Adam is still grieving the unexpected death of his wife.
Opening his letter, Adam wrote, “My late wife, Emily, was my school sweetheart.” We had been together for a very long period prior to getting married. Our wedding day has always been, and always will be, the happiest event of my life. I still cry thinking about how beautiful Emily’s wedding gown was when I first saw it.
Adam revealed, “Emily passed away last year.” Her death was sudden; she just fell to the ground in the street and died there and then. The paramedics was only able to confirm her death. I felt as though the world was ending when she passed away. I’m still in the early phases of my grief and I’m still not exactly sure why Emily isn’t here anymore.
“Three daughters are in our family. The oldest, Gerry, recently became engaged,” the man said. Her upcoming marriage should be a happy moment for our family, but in our case, it has only sparked a never-ending argument between me and her.
Adam’s daughter wants to attend her own wedding wearing her mother’s gown.
Adam’s story continues, “Recently, Gerry approached me and told me that she wants to wear Emily’s wedding dress to her wedding.” I told her straight immediately that that wouldn’t be a wise decision. Beyond the fact that I don’t want anyone to ever touch my late wife’s clothing, not even my own daughter, there is another reason I am so protective of it.
Adam revealed, “My late wife’s wedding gown has a special story behind it. Emily had done all the handwork on it herself. She had spent the last two months working on it, and she would not take help from anyone, not even her beloved grandmother.
The deceased wife insisted on making her own wedding gown, and the man explained why. He wrote, “Emily became pregnant while we were just dating.” We were all thrilled to hear this news since, even though we were still young and had our whole lives ahead of us, none of us considered having children to be a barrier. We were having the time of our lives, living it up.
When we informed our parents the news, they showed us so much support, offering to help with the child and to make sure our new life as parents and newlyweds was wonderful. As a matter of fact, we had already chosen the name Emily for the child, in honor of her mother. But tragedy struck when Emily gave birth to a child who died two hours after her delivery in the hospital.
The wedding dress had special meaning for Adam and his deceased wife.
Adam continues, “Emily asked the nurses to carve our daughter’s footprint into a piece of clay for us as a way to honor her memory. This piece of clay in the shape of a footprint was later sewn inside Emily’s wedding gown after being compressed into a little sack. At the time, Emily insisted that this was important to her and the proper way to remember our little daughter.
Adam revealed, “None of our girlfriends knew about this because we had kept it a secret from them. When we spoke with Gerry about the dress again, I advised her not to touch it, much less wear it to her wedding. I only needed to inform her that wearing the dress would not be approved by her mother. Gerry lost her temper very soon and started calling me names and accusing me of being a bad father and of watching over my wife’s possessions.
Adam suggested that his daughter change her attire. The man added, “I told her no again, but then I said no problem, and she could wear some of her late mom’s jewelry.” She continued to wear the dress despite my advice, though, and even started accusing me of ruining her wedding.
The man said, “I tried to approach her a million times, offering her various options, instead of that crazy idea about wearing Emily’s dress.” I offered to cover the cost of her wedding, promised to buy her a pricey designer dress, and even expressed a desire to give her some fine jewelry as a present on her special day. She doesn’t even bring up these options with me, though, and she’s currently making a lot of effort to intensify our disagreement as well as the one between me and the rest of our family.
Adam’s decision has drawn criticism from a wide range of sources, including his family.
Adam writes in his letter, “Now, all of my daughters are against me, out of their solidarity with their sister.” Even my parents are condemning me, claiming that the dress is just a piece of cloth and that there is nothing to quarrel over with my own daughter. They insist that I stop preventing my daughter from wearing her mother’s clothing since it will be a tribute to her memory.
Adam, though, takes a firm stand. The man explains, “Emily would never allow anyone to touch her wedding dress.” Why I keep urging Gerry not to wear it is beyond me, and I don’t believe I should even try to explain. My child should not be aware of this painful memory; she needs to accept my decision as it is. I have to make a decision that I’m not capable of making, and if I insist on it, my daughter won’t trust me. Right now, I’m totally lost. What steps should I take next?
This is yet another tragic story about a woman who suffered great embarrassment at her own wedding at the hands of her own husband. But the woman didn’t leave things as they were; instead, she exacted swift and brutal retribution.
