AIBU not to go to SIL's Las Vegas wedding and go to Florida instead?

[notso]

DH and I have been saving to go to Florida with DC for two years, we were planning on going next year.

SIL has decided to get married in Las Vegas next year.
We have been invited however the itinerary is not child friendly. Our 4 DC could attend the ceremony and meal but the rest of the five day celebration is just for adults.
My parents have offred to look after DC so we could go however DD 13 is already very upset that she is missing the wedding and DH and I decided that we wouldn't want to go without her and upset her further.

It has now been suggested by PIL that if we can go to Florida then we can go to Las Vegas, and "people" will be greatly offended if we miss her wedding for a holiday.

DH doesn't want to upset his family, but we really want to have our holiday.

Notso great idea. You all go to Florida. They do an overnighter to Vegas and come back to you...

Your clealr not bothered about going. And the wedding day is the only important bit for him to be there...

No worse than going to a caribbean beach in terms of that though imo.
Mind, I did get married abroad too - on safari in Africa though - so infinitely less tacky ;)

YANBU. I can understand that your SIL has her reasons for getting married in Las Vegas. But she also has to understand that the location is not going to suit everyone and people who would have attended had it been at home might have to refuse if its in Las Vegas. Basically because she doesn't want to invite extended family or compete with her brother's wedding you have to cancel something you've been saving up for for ages and drag your kids off somewhere unsuitable or leave them at home and cancel Florida. That is just not reasonable of her.

Is your sister Liz Hurley? That's a lot of celebration. I think it's a big ask for all of you to but I would look at your husband going as a day/two day trip from Florida. But he ought to talk to your sister rather than you.

Speak to the SIL, please, before you make any decisions. It sounds like she's totally fine about you not going and it's only the PILs that are stressing. Please don't give up your plans without at least speaking to the bride...

I've not read the whole thread, but why not do a holiday in LA instead then drive up to Vegas for a couple of nights to do the child friendly part of the wedding?

We're going there next year, and there is plenty for kids to do around LA, pretty much everything you would find in Florida is there - beaches, parks, etc. and you can do the wedding too, jsut need a couple of nights in vegas. There are some really cheap deals around atm too for hotels.

You could also look at one way car hire and multi airport flights, so you don;t have quite so much driving to do. We are renting a car, starting in LA, going to vegas, and then finishing in San Francisco. One way car hire and multi airport flights are quite reasonable for the US. You could fly into vegas, then go on to LA for your holiday and fly home from there.

::Only read first page disclaimer so sorry if this has been brought up a million times::

What about a holiday in So Cal first and then drive to Vegas for the ceremony and see the lights/Grand Canyon etc?

Chops, I must have been channelling you!

Go to Vegas! And then tell SIL, you're only going to be able to go to the wedding itself. There is loads for kids to do in Vegas and can also highly recommend the Artsynannies company, who will send a babysitter to look after your kids so you can get out for a night. Ours was fantastic, the children wanted her to move back home with us!! Then, hire a car and head off to the West Coast or the Grand Canyon or Death Valley, etc etc.

But then, I don't really like Florida, so would infinitely prefer to organise a West Coast trip than hang around Orlando!

I actually would love to see SIL get married Rowanhart if DD hadn't been quite so upset I think we might have considered going, but she would be devastated if we went without her, and if we took DD we would have to take DS1 (other two DC are too young to care) and then it gets too expensive to do both.

Oh, haha!! I'm just repeating everything from ^^ up there!!

Florida is amazing, don't go to the wedding.

Chops,Hairy and Cat Florida is for our DC a big treat for them, don't think LA and Vegas woud be as good.

I don't think you can compare Vegas to Florida in terms of fun for kids though?
The drive to the Grand Canyon from Vegas I found long and not much to see on the way. I wouldn't fancy being in a car with children doing that!

Don't do it, you have saved hard for Florida, it will be great for all of you, including the children.

Definately no comparison notso we went to Vegas pre children & then Florida this Feb with DS.

cali has disney, universal, seaworld, six flags, knotts berry

water parks - knotts soak city, wild rivers, raging waters, hurricane harbour.

It really is just as good as florida, if not better! DH has been to both florida and cali several times each, and maintains cali is better. I don't think it has the humidity or rain that florida has neither.

Harry Potter Wporld and Universal.....why would anyone go to Cali?

Don't do it, you have saved hard for Florida, it will be great for all of you, including the children.

whoneedstosleep, I've driven from Vegas to the GC to LA and back to Vegas, with my 4 children and it was fine! Just need the odd movie. My kids LOVED the drive to the Grand Canyon as it was exciting for them to drive through the desert. I don't think they're that incomparable either, particularly with kids in tow.

But, granted if the OP's children have their hearts set on Florida, then that is the key point I guess.

Oops sorry double post

Before you talk to SIL about this go to a travel agents ( a decent one like Trailfinders) and talk to them about a 2 centre holiday. One alternative would be to fly into LAS and out of LAX and drive between the two. This way you could do disneyworld ( or whatever is in Anaheim) and Grand Canyon etc. Still doing loads of beaches etc in California.

Compare this to the price of 2 weeks in Florida which should work out cheaper. Then you've either got the answer in if its not much more then you can go or you can safely say look its going to be xxxx amount more we can't afford it.

Not going because of money is really something they can't argue with !!

Posie, calif has universal, and is getting wizarding world too, though not quite sure when.

we got married in Vegas. We even had a very very good Elvis impersonator walk me down the aisle, because my Dad couldn't. He died when I was a child.
Yes, it was cheesy, but we wanted something which reflected our personalities. Personally I think it's much tackier to spend £18,000 on a lavish wedding with 150 guests, in a Church despite the fact you're atheist, have hundreds of posed photos with relatives you've not seen for a decade, then end up divorced three years later.

i wanna renew our vows in vegas when we go next year, just for the fun of it!