After a wedding guest with strict dietary needs brought her own meal to a friend's reception, the groom's mother labeled it "disrespectful," igniting a viral etiquette debate.

The woman, who said she is 36 years old, wrote in a viral Reddit post that she cannot eat gluten or dairy products and that even trace amounts from cross-contamination can make her "very sick." 

Although she noted her restrictions on the RSVP card, the bride, who is a college friend of the original poster, said the venue could not safely accommodate her and suggested she "make do with salad and fruit."

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Instead, the guest packed a small container of grilled chicken and rice and stepped outside for a few minutes during the reception to eat it.

But the groom's mother spotted her and then allegedly told other guests the woman was "disrespecting the caterer" and making the couple "look cheap." 

"She confronted me and said I was 'embarrassing the family' and that I should've just eaten beforehand if I had an issue," the woman added. "I explained that I wanted to be there for the full event and didn't want to faint or get sick." 

The mother of the groom rolled her eyes and said the woman was "selfish" and that the wedding was "about the couple, not about [her] diet."

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Some of the woman's friends agreed.

Online, however, support poured in for the guest. Thousands of Reddit commenters applauded her for not disrupting the wedding.

"You took care of your own needs," one Reddit user commented. "That's it. Is it somehow respectful to eat food that would physically harm you?"

"No one would have known if the groom's mother hadn't made a big deal about it," someone else noted.

Someone else agreed, "You have NOTHING to be ashamed of."

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Others called out the couple and their caterer for not being able to accommodate the woman.

"Don't hire a caterer that can't cater," someone wrote.

Jean Neuhart, an Ohio wedding expert and author with over 25 years of experience in the industry, agreed.

"In 2025, dietary restrictions are not rare," Neuhart told Fox News Digital. "It has become more standard to provide a few safe options."

If a caterer truly cannot accommodate someone's needs, it's absolutely acceptable for that person to bring his or her own food, Neuhart said. 

"Maybe next time let the host know you're going to bring your own food."

"What's not acceptable is expecting a guest to go hungry," Neuhart added. "A wedding reception is, after all, a dinner party – and you would never invite someone to dinner and then tell them they can't eat."

In an update to her original post, the woman said the responses reassured her that she was not in the wrong.

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Some commenters, however, thought she crossed a line or should have asked for the bride's permission to bring food.

"Maybe next time let the host know you're going to bring your own food," one person said. "Your friend could have made arrangements for you to get a plate to put your food on."

Another added, "As someone with severe food allergies … I'd NEVER bring my own food into a wedding venue."

"Discretely scarfing down chicken in the parking lot is probably not the best way to do it," another person said.

California etiquette expert Lisa Mirza Grotts said the move is only acceptable if someone has a severe, documented medical issue that could send the person to the emergency room. 

Otherwise, "you don't waltz into a wedding with a Tupperware of chicken and rice," Grotts told Fox News Digital.

"A wedding is a hosted event, and the guest's job is to eat what's offered – or politely pick around it – without making their plate the headline," she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the original poster for comment.