Dad Uninvited Me From His Wedding “To Keep It Classy” — Then His New Wife Lost a $2.7M Investor
The call came on a Tuesday afternoon while I was reviewing quarterly reports in my corner office overlooking downtown Chicago. Dad’s name appeared on my screen and, for a brief moment, I considered letting it go to voicemail.
Our relationship had been strained for years, reduced to obligatory holiday texts and the occasional awkward lunch. But I answered anyway.
“Emma, we need to talk about the wedding,” he said, skipping any greeting.
I set down my pen.
“What about it?”
“Carol and I have been discussing the guest list.” He paused, and I could hear the hesitation in his voice—the kind of hesitation that comes before delivering news you know will hurt. “Her business associates are flying in from all over the country. Very important people in the marketing world.
CEOs, creative directors, the kind of crowd that that what dad look you know. Carol’s company is at a critical growth stage. First impressions matter in her industry.
She needs this wedding to reflect a certain image.”
I leaned back in my leather chair, staring out at the skyline. “Just say it.”
“We think it would be best if he didn’t attend. Carol wants to keep things classy, sophisticated.
Her friends are all very successful, and you’re still…” He trailed off.
“Still what?”
“You know what I mean, Emma? You’re 32 and you rent an apartment. You drive a 10-year-old Honda.
You work some vague government job that you can never really explain. Carol’s friends, her colleagues, they’re going to wonder why my daughter isn’t more accomplished.”
The words hung in the air like poison. I’d heard variations of this my entire adult life.
After mom died when I was 19, dad had remarried within 2 years to a woman named Patricia, who made it abundantly clear that I was a disappointment. That marriage lasted 5 years before ending in a bitter divorce. Now at 61, he’d found Carol, 15 years his junior, ambitious, image obsessed, and apparently embarrassed by my existence.
“You’re uninviting me from your wedding because your fiance thinks I’ll make her look bad,” I said flatly.
“Don’t be dramatic.
We’re just trying to maintain a certain standard. You understand how important this is for Carol’s career. Her business is everything to her.
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