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Rachel
Just Said Yes July 2022

Super Woman mil

Rachel, on May 28, 2022 at 7:43 AM Posted in Family and Relationships 0 6
My FMIL is wonderful. I really adore her. Through wedding planning I have become frustrated bc of a few instances and honestly there aren’t any solutions I just need to get things off my chest.
Incident one, she offered to pay for the rehearsal dinner. Great! She then proceeded to invite her whole extended family because they’re close so “they’re immediate”. This is about 40 people total not including my family or bridal party. I also felt that my family should be invited in this situation bc we’re close as well but that would raise it to 100 people rehearsal dinner for a 150 person wedding. (Everyone is also in town) I told my fiancé I’d rather just pay for the rehearsal dinner myself if it came with this caveat. He talked to her and now the solution is that the rehearsal dinner will be for people who rehearsed and she will reserve for tables in the same restaurant (small and very open) for her family.
Incident two, she wants us to take formal pictures with her whole family because “after the wedding that’s all we’ll have”. Again mind you this is a large family. Formal portraits would take a minimum of an hour and that would just be her family getting the special treatment and leaving mine out. My photographer is aware of this situation and will be assigning her second shooter to my MIL during the reception so everyone can get a picture, just probably not with us. Not sure whether this will be an issue when made known.Lastly, we asked my MIL to be our day of contact. She really is superwoman and I trust her to be on top of things and have decent style if she needs to go arrange things. She was all for this and very excited. A few weeks before the wedding her mother told her she needs to get her hair done. So my MIL has been running around to find a hairdresser and found one grandma likes over an hour away from the venue. They won’t be back at the venue until 1:00pm which is all during prime contact time. I expressed to my fiancé that we’ll have to ask someone else to be day of contact and that I really wish she would let grandma figure her own situation out. He responded that “it’s her mom she needs to help her”.I just feel that the overall family’s wants have overshadowed my fiancés and I wants for the planning of the wedding. While I know this day isn’t as important to everyone else as it is to us I was just hoping we would be a little more important to my MIL on this one day. I feel like I’m so tired of trying to get my voice heard and feeling like I’m crazy. I’ve basically given up putting my opinions in on my own wedding day. I feel pretty defeated.

6 Comments

Latest activity by Paige, on May 31, 2022 at 4:36 PM
  • Hanna
    VIP June 2019
    Hanna ·
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    Sorry for the predicament you're in. My advice would be to hire a day of coordinator to be the day of contact so that you don't have to rely on your MIL. Being the point of contact is actually an arduous job, and this would also give your MIL the chance to enjoy your wedding as a guest like everyone else.

    I would push back on the rehearsal dinner situation though. Your MIL's solution is super awkward and not fair to both those relatives (who will feel basically sidelined and not part of the main event) and to your side of the family who wouldn't be included at all. I would definitely push back on this and find a different solution.

    For the photographs, can you have your photographer quickly snap a family photo during cocktail hour? We did this and it took maybe 10 minutes total (9 minutes for our coordinator to wrangle up all the people, 1 minute for the photographer to get the shot).

    Those would be my suggestions!

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  • M
    VIP August 2021
    Michelle ·
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    At my sister's wedding 20 years ago, we had 1 photographer take individual family photos. We didn't bother with a full shot of over 20 people with tiny faces. At holidays, my mom gifted 8x10s, placed in a frame. We had the negatives.

    As for the rehearsal dinner, let your FMIL have a family lunch earlier in the day, but tell her you're too busy to be there (prob will be anyway). This evening setup in the same restaurant is awkward and looks inconsiderate.

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  • Shannon
    Super July 2022
    Shannon ·
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    You need to take control of your wedding. Have a serious talk with her. Your MIL is making this about her and it’s not. She’s had her time to shine and this is yours. I would not let her pay for the rehearsal dinner and keep it to those who are in the wedding. She is making it into a mini wedding for her family.
    She does not get to call the shots for your wedding. Don’t feel defeated and be assertive.
    You can do this!

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  • Cathy
    Dedicated September 2022
    Cathy ·
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    Your future MIL is overly invested in the rehearsal dinner…boy do I know that feeling as my rehearsal was a mini wedding. My MIL did invite anyone who was in town for the wedding and it turned out to be a lot of fun! I would not let her have tables elsewhere for her family members. You all need a big discussion about this. I feel that your MIL’s obligation to her own mother on the day of the wedding is awesome! You need to have a day of coordinator and not rely on MIL for this job! It sounds like your MIL is invested in you & your FH. Try not to analyze everything she does & just love her & understand that she is doing the best she can.
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  • W
    VIP September 2020
    Willow ·
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    Keep your MiL out of any wedding planning or payments. She clearly has ideas of her own.


    Hire a day of coordinator to be a point person. This is a paid job for a reason. If your MiL is going to be taking care of her mother's hair and will be arriving late, she won't make a good point person anyway.
    As for the rehearsal, scrap her idea of reserving tables for her family. It's going to be very awkward when guests are invited to dine at a specific restaurant with seats reserved for them, only to find out that they'll be picking up their own tab
    My friend had a 200 person wedding. Mostly family. The photographer took a group photo with bride's dad's side, bride's mom's side, and same for the groom. It took 10 minutes. Anyone who wanted individual photos with the bride and groom got them on their own during the reception.
    Your MiL's free labor and money comes with strings. Decline it altogether.
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  • Paige
    VIP October 2022
    Paige ·
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    Could another family member help grandma with her hair? If there's so many people in the family that are close, there should be someone else who could handle that, especially if your FMIL already agreed to be your point person.

    I agree with others that your FMIL really shouldn't have the extra tables at your rehearsal dinner. The additional family members will either feel awkward and upset that they're "secondary" or they'll end up joining in on the rehearsal dinner. FMIL also needs to be reigned in on the whole photography thing. You're the one paying for pictures and your photographer's time, not her. If she wants family portraits done, she can pay for a different photographer to come take those. I'd maybe concede a single portrait of everyone, but I wouldn't let her chew up an hour that could otherwise be used for shots you actually want.

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