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Meena
Just Said Yes August 2023

Overbearing Mil or I'm overthinking

Meena, on July 19, 2023 at 9:06 PM Posted in Family and Relationships 0 3
I don't know if it's just me not liking other people telling me what to do and I often feel like I wish I was accepting and positive rather getting offended, or my MiL is genuinely out of line.


My relationship with her has started since I got engaged. She was a sweet person before then but I felt her becoming overbearing since getting engaged. She would constantly tell me what I need to do for the wedding, then saying I'm tired I'm not gonna do anything. She's constantly asking if I did the invitations, did I find a dress, did I book the vendors etc etc. I've been calm mostly cause I wasn't stressed about time. She helped me find my reception dress (context this is an Indian wedding), and it was just trying to find my Sangeet dress (this is one of our big pre-wedding event that contains lots of dancing etc). She first told me she wanted me to wear a particular style of dress (a Sharara which is like a long top with flowy pants) whereas my mum wanted me to wear a sari (too hard to explain just google). I was going to dance, so I was not entirely sure about the Sari but I definitely didn't want to wear a Sharara. It didn't feel bridal, but I tried compromising saying I'm open to the idea to look at some. All I said I want a particular colour for the dress.
Then suddenly, I wake up one day see she's not home. I ask my FFIL where she went and she said she went with my mom to buy my Sangeet dress. I was shocked because they went without me. I called my mom immediately, told her off for going without me, and my mum said it was cause my MiL said I was busy. She never mentioned to me that she was gonna go. They tried hard to find a dress with my conditions of the colour and send photos to me, but at the end couldn't find anything (note they were only looking for shararas, not lehengas or saris). Later I heard from my mom that my MiL told her I didn't want to wear a sari and that I wanted to wear a Sharara. I cleared it to my mom that is absolutely not true and that I actually don't like how shararas look on me.
Fast forward to a month or so later, we started looking online. I found a lehnga online that suited my taste perfectly. I showed her and I could tell she didn't like it as she made a face but kept quiet. So I didn't buy it. Later on we kept looking, and since we couldn't find anything, my MiL and my dad all told me that I should just buy the dress and see what it's like. So I bought it, even bought a back up dress, and even bought my partner's matching outfit for it. It arrived, I showed her and she told me she didn't like it saying it's not gorgeous. She wanted me to be adorned in a heavily beaded outfit. I said I was going to dance, so I can't wear a heavy dress otherwise I'll fall. She said if I really wanted the dress, then I can but she said she didn't feel this was suitable for a bride.
I again compromised so told her to look for one then. I told her to forget about the colour options I wanted and just find a dress that would be suitable for me to dance in. So she gets one custom made. It was a Sharara of course. My mom told me to just keep quiet and let her get whatever she wants me (because indian culture). So I just lied and said I liked the design she picked. Bare in mind she didn't show me the design or dress she was going to get until weeks after she ordered it and when I asked her about it.
The dress arrived two weeks before the wedding. It was wretched! It was a nice outfit but it didn't look anything like a bridal outfit. It looked suitable for a casual party.
My parents saw it and got livid. They were like it looked nothing bridal and they refused to let me wear it. My MiL then goes and buys another dress without any of us knowing about it. Literally two days before the event, still haven't arrived. She still however didn't want me to wear the dress I liked. But because no back ups arrived, and the other dress I got looked less suitable, I decided to go with the original dress I got. She still hates it and refuses to even tell me on the day that I looked nice.
Another example was that I wanted some dancing at our reception. My MiL was absolutely against it and would take every moment she has to try convince me not to do it. She even told her daughter not to practice the dance because she didn't want any dancing. When I wasn't moving, even my partner wasn't moving, she went behind my back and tried to convince my mom to be against it. My mom at the end disagreed saying the wedding wouldn't be fun since all it'd be is speeches. So then she just went quiet. Still tells her daughter not to dance.
I also noticed her blaming me for not getting good jewellery for my outfit because I "took" too long to find a dress to her friends in front of me. I told her not to get that jewellery cause I wanted to wear my mother's Jewellery but she went ahead and bought it anyways. But because it was soooo expensive, and culture, I feel compelled to wear it.
She even lectures me every day to call her daughter every day to check in on her. Even for the dancing I was doing for me and my partner, she was telling me how to practice and what I need to do despite the fact I've danced at wedding events and organised dances since I was 9. She keeps trying to do things and I find out she's doing a lot of things without notifying us. Like sending out invites to their back up people if one person says no even though our guest list is already over the limit.
She claimed my dad told her we were only going to invite 40% of the capacity and they can invite 60% which my dad entirely denied.
They even asked two people to be our MCs without even asking us.
I'm literally losing my mind. Like I was handling this wedding planning fine until she started dictating everything. I don't know what to do.

Sorry for the massive rant.

3 Comments

Latest activity by Kimberly, on July 20, 2023 at 9:51 AM
  • Meena
    Just Said Yes August 2023
    Meena ·
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    I forgot to add that when I bought my Sangeet dress. She said I never showed her the dress and bought it without showing her which I told her was not true. She was the one who said to buy it. My partner backed me up saying that I did show her.
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  • LM
    Super December 2022
    LM ·
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    I'm going to admit I only read half of your post and stopped when she made a custom dress according to YOUR fake parameters. You should have told her she was out of line for shopping with your mother without you. But, you didn't. You kept lying to her, she kept lying about you. So I believe you're really mad at yourself for not knowing how to assert your own boundaries. Find a way bcuz she's your MIL. Start by talking less of your wedding with her. Tell your partner they should stick up for you. Ultimately, wear what you want because it's your d@#$ body, but maybe wear one accessory she chose just to appease.
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  • K
    Super September 2023
    Kimberly ·
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    I’m not Indian, so I just want to first get out of the way that I understand there are cultural expectations here that I can’t fully understand. I have heard from my Indian friends venting to me over the years that deference to parents is very important. So I get that. But I do think there has to be some point where you assert yourself as an independent adult and set some boundaries. This is definitely true for clothing that you will be wearing, not her. But if you cave on this stuff, it will creep into other aspects of your life. If you plan to have children, are you and your spouse going to decide where they go to school, religion if any, whether they’re allowed to stay up later on the weekends? Or is your MIL going to make those decisions? Set the tone now for future decisions. And since this is his mom, he needs to take the lead on handling her. You and FH are setting up a new family unit and household now, and you both need to get started on these boundaries asap. She is definitely crossing many lines.
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