My groom and I are paying for our own wedding and had planned to split the guest list between our two families. But my future mother-in-law wants to invite more people than we’d planned to allot her. What should I do?
This is a very common problem, so don't stress. I always say the most important things to figure out early on are your budget, your guest list, and your venue (they're all connected), and if you're hosting the wedding financially, you will generally have the final say over each. That said, it's not the smartest move to dictatorially tell your mother-in-law that she can't have her guests at the wedding. First, make sure your groom supports your decision; he may be the one breaking the final word to his mom. After that, the only thing to do is talk it out with your mother-in-law. Try your best to come up with a compromise: You can opt to invite only first cousins or aunts and uncles, or your groom's family could pay the additional costs of hosting the extra people they'd like to attend. If you're adamant about not inviting more people because it will spoil the balance of the guest list, be as sympathetic to your mother-in-law's feelings as possible. The nicer you are, the easier it will be for her to accept your wishes.
My son is getting married in WY and most of our relatives and family friends live in KS (including my husband and me) -- my question is do we send invitations to people we know won't be able to attend the wedding, or is this viewed as simply a request for a present?
Posted by: Mickie | June 11, 2008 at 09:37 AM