Sometimes, stories go viral without a lot of context, but that doesn’t stop people from making their own judgments. In fact, limited information can make it easier for snarky commenters on social media to form their very strong opinions. After one woman tweeted one of the worst wedding fails of 2019, she told the full story behind it, and it’s a doozy.
On Tuesday, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon asked Twitter to share their best wedding fails, and one of the MOST egregious was from Amy Pennza. Amy tweeted a photo of her wedding with her Mother-in Law wearing…. a wedding dress.
Obviously, wearing a white dress to a wedding (let alone a floor-length white gown) is a pretty big no-no and naturally people chimed in to voice their opinions.
Oh hell nah https://t.co/oaEY2rZOeC
— Ashley C. Ford (@iSmashFizzle) June 19, 2019
what in the name of monster in law (2005) https://t.co/No7qeptRaN
— hunter harris (@hunteryharris) June 19, 2019
This is perfectly fair grounds for fighting the woman who birthed the man you're about to marry. https://t.co/i85ZNPyHzD
— Luvvie is the #ProfessionalTroublemaker (@Luvvie) June 19, 2019
I NEED THE WHOLE STORY https://t.co/bibiNV61t1
— Erica Henderson (@EricaFails) June 19, 2019
But some people wanted—no, NEEDED—to hear the whole damn story behind the incident and Amy, a romance novelist by trade, was happy to oblige.
So, a couple people have asked for the story behind The Dress. Sorry for the delay! I have four kids (yes, I married him) on summer break, so my permanent state of being is "frazzled." I called my daughter "mom" the other day.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
I didn’t know what my mother-in-law planned to wear. I didn’t think to ask. pic.twitter.com/Gq6p2E50Gx
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
I didn’t know what my mother-in-law planned to wear. I didn’t think to ask. pic.twitter.com/Gq6p2E50Gx
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
She walks in. I see it. pic.twitter.com/avuU12yjuq
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
I don’t remember much about the day. Most people say their wedding is a blur, and that’s true for me, too. But I know I said this: “You… You could be the bride…”
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
Later, my sister (matron of honor) said she didn’t pull me aside and talk about it because she hoped I was too distracted to notice. My college roommate (bridesmaid) said the same thing.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
But secretly, they both spent the reception looking at me, then each other, then MIL, then me, then the cop the venue made us hire—hoping I didn’t go for his taser.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
I’m happy to report the wedding unfolded without bloodshed, or anyone being shoved into the champagne fountain.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
And this is where the story takes a turn. Because, as Amy explains, her MIL wasn’t trying to upstage the bride or step on her train or anything like that. She just likes a good deal, and for a very good reason.
Here’s the thing: My mother-in-law is extremely frugal. And I don’t mean she just enjoys a good bargain. To understand her, you have to know where she comes from.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
According to Amy, her MIL grew up poor. Like, VERY poor.
She grew up in extreme poverty. As a child, she used to sneak into the kitchen and eat match heads. That’s a pica craving, and kids do it when they’re malnourished.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
And, as Amy explained, that kind of experience stays with you. (If you had a grandparent who grew up during the Great Depression, you’ll understand.)
When you grow up with nothing, it stays with you. Forever, I think. No matter how much money you earn, there’s always that little fear in the back of your mind that someone might take it all away.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
Amy gave several examples of her MIL’s extreme frugality:
For example, she takes the olives and celery out of a Bloody Mary and saves them for salads.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
She once walked casually to the table where I was eating a subway sandwich and put my discarded cold cuts in a baggie because “someone will eat them.”
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
When my husband and his sisters were young, and they went to dinner, she’d try to get coupons back from the server so they could reuse them.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
Including making her very own Sally Jesse Raphael Glasses:
When Sally Jesse Raphael was popular, she didn’t have the money to buy red glasses, so she painted hers with red nail polish.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
“I still have those,” she says.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
So look, she saw the dress at a bargain-basement price and she HAD to have it, alright?
So when she spotted The Dress at an incredible bargain, she couldn’t turn it down. If you ask her now, she says she feels terrible about it.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
Amy went on to explain that just because the woman knows how to pinch a penny doesn’t mean she’s not generous. In fact, she’s actually a thoughtful, giving MIL and grandmother.
But her upbringing didn’t make her hard. Or cruel. Or selfish.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
She’s frugal. But she’s also incredibly generous. When my twins were newborns, she drove across town every night, slept on the sofa, and did three feedings. For two babies. Every night for months.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
She regularly shows up at my house with bags of new clothes for the kids. (Because she’s a kick ass bargain hunter.)
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
When I got my first job, she hemmed all my work pants because I can’t sew for shit. And because she was proud of me.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
She never misses a band concert, sports event, talent show, science fair…you name it. She’d walk over hot coals for her grandchildren. She gives them everything. Because, you know, she grew up with nothing.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
Amy also said there were no hard feelings about the wedding dress incident.
So, yeah, the wedding dress was a shock. But it gave me a pretty funny memory. No one who attended has ever forgotten it. And, you have to admit, weddings can be forgettable.
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
And how does Amy’s MIL feel about her wedding faux pas going viral? She’s totally into it.
Sure, she wore a wedding dress to my wedding. But she has more than made up for it since. When I told her about this getting a lot of attention, and said I worried it might hurt her feelings, she waved it off. “Whatever makes me famous.”
— Amy Pennza (@AmyPennza) June 20, 2019
Jimmy Fallon, book these women on the Tonight Show!
