Lisa knew that planning a wedding was a nerve-wracking business. She had read articles about it, listened to friends. But no one warned her that the biggest problem wouldn’t be the cost of the restaurant or choosing a photographer, but her future mother-in-law, Valentina Petrovna. The woman seemed to have made it her mission to turn every day of preparation into a test of endurance.
“This dress doesn’t suit you,” Valentina Petrovna declared when Lisa showed her photos of the wedding outfit. “It’s too revealing. In our family, brides dressed more modestly.”
Lisa clenched her phone in her hand, feeling her jaw muscles tense. The dress was quite decent—covered shoulders, floor length. But she didn’t argue.
“All right, Valentina Petrovna. I’ll think about it.”
“And this menu of yours…” the mother-in-law continued, flipping through restaurant printouts. “Who’s going to eat these foreign salads? People are used to proper food. Olivier, herring under a fur coat. Everyone understands that.”
Maxim, Lisa’s fiancé, sat nearby in silence. Sometimes he nodded to his mother, sometimes he gently stroked Lisa’s hand to reassure her. When Valentina Petrovna went to the kitchen to brew tea, he whispered:
“Don’t pay attention. Mom’s just worried. She wants everything to be perfect.”
“Maxim, your mother criticizes every decision we make,” Lisa replied quietly. “The dress, the menu, the flowers, the music. Only the guests are left, and I’m sure she’ll find something to say about them too.”
“Oh, come on. She means well.”
Means well. Lisa had heard those words a hundred times already. When Valentina Petrovna objected to fresh flowers in the bouquet—means well. When she demanded to invite her friends whom Lisa didn’t even know—also means well. Apparently, in Valentina Petrovna’s mind, doing good meant turning someone else’s wedding into an expression of her own ideas of how things should be.
The guest list became the next battlefield. Lisa had carefully put it together—relatives, friends, colleagues. Forty people, just as planned. But Valentina Petrovna made her own adjustments.
“And where is my cousin Klavdiya Ivanovna?” the mother-in-law asked, studying the list. “And neighbor Uncle Petr? He’s lived next to us for forty years.”
“Valentina Petrovna, we agreed on a small wedding,” Lisa explained. “The restaurant is designed for a certain number of people.”
“Then remove someone from your side. My relatives must not be offended.”
Maxim was silent again. Lisa looked at her fiancé, hoping for support, but he looked away. In the end, they had to exclude two of Lisa’s friends to make room for distant relatives of Valentina Petrovna, whom Lisa had seen maybe twice in her life.
The day before the wedding, when Lisa thought all major decisions were made, Valentina Petrovna called with new demands.
“Lisa, dear,” the mother-in-law’s voice was syrupy, but Lisa had learned to detect a catch in that tone. “I looked at the seating chart. They put me at the edge. That’s not right.”
“Where would you like to sit?”
“Next to the newlyweds, of course. I am the groom’s mother. The most important guest after you.”
Lisa closed her eyes and counted to ten. The seats next to the couple were given to the bride’s parents and the witnesses. Logical and traditional. But apparently, Valentina Petrovna thought traditions should bend to her wishes.
“All right,” Lisa gave in. “We’ll figure something out.”
“That’s my girl. I told you—it all must be right.”
“Right,” according to Valentina Petrovna, meant a complete reshuffle of guests. Lisa’s parents moved one seat over, the witness was moved across the table. It wasn’t very comfortable, but the mother-in-law was pleased.
On the morning of the wedding, Lisa woke up to a call. The clock showed half past six. It was Valentina Petrovna.
“Lisa, sorry for the early call. I have something important.”
Lisa sat up in bed, trying to fully wake up.
“I’m listening.”
“I was thinking about Maxim’s speech. He must thank me for his upbringing. And also say that without a mother’s blessing the family won’t be happy.”
“Valentina Petrovna, Maxim wrote the speech himself. We’ve rehearsed it several times.”
“Rehearsals don’t matter! Content is what counts. Write down what he must say.”
Lisa wrote it down. Then rewrote it when Valentina Petrovna called back in half an hour with additions. And the third time, the mother-in-law called from the hairdresser’s to check if Maxim would remember to mention family traditions.
“Did your mother call?” Maxim asked when they met at the registry office.
“Three times. With important corrections to your speech.”
“Oh, that. Well, I’ll say something suitable. Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry. Another classic Maxim phrase. As if problems disappear if ignored. But today was the wedding, and Lisa decided not to worry—at least for a few hours.
