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Julia
Just Said Yes April 2022

Fiancé wants me to change wedding date so he can go to his cousins graduation

Julia, on May 25, 2021 at 1:54 PM Posted in Family and Relationships 0 26
I can’t believe I’m writing this.


Background: fiancé and I got engaged Jan 9 of this year. From the start, I planned on having the wedding between May-August 2022 and had been very vocal about it with everyone we planned on inviting.
We officially decided on trying to secure a date in May ‘22 on May 8th of this year. We discussed the date with our parents, grandparents, and 20 person wedding party. Miraculously, everyone was available on May 7th 22. My grandparents are out of the country for all of June 2022 and my wedding party has commitments on a bunch of diff dates so I didn’t think it was possible. We signed our contract with the venue on May 16th.
Now over a week later, his sister (who I don’t get along with and have no relationship with) told him our wedding date was the same date as his cousins wedding. She is graduating from medical school. After panicking last night, I call this morning just to find out the university has no idea what day graduation will be on, but there is a chance it’ll be that Saturday.
My fiancé’s sister implied that if we don’t move it, other relatives won’t show up. Even though they could logistically go to the graduation ceremony and drive straight to our venue and still make it on time. Apparently that’s less reasonable than me changing my entire date.
Besides the venue, I have 2 DJs booked (long story), photographer, and videographer all booked. I also know for a fact that my venue doesn’t have anything available in May. June is basically out bc of my grandparents. April is rainy and tornado season and really not an ideal month for outdoor ceremonies where I live, and having an outdoor wedding was only 1 of 2 things I really cared about having for my wedding day.
Am I in the wrong to be entirely floored? The audacity. I just can’t believe it. If it was that important, why didn’t his cousin let us know her conflicts anywhere between Jan 9-May 16 BEFORE we signed contracts? Also, she’s not in the wedding party, so I already think it’s ridiculous to change the wedding date because of her. I understand why it sucks but I still don’t see why they can’t just drive back instead of causing me insane amounts of stress and making me spend at least 1-2 days moving my wedding day (IF, I can even move it. The contract states my deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable). I guess because more of them would have gone to the graduation if our wedding wasn’t the same day but they livestream the ceremony so I don’t see the big deal.

26 Comments

Latest activity by Julia, on January 17, 2022 at 1:57 PM
  • Sarah
    Master September 2019
    Sarah ·
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    I don’t necessarily think you need to change your date, but I do think it’s possibly unreasonable to think people will just drive hours to make it to two events depending on how far apart they are. It also sounds like the sister is making this a thing, not the cousin, so maybe the cousin didn’t tell you because she didn’t care. I would sit down and have a serious talk about your FH’s concerns and about all that will go into changing things if you even can.
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  • I
    Expert August 2021
    Ingrid ·
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    I wouldn't worry too much. Yes medical school graduation is important but sounds like you are accommodating and plan to have your ceremony after the graduation ceremony. Sounds like a fun day for all. . .go to the med school ceremony and then your wedding ceremony and reception! More reasons to have an amazing reception, marriage and med school accomplishment.


    And not to sound bad but how many people from the family will be going to the graduation ceremony. Mostly just immediate family goes to graduation ceremonies, but I could be totally wrong.. .
    Don't stress it will work out and if not it was the choice of the guest to pick the graduation over your wedding
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  • L
    Lady ·
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    What does your fiance say? He's half of this wedding so if the date no longer works for him i think you need to figure out something else. I understand being annoyed, but the 2 of you need to decide - what his sister/cousin/family think isn't the important thing.

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  • T
    Super April 2021
    Tiger Bride ·
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    My first thought was I would be surprised if that many people would attend his cousin's graduation. I don't even think most schools would offer enough tickets for aunts, uncles, cousins to attend...my DH has like 30+ people on each side of his family. I can't imagine each graduate would be given that many tickets, and if I had 30 tickets, I'd invite some friends before random cousins.

    Besides that, if she doesn't even know when the graduation is yet, I don't think you can really plan around that.

    It sounds like his sister is trying to stir the pot...

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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    This is a tough situation, and something that has to be decided between you and your fiancé. Is he dead set on moving it?
    I personally don’t see an issue with people attending both events. I also don’t see that many people actually wanting to attend his cousins graduation. Obviously her parents and siblings will, but why would anyone else want to sit through a multi-hour graduation? But that’s just my opinion.
    If fiancé wants to the date, and you can, that is probably best. But don’t stress over it. If it can’t be changed, then that’s that.
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  • M
    Expert September 2021
    Marianne ·
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    Med school is a big accomplishment, but I can't imagine anyone other than that cousin's siblings, parents, and maybe grandparents attending it. FH also had no idea how expensive weddings are and how contracts work (like the non-refundable/non-transferrable deposit aspect, and especially the "many vendors book up over a year in advance, not to mention the wedding backlog after a pandemic bookings" aspect). I'd try explaining to him how difficult it'll be to try and move it to accommodate a handful of people who aren't even part of your top VIPs.

