You clearly wrote she is relentless, but you keep posting and feeding this troll? OP is not the future MIL! She is a bridezilla. |
What's the harm in asking? This is her son, after all. After you apologize, you ask if you can invite 2 additional couples, on your expense. Make clear that you understand if the answer is not and you will be fine with it. Then be fine with it. There is no harm in asking. There is harm in doing without asking first. |
X 10000. I posted above something similar. I cannot stand the level of piling on here. She made a mistake. She is excited. And it is a family event. She can absolutely ask her son about 2 additional couples. Some of you need to chill out. You are way over the top in your comments and criticism. Ugly people all around. |
Hate to burst your bubble but, I am not a MIL either, toots. It was you calling other women HAGS that I felt were unnecessary. You could have supported op's side without the childish name calling. |
That's specific to "bridal showers," which are about setting the bride up for a new household with gifts. Like a "baby shower," the purpose of the gathering is to present gifts. I can't tell if you don't know that you can have parties that are not "showers," or if you were confused. |
I meant you're part of the club that uses the insulting term, MIL from hell. I stand by my uptight hags comment because it's evident here, and in most forums. OP is very apologetic and concerned, not typically the traits of a hellish MIL. These are your words, Maybe you are like op and a mother in law from hell? Don't be a hypocrite, toots. |
I think the problem with asking is that it looks really lacking in self awareness, because at the dollars and cents moment what she’s saying is “Son, your in laws are paying for a $50,000 party to celebrate your marriage. If I chip in $500 can I dictate the guest list?” That’s a really unattractive position to start off with, both in how your daughter in law views your attitude about what you’re entitled to, and how your sons future in laws are going to view his family if he does try to fight this corner. You could offer to pay half and then realistically expect more guest list access but just chipping in for your “extra people” while someone else is buying dinner for you and your husband and your other children is really off. |
You're sounding a bit over the top. It is ASKING, not dictating. AND offering to pay. It's only as you put it if that is how you would perceive it. I would not. I would also have no problem saying no, if I wanted to do so. It's a wedding. Weddings require some give-and-take unless anyone involved is a nightmare. People have different priorities, requests, traditions, etc. Yes, the couple or the paying party can be authoritarian in the entire affair. But, MOST people are not like this and are willing to give a little. OP would like two couples -TWO, not twenty, not half the attendees- and has offered to pay for them. That is a reasonable concession, imo. But, if the couple says no, fine. She should live with that. But, damn, some of you are rigid af. You must be a delight at family affairs if asking to 2 additional couple invites gets you so rankled. |
| OP-- What you have done is not as big a deal as the weirdos on this board are making it out to be. There is no harm in asking if you can pay for additional guests. As a parent, you should have some say in the matter of your own child's wedding. In fact, maybe offer to pay for half of the wedding so that you can have more of a say in the wedding. I question a kid's values who won't let their parents invite close friends to a child's wedding. That is F'd up. |
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This exact scenario happened to us at our wedding. In-laws told a lot of their friends to save the date whom we were not planning on including. I think the plans others have suggested are exactly right. Apologize for overstepping and tell all 7 couples that you acted in haste and you don't know their plans yet.
The one point I would make is not to offer to pay and ask them to be included. It changes the makeup of their party to increase your friends as opposed to theirs. That was the point for us, if we had limited attendance from our friends, it should not evolve into a gathering focused on them and their friends. |
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You don't think someone can pressure pretty hard by "just asking?"
DP |
| They also might have said 5 couples so that they could just have one table at their wedding of your friends. |
Well, at the moment in my home state weddings can’t exceed 50 people if they’re held indoors. So 4 people is like 10% of the guest list. Don’t you think the bride and groom, or the parents of the bride, might also have liked 4 additional people? OP says her whole family is invited so this “just asking” is about having 14 rather than ten of her closest friends as well. To me, that’s the over the top request. |
+1 Well said, PP. |
NO!! It may not even be about money. They don’t want a wedding with tons of YOUR friends! |