The ceremony at the registry office was solemn. Lisa recited her vows, looking into Maxim’s eyes, forgetting for a few minutes all the problems with preparation. This was why they had started all this—to officially become a family. But when it was the bride’s turn to speak, Valentina Petrovna sighed loudly.
Not just sighed, but loud enough for everyone to hear. And shook her head as if doubting what was happening. Lisa faltered for a second but continued the vow. Maxim pretended not to notice.
After the ceremony, the guests went to the restaurant. Valentina Petrovna commented on the car decorations all the way.
“My niece’s flowers were prettier. And the ribbons wider.”
At the restaurant, the banquet began. Lisa hoped that her mother-in-law would behave more restrainedly at the table. But Valentina Petrovna clearly believed that a wedding was the perfect place to voice opinions.
“The salad is oversalted,” the mother-in-law announced after tasting the appetizer. “And what kind of sauce is this? Too spicy. Who came up with this?”
Guests nearby exchanged glances. Lisa felt her face flush. Maxim smiled, pretending his mother was just expressing her opinion about the food. Although everyone else heard the criticism clearly.
“Valentina Petrovna, would you like to try the fish?” Lisa offered, hoping to distract her mother-in-law.
“The fish isn’t bad. But the garnish is raw. The cook must be young and inexperienced.”
The toastmaster tried to entertain the guests with games and toasts. Valentina Petrovna participated actively, but each game was accompanied by comments about how such entertainment was done at weddings in their family. Naturally, better.
“Our toastmaster was a real actor,” the mother-in-law told the guest at her table. “Not like now. Young people don’t know how to organize celebrations.”
Lisa clenched a napkin in her hand, trying to keep smiling. Maxim leaned over to his wife from time to time and whispered:
“Hold on a bit more. It’ll be over soon.”
But it seemed Valentina Petrovna was just getting started. After the main courses, the toastmaster invited guests to give wishes to the newlyweds. Several friends gave warm speeches. Lisa’s parents wished happiness and mutual understanding. And then Valentina Petrovna stood up.
“May I have a word?” she addressed the toastmaster. “On behalf of the groom’s family.”
“Of course!” the host rejoiced. “The floor is given to the groom’s mother!”
Valentina Petrovna stood, took a glass, and scanned the hushed guests. Lisa felt her heart beat faster. Something in the mother-in-law’s expression suggested the speech would not be ordinary.
“Dear guests,” Valentina Petrovna began solemnly. “Today is a special day. My son Maxim has found a life partner.”
So far, so good. Lisa relaxed a little.
“Maxim is my golden boy. Smart, hardworking, caring. That’s the son I raised.”
Guests nodded in agreement. Maxim smiled modestly.
“And now he has a wife. Lisa.”
Valentina Petrovna turned to the bride, and something unkind flashed in her eyes.
“I hope Lisa will learn to cook with age. She can’t just sit in the office all the time. Family requires care, not a career.”
The hall froze. Lisa felt her cheeks flush. Valentina Petrovna continued, oblivious to the silence:
“A man needs a homemaker, not an office worker. To cook soup, clean the house, have children—that’s true female happiness. And these modern girls only think about work.”
Several guests exchanged confused glances. Someone nervously chuckled, unsure whether it was a joke or the mother-in-law was serious. Valentina Petrovna, encouraged by the reaction, went on.
“Of course, Lisa is still young and silly. But I will teach her right from wrong. Show her how a real wife should behave. The husband is the head of the family, the wife is his helper.”
Lisa’s friends sat with stone faces. The bride’s parents lowered their eyes to their plates. Maxim looked down at the table, clearly hoping his mother would stop herself. But Valentina Petrovna was in her element.
“I had university friends like that—all careerists. And where are they now? Lonely old maids. And I raised a wonderful son, created a strong family. Because I knew the priorities.”
Lisa slowly got up from the chair. The bride’s movements were calm, almost too calm. Valentina Petrovna, absorbed in her speech, didn’t notice what was happening in the hall.
“So I wish the young couple understanding. Maxim, be stricter with your wife. And you, Lisa, obey your husband and mother-in-law. Then the family will be strong.”
Lisa walked over to the table with the cake. The three-tiered beauty stood on a separate table, decorated with creamy roses and bride and groom figurines. The bride carefully removed the top tier with the decorative figures and took it in her hands.
