AITA for refusing to be a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding because she wants us to complete some crazy healthy itinerary plan
So my (24F) auntie “Ava” (41F) is getting married this summer. In the last two years, she and her fiancé went full health freak crazy mode. They got into the raw carnivore diet, cleansing themselves from vaccines, even their dog hasn’t been vaccinated which I think is super messed up.
At first, I was honored when Ava asked me to be a bridesmaid. That is, until she sent out the ‘Bridesmaid Wellness Journey Itinerary’. Which was 8 pages.
Highlights include: A week-long pre-wedding ‘gut reset’. all do enemas together “to symbolically release toxins and emotional baggage.”
Daily 6am group cryotherapy sessions to bond and awaken the divine feminine.
3.No makeup, deodorant, or hair products allowed because of “toxins.” Only our own pheromones.
A strictly raw-animal-based diet leading up to the wedding: raw liver, raw butter and unpasteurized milk. ( 🤢)
She’s also pushing bee venom therapy. As in getting stung. On purpose. Which worries me bc what if people are allergic and don’t realise?
At first I thought it was a joke. Like a really elaborate, slightly terrifying joke. But she’s actually dead serious. Her fiancé is fully onboard and refers to himself as a ‘quantum wellness facilitator’. Whatever tf that means. Ava said she needs “her bridesmaids to vibrate on a higher frequency” and that if we’re not aligned, we’ll “disrupt the ceremony’s energy.”
I told her I’m not comfortable with enemas, raw meat, or being willingly stung by bees. She told me I was being “closed-minded and Western-programmed” and that I was “choosing stagnation over transformation.”
My auntie and uncle, who are funding this mad craziness, just shrugged and said, “We just want her to be happy.”
Now some of the other bridesmaids are backing out, and Ava’s accusing us of “abandoning her sacred big day”. I offered to just come as a guest and support her from the safety of a cooked meal and clothing with normal fabric. But she didn’t want to hear it.
I just feel conflicted because she is happy and I want to be there for her but all of this is crazy.
TL;DR: my cousin wants me to participate in her crazy health stuff to be a bridesmaid.