A groom was forced to “fire” his best man after he stole the spotlight at his wedding by proposing to his girlfriend during his speech.

In a recent post on Reddit’s popular “Am I the A——?” forum, the 30-year-old groom recounted how his best man John — whom he described as his “closest friend since childhood” — ruined what “was supposed to be the happiest day” of his life. He wrote that he and his wife had a “beautiful” ceremony, followed by an “even better” reception. But things took an unfortunate turn when it was time for John to take to the microphone and deliver his best man speech.

“At first, it was full of the usual jokes and heartfelt stories, which everyone enjoyed. But then, out of nowhere, he turned to his girlfriend and started talking about their relationship,” the groom recalled of John’s speech. “Before I knew it, he was down on one knee, proposing to her right there in the middle of my reception!”

He explained that the unexpected moment shocked him and his wife — and their guests. “The room went silent. I could feel my wife’s hand squeezing mine tighter and tighter,” the groom wrote.

John’s girlfriend said yes, prompting applause from the crowd. However, the groom was left “fuming” and feeling completely upstaged by his friend.

“I felt like my special day had been hijacked. Instead of celebrating our marriage, everyone was now focused on John and his fiancée,” he wrote, explaining that he later confronted John and told him he’d been “out of line” to propose at his wedding.

“He said he thought it would be a great surprise and assumed I would be happy for him. I told him he was selfish and inconsiderate, and I ended up kicking him out of the reception,” the groom wrote.

After the pair’s confrontation, the groom received some feedback from his other friends that now has him wondering if he was “too harsh” with John. “Some of our mutual friends are saying I overreacted and that I should have let it slide for the sake of our friendship,” he explained, before asking his fellow Redditors to weigh in on the situation.

“AITA [am I the a——] for firing my best man and kicking him out of my wedding for proposing during my reception?” he asked.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The majority of commenters assured the groom he had every right to be upset by his friend’s actions. “NTA [not the a——]! Talk about stealing someone’s thunder!!! That was your special day, and he robbed it from you!!” one person wrote.

“It’s strange he would not ask you or even tell you he was thinking of proposing. Why would he think you would like that kind of ‘surprise’ at your own reception? Extremely selfish move,” another person chimed in.

Yet another person added: “I will never understand why people think a wedding is the right time to propose or announce some major life event like a pregnancy (unless it’s from the bride and groom). That’s a day to celebrate the people getting married, and that’s it!”

Still, several commenters advised the groom to take the high road and not destroy a lifelong friendship over the groom’s thoughtless misstep.

“I know John’s intent was not to hurt you. You have every right to be mad but now it’s your obligation to forgive. Not sweep things under the rug like nothing happened but to choose to forgive John and set what he did aside for the sake of the years you’ve been friends,” someone wrote. “I hope he apologizes to you and your new wife for his bad taste. But try to forgive him even if he doesn’t.”