The guests watched Lisa’s every move but didn’t yet understand what was happening. Valentina Petrovna finished the toast and raised her glass:
“To the newlyweds! To family traditions!”
At that moment, Lisa approached her mother-in-law and silently smashed the creamy top tier of the cake right into Valentina Petrovna’s face. White cream with roses smeared across the mother-in-law’s cheeks, nose, and forehead. Pieces of sponge stuck in her hair.
Valentina Petrovna screamed in surprise and recoiled so sharply that she fell back into her chair. Maxim turned pale and froze with his mouth open. The hall fell into complete silence for several seconds.
The first to clap was a young guy from Lisa’s friends. Then several others joined. Then the applause spread among the guests, exploding into an ovation mixed with whistles and cheers of approval.
“Bravo!” shouted someone from the table.
“About time!” added another voice.
Valentina Petrovna sat in shock, wiping cream from her face with a napkin. Cream had even gotten into her ears and on the collar of her dress. The bride and groom figurines lay on the floor next to her chair.
“Lisa! What are you doing?!” Maxim finally managed to say.
Lisa calmly put the rest of the cake on the table and headed for the exit. The bride’s movements were measured, without fuss or hysteria. The wedding dress rustled on the parquet floor, the veil fluttered behind her. Lisa reached the hall’s door, turned, and looked at the guests.
“Sorry for the disturbance. Please continue the celebration.”
The bride left the restaurant and stepped outside. The fresh evening air pleasantly cooled her heated face. Lisa sat down on a bench near the restaurant entrance and took a deep breath. Inside, she felt a strange relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
A few minutes later, Maxim ran out of the restaurant. The groom’s face showed a mixture of confusion, anger, and disbelief.
“Lisa! Are you crazy? How could you do that to my mother?”
Lisa looked at her husband calmly.
“If you wouldn’t stop your mother—I will defend myself.”
“But she’s my mother! You shouldn’t do that! In front of everyone! At our wedding!”
“Maxim, your mother humiliated me in front of the guests for half an hour. She said I was stupid, incompetent, that a career is bad. And you stayed silent.”
“But Mom didn’t mean to hurt you! She was just sharing her opinion!”
“Sharing her opinion?” Lisa stood up from the bench. “Maxim, your mother called me a silly girl who needs to be taught right and wrong. In front of all our friends and relatives. And you think that’s okay?”
“Well… maybe she didn’t express herself very well…”
“Not very well? Maxim, we plan to live together. If you can’t protect your wife from insults by your own mother, what kind of husband are you?”
Maxim was speechless and confused. Sounds and conversations of the guests came from the restaurant. The celebration continued—but without the newlyweds.
“Lisa, come back. Apologize to your mother, and everything will be fine.”
“Apologize? For what exactly?”
“Well… for the cake. It didn’t look good.”
“And who should your mother apologize to? For humiliating me at our wedding?”
Maxim was silent again. The answer was obvious—Valentina Petrovna was not going to apologize. And her son was not going to defend his wife from his mother’s attacks.
“I see,” Lisa said quietly. “Then I’m going home.”
“How home? We have a wedding! The guests are waiting! And the wedding night!”
“What wedding night, Maxim? After what happened today?”
Lisa called a taxi through an app on her phone. The car arrived quickly. Maxim stood nearby, not knowing what to say. The bride got into the car and left, leaving the groom alone near the restaurant.
At home, Lisa carefully took off her wedding dress, hung it in the closet, and changed into home clothes. She turned on the kettle, brewed herbal tea, and sat at the computer. Online she found information on how to annul a marriage in the first days after registration.
It turned out the procedure was quite simple. Lisa printed out a sample application and carefully filled in all the fields.
Maxim called several times, but Lisa did not answer. Then messages arrived:
“Lisa, what are you doing? Mom is shocked. The guests are asking where the bride is.”
“Mom says she’s ready to forgive you. Just apologize nicely.”
“Lisa, answer! We got married today!”
Lisa read the messages and turned off her phone. Tomorrow morning she would go to the registry office to file for annulment. And she would sell the wedding dress online—maybe she’d find a girl luckier with the groom’s family.
Outside, an ordinary evening of an ordinary day began. No one suspected that somewhere in the restaurant the wedding continued without the bride, while the culprit of the celebration calmly drank tea at home, planning a new life without her mama’s boy husband and his uncontrollable mother.