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  • Julia
    Just Said Yes April 2022
    Julia ·
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    So true. And I’m from New England and just learned southern graduations are huge reunions and basically as important as weddings. I had no idea lol. My HS graduation I was only allowed 3 guests and my siblings and I didn’t go to each other’s college graduations bc we didn’t have the money. So this is all very foreign to me but now that I know, I actually have decided to change the date.
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  • Julia
    Just Said Yes April 2022
    Julia ·
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    So true. I’m struggling with vendors now. April and May are out. The venue will let me change the date. Hate to get married in a different season then I initially planned (summer vs spring, in bloom), but hoping the time flies by.


    I’m not sure where you live but I just talked to my therapist and she said PhD and MD graduations celebration weekends are arguably more important to southerners than weddings. That’s just not a thing where I grew up lol (Boston) so I genuinely had no idea.
    Long story short, I am changing the date. Not super happy about it bc of the work and hours it’ll take but I have a lot more motivation to do it now that I know how they view graduations here.
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  • Julia
    Just Said Yes April 2022
    Julia ·
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    I thought the same exact thing but I talked to some southerners and apparently graduations are a huge deal. Like 20 relatives went to their bachelors graduations haha so having the first MD in the family will probably be like 50. Doesn’t make sense to me either, just a tradition I don’t share and never knew about haha.
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  • L
    Lady ·
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    I'm glad you were able to look at it objectively!! I know it sucks to rearrange things you've planned but hopefully everyone will be able to celebrate both things fully and you can get everything you want on a different day!

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  • Julia
    Just Said Yes April 2022
    Julia ·
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    It totally does suck and things are already not working haha but I’m hoping there is ONE weekend between April-August that works. Unfortunately we can’t do the fall or winter bc then it’s football season and in the south, that’s arguably more important than weddings or graduations! Haha. I think if no other date can work between the wedding party and the venue, that would be the point where we have to just stick with our date. Hopefully we can work it out though!!
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  • CountryBride
    VIP April 2022
    CountryBride ·
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    If your fiancé wants to move it then I would because it’s your fiancé’s wedding too . And I think with the way gas prices are people wouldn’t want to travel to both places. But you have every right to be angry talk to your fiancé and go from there
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  • Julia
    Just Said Yes April 2022
    Julia ·
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    You’re not wrong regarding his sister. Historically, it’s hard to tell as well. Before the pandemic they were traditionally held on Saturday though. Which I find odd but whatever. The school could only tell us it’s somewhere between May 5-8.


    I’m still going to try to change the date. See I graduated from a big southern school and it was held in the bball stadium so I could have honestly invited 100 ppl and they’d fit. There were tens of thousands of open seats still at my graduation. This school isn’t quite as big though. It’s kind of hard to say. But irregardless, she is absolutely trying to stir the pot. She loves doing that.
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  • M
    Expert September 2021
    Marianne ·
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    Oh man, I had no idea doctoral graduations were so important in the south! I'm from OH and live in MD but can't imagine ever being invited to a cousin's graduate school graduation.

    Best of luck finding a new date! FH and I were in the same boat back in January (postponed from April '21 to September '21) so I feel your pain. It'll all work out, though!

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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    Haha I’m a southerner and only my parents came to my graduation 🤣. 20 is excessive! I really hope y’all can work this out. Good luck!
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  • Rebelle Fleur
    Master July 2021
    Rebelle Fleur ·
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    I’ve lived and graduated in the south and I’ve never heard of or seen this tradition. I doubt dozens of family members will skip a wedding to attend a graduation ceremony and I doubt they can accommodate that many guests at a graduation. I believe his sister is blowing this way out of proportion. I wouldn’t change my wedding contracts to accommodate anyone’s graduation, especially if they aren’t a part of the wedding and not immediate family. I say go ahead as planned and have a serious talk with your FH about how unreasonable these changes are.
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  • C
    Super July 2020
    Cool ·
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    I wouldn’t change the date. This is setting the precedent for them allowing to push you over on things in the future. It’s a graduation, not a wedding. You already have vendors booked.
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  • Scandalousrandallous
    Devoted July 2023
    Scandalousrandallous ·
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    Nah. You did your due diligence, he did not. This is on him.

    If he wants to move it, he can do the leg work and rebook everything himself.

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  • Jai
    VIP May 2020
    Jai ·
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    Personally I wouldn't change the date at all. I'd keep it. Especially If you booked all your vendors and it would be so hard to change that!
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  • J
    Judith ·
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    Cousin has spent 8 years working to graduate from medical school, and that is set, unchangeable for hundreds of people. If FI and family want to go, yes I think you are far enough away to find another date.
    Wedding dates are not holy, more important than everything else.
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