My Sister-in-Law Wore My Wedding Dress and Now No One in My Family Talks to Me

Some people believe in bad luck. Others believe in energy. And then there’s Emily, who just wanted to do a nice thing: lend her wedding dress to Hailey, her future sister-in-law. What could go wrong? Well, everything. From a wedding that could have been scripted for a horror comedy, to accusations that sound more like a thriller than a family after-dinner conversation. Can a dress ruin a marriage before it even begins? Or are some things just meant to be broken? Emily has written to us with her heart in her hand — and perhaps a shadow in her wardrobe — to tell us her story and to ask you, our readers, for advice. Because when bad luck wears a white dress, the party turns into a nightmare.

Emily married, but her relationship failed miserably, leaving only a wedding dress as a good souvenir.

Emily contacted us through an email in which she opened her heart to get some advice, guidance and help during a very difficult time in her life.

She decided to share her story as follows, “Hello Bright Side! I never thought a dress — even one as symbolic as a wedding dress — could have so much power. But here I am, with my heart in my throat, trying to process the fact that my sister-in-law wants to divorce my brother...and partly because of me.

But I’d better start at the beginning.

My name is Emily. I am 32 years old and I live in Wisconsin. I got married four years ago. And one year later I got divorced. I don’t want to go into details about it because I think I’m past that stage. All I can say is that there was betrayal, screaming, and a story worthy of a novel. Oh, and suffering...yes, a lot of tears, ice cream and romantic movies, you know how it goes. My family, friends and loved ones were very worried about me. They were afraid I would never make it, and I understand why, because I was really broken. They never brought up the subject again, never mentioned my ex-husband or anything like that. And I decided to stop, too, after many therapy sessions and realizing that I still had many wonderful adventures left in my life. In a fit of rebellion, one day I put everything that reminded me of him in a box and donated it to a thrift store where it could be put to better use than I could.

I kept just one thing, just one thing: my wedding dress. I thought I kept it out of pity because the thing had cost me a bundle. But in reality, I kept it because it was the only happy memory I had left of that dark episode in my life. And it stayed there, in the back of the closet, just like my memories of my failed marriage.”

Despite what she experienced, she could not help but be overjoyed when her brother announced their engagement.

Emily continued, “At some point, I stopped thinking marriage was a good idea. But when my brother Noah announced his engagement to Hailey, his fiancée, I was really happy. She was beautiful, charismatic, one of those people who always seemed to have a cloud of sunshine around them. She loved crystals, cards, tarot, and was convinced she had a lucky star protecting her. She said it all the time: that life was smiling on her, that things were falling into place effortlessly.

One fall afternoon she came home, and in between coffees we started talking about my marriage. It was actually cathartic, because it showed me that I had healed enough to approach the subject without tears, to see it from a different perspective. It was actually a very nice, positive experience. We had such a good time that I even showed Hailey some photos that had mysteriously been saved from deletion and were still making the rounds on social media. She fell in love with my dress, of course, because it was a really beautiful piece. And since we were home and had nothing better to do, I decided to go up to my room, take the dress out, dust it off a bit, and show it to her. She stroked it with a mixture of awe and enthusiasm. She leaned against it and then, half joking, half serious, she tried it on. It fit her perfectly. She said it looked as if it had been made for her. We laughed, we celebrated, I told her how happy I was for her wedding and my best wishes for her and my brother. From the bottom of my heart, I wished them all the best.

But that’s when everything started to go wrong.”

A series of mysterious disasters began to spoil the happiness of the entire family for the upcoming wedding.

The mail continues, “First, Hailey lost the schedule with all the wedding planning. Then the flower girl got sick and canceled at the last minute. The cake maker screwed up the date. The dress she had made in New York was held up because of a problem with the fabric. Suddenly, everything that had flowed so naturally began to clog. She insisted it wasn’t a coincidence. That something strange was going on, that it was a sign of fate and all that. We all tried to convince her that this kind of thing happens at big events like weddings, but she wouldn’t accept it. It all started to get too stressful, to the point where no one was enjoying the experience.

In an attempt to help a little, I had an idea, a kind of lifeline in the midst of so much despair: I decided to offer Hailey my wedding dress. I tried to convince her in every possible way. It took a lot, but she finally accepted. Resigned, of course, but at least she looked a little less worried. I told her to be happy, that the problems would be solved soon. I tried to reassure her and myself. But the relief was very, very short lived.”

Despite Emily’s attempts to help, the wedding was a disaster and Hailey finally exploded.

Emily added, “The wedding day was chaos. The wind blew away Hailey’s veil. The officiant got the wrong name when reading the vows. A baby vomited in the middle of the ceremony. A bridesmaid fainted. The music didn’t work. Her grandmother ended up in the hospital with a sprain...

And in the middle of it all, Hailey exploded. She screamed, she cried, and she said something that made everyone’s mouth drop: that the dress was cursed, that her luck had gone down the drain since she’d touched it. And worse, that I knew it. That I had given it to her knowing what I was doing. And that it was all my fault. I froze, paralyzed. All eyes on me. Noah tried to calm her down, but she wouldn’t let him touch her. She said that there was something about the dress. That she could feel it clinging to her skin, like she was breathing with it.

We all pretended it was nerves. But the honeymoon was worse.

Noah called me a week later, more tired than I’d ever heard him. He told me he hadn’t slept all week. That Hailey woke up crying. That she wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t look in the mirror. And when they came back, she refused to go into the apartment. She said something was there. That the dress had followed her. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The whole situation seemed too bizarre to be true.”

The whole situation led to an unexpected result: Emily’s sister-in-law is divorcing her brother.

Emily ended her message this way, “A few days later, my brother came to my house. He was crying, but not with sadness: he was crying with anger. He told me something that chilled my bones: Hailey was considering a divorce. He started screaming at myself that it was all my fault. That I had driven Hailey crazy. That if I hadn’t shown her that dress, her life would still be the way it was. That she was broken. That I broke her.

And then, his eyes red and his voice ashen, he screamed at me what hurt me most: -You’ve always been jealous. Of her happiness. Of our happiness. That she would have what you lost. That’s why you did all this.

I tried to defend myself. I reminded him that she was the one who agreed to wear the dress. That I was only trying to help. But he wouldn’t listen to me. He looked at me like he didn’t know me. Noah left without even listening to me, leaving me in a sea of tears and a feeling of guilt that doesn’t even belong to me.

I don’t know if I believe in bad luck. But ever since that day, I dream about Hailey every night. My brother doesn’t talk to me anymore, I don’t know what’s going on in his life because Noah forbade my family to give me any information about it. And I’m just here, not knowing what to do. I don’t feel the need to explain myself or apologize for something I clearly didn’t do, but I’m lost. I could use some advice on what to do at this point, whether to wait for everyone to come to their senses and understand that there is no such thing as a jealous sister and a cursed dress, or whether to bend over backwards to apologize in order to get my brother back, even though I never intended for that to happen. I don’t know what to do at this point, and there aren’t too many places to turn for help.”

Emily said that she still has the dress in storage, but is seriously considering getting rid of it. Do you think this was all just a series of unfortunate coincidences? Or is there more to it? What would you do if you were her? Would you talk to Hailey and Noah? Would you burn the dress?

Let us know in the comments what you think, what you would tell Emily, and if you’ve ever experienced anything this weird. And if you like stories with mysterious and familiar overtones, check out this article about a bride who faced a not-so-pleasant situation at her own wedding.