I was supposed to be getting married in my old school auditorium, then I was at my dad's funeral

[u/IveGotIssues9918]

I had this dream earlier this morning (8/2/26) and it's still bothering me.

Potentially relevant real-life context: I (26F) graduated college in May (gap years); this is my last week living near campus before my lease ends and I go home. When I came back to college 3 years ago I joined a co-ed service frat, where I met my now-closest friends. My dynamic with my best friend started to blur lines between romantic and platonic in our last semester, even though I'd sworn I'd never let it go there because he was so much younger (now 22); also, I've been seeing engagement announcements on Instagram of my elementary school bullies and that's upset me more than I care to admit. My dad (67) just got cataracts surgery and now has a busted hip, and it's been really scary watching him start to decline.

In the dream, I was in a large auditorium, which I'm now pretty sure was supposed to be my middle school auditorium. Some of my "brothers" from the service frat were there. The auditorium was somehow simultaneously a chapel, and I was getting ready for my wedding (can't remember who I was marrying or whether the dream itself ever made it clear, but it could have been my best friend but my brain doesn't want me to remember that part- he was definitely there, though). I had on my wedding dress, which was a big, princessy ballgown with a lot of rhinestones. I had to keep going outside to take calls, because some critical vendors either hadn't showed up or had messed up my order, and I was really stressed about it. At some point, I sat on the floor for some reason and somehow wound up getting dragged across it by the seat of my gown, and naturally I was worried that it was dirty and ruined so I tried looking in some reflective glass and asked this girl from the frat (didn't know her well so seems like my brain chose her at random) to check the back of it, and she said it was fine. Then I realized I was wearing my glasses and hadn't brought any contacts, and that my hair wasn't done (it looked like it does in real life right now, with 6 week old crochet braids that need to be redone), and was trying to act like it wasn't a big deal but was secretly really upset that I wouldn't look my best in the wedding photos.

I went back into the auditorium, and now there was some sort of video screening going on, which I think was of this year's (actual) senior sendoff video. Naturally, I was concerned and frustrated that everyone had seemingly forgotten they were there for my wedding. I sat down next to some of my friends and then noticed that I wasn't wearing my wedding gown anymore, but a purple V-neck lace gown with an A-line skirt- remember thinking how small the skirt was compared to that of the wedding gown and being sad. (In hindsight, it looked like a combination of the gown I wore to senior gala (which my friend escorted me to) and a lace top that I own (which I happened to be wearing the last time we hung out before graduation- I remember because the pic of me he took that day is now my profile pic).)

I left the auditorium, and as soon as I did, the purple lace dress I was wearing turned into a black long-sleeve tea-length dress and I was at a memorial service for my father. My eyes instantly filled with tears, but then I saw my dad walking by his own funeral. I was obviously confused, but then he said something like "you have to let me go now", and I realized it was his spirit. I started holding onto him and crying please don't go, I was only 26 and he was only 67, it was too soon, he was all that I had. It then occured to me that I might have stepped through a time portal of sorts (even though we both still looked like our current ages). I was trying to look at the memorial plaque to read the death year, but neither the birth years nor the death years were actual years, just collections of four random characters (each containing one number, but the number in the birth year column was 2 which is not in his actual birth year). I then started to gain lucidity and told my dad's ghost, "wait, this is a dream, you're still alive", and he thought I was in denial and said "you have to let me go" and I said "no I don't, I'm dreaming, you're still alive and I'm waking up." Then I did wake up, typed out as much of the dream as I could remember, started crying trying to write down the funeral scene, then called my dad and spoke to him for an hour because I needed to know he was okay. This was definitely a rough one 😢

[u/EcstaticSediment]

brain taking a blender to all the big life stuff you've got going on right now. the wedding anxiety, the mixed feelings about your friend, the fear around your dad's health... it's all there, just dressed up in rhinestones and grief

the bit where you realize it's a dream and tell your dad's ghost you don't have to let go because he's still alive is genuinely beautiful. like your subconscious gave you a chance to say the thing most people never get to say in those nightmares