AITA for not being happy about my best friends elopement

My best friend Sara (26) and I (25) have been close since we were in diapers. We have grown up together and been there for each other through everything through out the years.

Sara and her now husband both come from very dysfunctional families, and unfortunately, a lot of that has carried into their relationship. When they drink, they often end up fighting screaming matches in front of everyone, that make the rest of us really uncomfortable and concerned. It doesn’t happen every time we go out, but it’s happened enough that our friend group has confronted her about it.

She’s told us she appreciates us looking out for her and knows we care. But she usually justifies the behavior by saying she grew up in dysfunction, so it feels “normal” to her, and she understands why her boyfriend acts the way he does. (To be clear this isn’t meant to bash him specifically. She displays just as many toxic behaviors, and the relationship is concerning on both sides.)

A couple of months ago, they had a miscarriage. Then this week, she told me they had eloped. I didn’t know anything about it until after it happened. When I asked her about it, she said they’d been wanting to do this since the miscarriage (not when she found out she was pregnant, but after the loss.)

I feel so sad for her because I truly love and care about her, and I want better for her. I know I can’t control what she does and I don’t want to, but I just wish so badly that she wanted better for herself. And honestly, if she hadn’t married this guy, I don’t think she would’ve taken the time to heal or grow; she probably would’ve just found herself in another toxic relationship instead of working on herself.

I’m really struggling internally right now because I want to be happy for her, but it’s hard. I feel like if I’m not supportive, it might affect our friendship and I don’t want to lose her. But at the same time, it feels like she didn’t tell me ahead of time because she knew I wouldn’t be excited about her marrying him.

I’m trying not to let this get in the way of our friendship, but it’s genuinely hard to fake happiness when what I really feel is sadness and worry.

I am supposed to fly into see her at the end of the month and I’m not sure what to do or how to act, I don’t want to be fake but I also don’t want to show my true feelings because it’s not like there’s anything I can say now that will change anything.

Posted Jul 8, 2025, 4:44 PM UTC

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