Haynes
Last updated on Feb 20, 2024

Photo: Dan Formsma / Unsplash

Wedding planning is no easy feat. While the bride and groom may have a vision of their perfect wedding day, rarely does everything fall into place as family members and other guests make requests for accommodations. Though some of these accommodations are easy to compromise on, one groom found himself in a tough situation when his parents requested he forgo all decor at his wedding so his brother could attend.

The man's parents asked that he ban certain decorations at his wedding to accommodate his brother's eating disorder.

Taking to Reddit's "True Off My Chest" forum, the groom-to-be revealed that his brother developed an eating disorder as an adult.

“For anyone who doesn't know, pica is an eating disorder that causes people to eat things that are not food like rocks, drywall, chalk, nails, plastic etc.,” the man wrote. “He developed it as an adult and he refuses to see a doctor or have treatment.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, pica is classified as a mental health condition that causes those who have it to compulsively eat non-food items.

According to the groom, for his brother to be able to attend his wedding "without being disruptive," his parents suggested he refrain from having certain triggering items as decor.

“So no flowers, no paper, no lace on the bride's veil, no plants in soil for our centerpieces," the man described, adding that his parents also requested that his bride not have a flower bouquet or wear a veil. Basically, all of the main ingredients that make up the traditional decorations for the wedding would have to be tossed out.

"There are other things (like my brother will eat rocks) but these are the main ones,” he added.

The groom refused to change anything about his wedding.

“I'm not changing my wedding for a 35-year-old man who likes to eat dirt," he wrote. "It's not my problem no matter what my parents say.”

While the frustrated brother may not appear particularly empathetic towards his sibling's disorder in his post, he claimed that his brother "refuses to see a doctor or have treatment," which people in the comments noted was unfair.

"Peak enabling by your parents. It’s a genuine condition, but he’s not trying to manage it," one person wrote.

“As someone with pica, your brother can absolutely just bring his own chalk to munch on,” another person added. “He could chew on crushed ice while he's there and be fine,” they continued. “If not, he's being disruptive on purpose.”

Despite weddings being meant to bring families together, all too often, the planning process ends up doing the opposite.

"There's nothing like a wedding to bring up unresolved tensions in a family," Bonnie Maslin, Ph.D., a psychologist and marriage specialist, told Glamour, ultimately suggesting that the engaged couple make decisions they're most comfortable with.

After all, you only get one wedding day.