Brother insists his 22-year-old girlfriend of 2 months join brother's wedding photos despite having a new girlfriend every month: 'He's barely talking to any of us'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 19, 2025 10:00 PM EDT

Everyone wants their wedding photos to be perfect. They want to look just how they'd like to look and be surrounded by the people who mean the most to them. It's an understandable wish. You spend an astronomical amount of money and time on wedding planning and the only way it's memorialized is through photos and videos. Of course, you want it to reflect the actual moment, not some idealized version of events that never actually happened, but that doesn't mean you want everything in there. For example, there might be a person who you don't want in the photos. 

Maybe there's someone you were strong-armed into inviting to the wedding, and it would be best if it weren't memorialized. Or maybe someone crashed your wedding Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson style and you'd like to erase that moment from the legacy of your special day. It's a reasonable enough request. 

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  • 01

    AITA for not letting my brother's girlfriend be in our wedding family photo?

    I (28M) recently got married. Everything went well overall, but there was a bit of drama involving my brother (26M) and his current girlfriend (22F)
    via u/pickupthephoneJr
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10518481152
    via Lynleigh Stiles

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • But what if that request comes at the expense of one of your family members? Like in this story where the bride's brother wanted his flavor of the month in all the family photos. But when she said no, he took it out on her. Read on for the story to see what happened.

  • 03
    Basically, brother has a new girlfriend like every month. I'm not exaggerating. He never had a relationship that lasted longer than 2-3 months, and we've all just kind of gotten used to it. Its kinda of a family joke actually too lol.
    via u/pickupthephoneJr
  • 04
    So when it came time to take our official family wedding photos, I got him to the side and I asked him politely if his girlfriend could sit out of that specific photo. (They were together for 2 months) We included her in the casual shots, but for the formal family portrait that's going to be framed and hung in our home, I just didnt want including someone who we probably wont even see again in a month on our family picture that will stay forever.
    via u/pickupthephoneJr
  • 05
    He got really upset and said I was being disrespectful to him and his relationship. He said Im acting like his relationships dont matter. My dad came and convinced him for a moment to take the photo without her but they left the wedding early after taking the photo without her.
    via u/pickupthephoneJr
  • 06
    Now he's barely talking to any of us.Worst thing is, my mom is on his side and said I shouldve included her and that i cant know if their relationship is gonna last or not. She said once me and my wife were in our second month dating and how we got to marriage. Now both my brother and my mom are mad at me.
    via u/pickupthephoneJr
  • 07
    I dont feel like i did anything wrong.I got nothing against her personally, she seems nice but i know my brother. I dont think he takes relationships serious. He had more gfs last year than i had in my lifetime lol.
    via u/pickupthephoneJr
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10518481664
    via Asdrubal luna

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09

    Commenters quickly took her side.

    tryntryuntil • 15h ago NTA.. if I were the girlfriend I would have happily not be in those pictures. That would have been too awkward
    via u/tryntryuntil
  • 10
    Marmite-JustSayNo • 15h ago I wouldn't even want to be in formal family pictures if I was the girlfriend.
    via u/Marmite-JustSayNo
  • 11
    Donutsmell • 15h ago NTA. Two months is not long enough to be included in family portraits.
    via u/Donutsmell
  • 12
    ActualAd8165 • 15h ago . I think it is generous of you to give his flavor of the month girlfriend an invitation to your wedding. Some people have a no ring no bring policy re: weddings- if the plus one isn't engaged they are not invited. You have no obligation to include her in the picture.
    via u/ActualAd8165
  • 13
    Healincubes 15h ago NTA, Later he would've asked you to take down your own wedding photo so you don't offend the next girlfriend, or future wife! for that matter!
    via u/Healincubes
  • 14
    New_Bowl_7149 • 15h ago NTA Your brother's dating history reads like a restaurant menu new selection every month. You're not psychic, but you're also not blind to patterns.
    via u/New_Bowl_7149
  • 15
    wildferalfun • 15h ago . NTA. But pulling him aside during the pictures is kind of high conflict at your wedding. You could have easily taken a picture with her and without her with the photographer orchestrating the ins and outs
    via u/wildferalfun
  • 16
    of all the formal portraits. If you do enough movement and rearranging, the picture you covet most without her could have been taken without them realizing she was not in. You have to use the professionals.
    via u/wildferalfun
  • 17
    MistySky1999 • 15h ago What's the actual problem here? You got your pictures. sans The Current Girlfriend. So your bro is mad at you?-- honestly, what difference does it make? Who cares? Ditto your mother-- so she's mad, so what? You don't even live with her anymore!!
    via u/MistySky1999
  • 18
    Stop caring so much what other people think about your decisions. Just ignore the annoyed chatter. Besides, your brother is due a new GF any day now, and you can tell your mom a smug "I told you so!" NTA. Update us when he gets a new girl! Updateme
    via u/MistySky1999
  • 19
    Ex... • • 15h ago Edited 15h ago I wouldn't even want to go to a wedding with someone I've only dated for two months much less be in wedding pics. And similarly I wouldn't even invite a girl I'm seeing to a wedding after only two months. I'd go solo or with a close family friend. Your bother and his girl are weird. They have zero sense of self awareness. They're not the main character at your wedding...
    via u/Expensive_Candle5644
  • 20
    Also some moms just want everyone to be happy so her reaction isn't terribly surprising. Your dad should have been vocal about backing your play though.
    via u/Expensive_Candle5644
  • 21
    Plant-serialkiller_2 . 15h ago NTA. This is standard wedding etiquette. Like there is NO gray area here. You were/are right, he was/is wrong. Your mother knows better too. Probably wishful thinking on her part. Many people have been the plus one to someone in a wedding
    via u/serialkiller_2
  • 22
    party, it is universally known, and accepted, you step back and let the photographer do his thing. If/when asked to 'jump in' you politely (then strongly if need be) decline. I doubt two months in that she even wanted to be in the pictures. (If she did red light, danger, red light. They just started dating, I wouldn't
    via u/serialkiller_2
  • 23
    even consider that a relationship yet.) This was YOUR wedding, your brother trying to make it about anyone else is not just an a hole move for him to make, it makes him the a hole! (JAAH!, I just made it a thing.)
    via u/serialkiller_2
  • 24
    I know people may say you could crop her out later. Photoshop has come a long way but the point is YOU shouldn't have to. He can just as easily crop this girl in or the next one(s).
    via u/serialkiller_2
  • 25
    LLD615 14h ago . Some advice for anyone who goes through something similar with their wedding... My photographer asked me specifically if there would be any situations like this and she said she likes to do one with the family and then a
    via u/LLD615
  • 26
    second with their guests. She said it keeps the peace for the rest of the day. She said what she does is asks for a list of names and she will say "Ok we are taking an immediate family shot with the bride, groom, parents and siblings. Would and be on standby you're going to join them in a minute for a photo."
    via u/LLD615
  • 27
    I had two photos where I knew it may be an issue. I ended up asking both. I said "The photographer likes to do immediate family photos and then a second one with partners, just wanted to let you know that so and so would be in the second one."
    via u/LLD615
  • 28
    One said "oh he doesn't have to be in a photo." The other said "oh thank you for asking, I'd like it if we did one with him in it also." I ended up doing the second photo for both groups just to make it easier for the photographer (versus making her remember which one needed it). Couple one broke up two weeks after the wedding and couple two is still together 8 years later.
    via u/LLD615
  • 29
    Kris82868 • 15h ago NTA. Family photos are for family members. She is not a family member. Your brother hasn't even expressed wanting her to be his wife/life partner.
    via u/Kris82868

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