When I got the invitation to my ex’s wedding, I had no plans to attend. However, after I thought about it for a while, I decided to go—and surprisingly, I had an awesome time.
- Everyone kept saying how brave I was to be there. Going in, I knew that there would be some awkwardness with old friends that I used to hang out with when my ex and I were together. Everyone was shocked to see me there, but I was like, “Where’s the party at?!” I guess it was cool to be seen as brave, but our relationship was over so there was nothing to be afraid of anyway.
- I’m way cuter than his new wife… or so I like to tell myself. Don’t mean to toot my own horn but I wasn’t as jealous as I thought I would be when the wedding day came largely because I had a bomb dress on and I feel like I may have even looked hotter than the bride. Just one more reason why I felt like I totally owned that wedding.
- The breakup happened so long ago that it would be weird if I was still awkward about it. First of all, if I was still hung up on my ex, there’s no way I would have even considered going to this wedding. We’re adults now. It would have been incredibly immature and irresponsible to go to my ex’s wedding when I knew deep down that I wasn’t OK with it. Clearly, I’ve moved on.
- I didn’t want to give him the power. If I opted to stay home and decline his invitation either out of laziness or fear, that would mean he won the breakup and I wasn’t willing to let that happen. I pulled on my big girl stockings and went. To be honest, the look on his face when he saw me walk in was worth going through that crappy breakup.
- I’ve never felt so mature. Going to your ex’s wedding is just so… adult. I’ve been wondering when I’d finally be a grown woman and stop feeling like a teen trapped in a woman’s body. Looking at my ex as he professed his love for another woman was a little overwhelming, yes, but I stayed totally calm and was able to look at the whole scene from an outsider’s perspective. It actually ended up feeling more like a friend getting married than an ex-romantic partner.
- It ended up being like a fun reunion. It was cool because I saw all these people I haven’t seen in years, some of whom I’d only met once or twice before. It was weird, kinda like being in another dimension of what could have been had my ex and I stayed together. I ended up adding a bunch of my fellow guests on Facebook when I got home. It was a great reminder as to why I was friends with these people all those years ago.
- I brought a hot date with me so it was fine. Honestly, the main reason I felt so comfortable at my ex’s wedding was that I had my boyfriend with me. Yeah, I know that’s kinda cheating, but it really did make me feel better about the whole thing. If I went alone, then it would have probably been a totally different experience.
- I was kind of proud of my ex. I know this is weird, but when he said “I do,” I kinda felt like a proud mom. I can’t help but think that my actions had to do with their nuptials. If I didn’t drive him to dump me, then maybe they wouldn’t have found each other. You’re welcome, you guys.
- My ex and I didn’t even talk that much. Not that I was surprised about this, but I didn’t really get to even say a word to my ex. We exchanged a couple words briefly but he didn’t really have the time to catch up, which I was actually grateful for. He was the man of the hour and had a lot of people to talk to. I just blended into the background and had a grand old time.
- I’m in a good place right now, which is probably the reason I had so much fun. If he had the wedding a year ago, there’s no way I would have gone. I was going through a major career transition and had been single for over two years. It just so happened that I was in a great place in my life when I got the invite, so why not flaunt it at my ex’s wedding?
