Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

AIMBU - to still not be bothered to talk to 1/2 my family after wedding?

121 replies

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 16:21

Just over a year ago I got married to my wonderful DP. After a 7 year relationship he proposed and we set a date for nearly 18 months in the future, my parents offered to help us out with paying for our wedding so we thought this was a reasonable timescale to commence the planning and the saving.

So began the countdown to the day - I couldn't wait, wished all the time away and loved planning and preparing. I asked 2 of my female cousins to be part of my bridal party (along with DPs family members and my sis). Her dad - a vicar, my uncle is to marry us.

Neither of the two cousins (aged 23 and 21) could make a trip from Bath to London that summer to meet me and the other bridesmaids and to get involved in the general merriment - commence the start of my wrath. They were too busy/poor (1 a student planning her summer trip to Canada, 1 working part time because she's not the kind to enjoy working full time - they are both very sweet, kindly, homely types).

A couple of months later the elder cousin brings her new bf to London to attend a party and wants to meet up for lunch. They announce their engagement to me then and there - both 23, Christians, no sex before marriage types and had been together about a month. They go on to say they are planning their wedding 4 months before mine. I feel miffed. I am not asked to be a bridesmaid, I feel more miffed. I also know that her parents- who are having to pay for all of their wedding, are really feeling the pressure financially because of the demanding timescale. Her mum doesn't work and her dad is the vicar I mentioned before. I don't understand why the cousin didn't feel bad about this?

The she starts to usurp the ideas I had discussed with my BM I wanted for my wedding, marquee, homemade bunting etc. This is now what she is having. Some of our family members live abroad and probably won't make it to both weddings, hers comes first. I am told the shared ideas are a coincidence.

Her wedding comes along, neither I, nor my immediate family are asked to be in any photos, her grandparents on the other side are openly rude to us because they know we are upset with the timing and other aspects of the wedding (justified or not) and then at about 3pm, all of their close family,including cousins on the other side go off to a restaurant dinner to close the day. We were not invited.

Our day comes along, the evening before, the younger of the cousins says she can't come over at 8am to have her hair done, she will just do it herself, she is tired from travelling from Bath the day before (she has ME). She is no good at hair, never does it or wears makeup. I explain I have paid for their hair to be done and I would really like her to come. She agrees to come, but a bit later on. I open a gift from my bridesmaids, a lovely necklace. It is signed from all the others, not the 2 cousins, they didn't want to contribute.

1 year later, I don't feel the need to go and visit them/their parents regularly as I used to, I still feel midly miffed enough to think about it sometimes.

Apparently they never understod why I might be miffed, the wedding had to take place quickly, they are christians (so I am btw but perhaps not so strict in every sense.... Wink) because 'they just wanted to BE together'. Their whole side of the family are very religious people, generally enjoying singing round the piano and baking cakes, so looking in from outside I imagine plenty of people feel they are too nice for me to be miffed at.

So, there you have it, AIBU to still feel miffed, will it ever go away, or AIBU about the whole thing?! Let me have it.... Grin

OP posts:
Rosenip · 19/08/2013 18:36

Ok, closest girl friends and family members... I should have said.

Weddings are great and haven't been to any others with bunting so far!

OP posts:
DrDance · 19/08/2013 18:52

Out of all of it what is the thing that bothers you most?

Is it finding out you weren't all as close as cousins as you maybe thought?

As said before, if you miss their company, perhaps now is the time to build bridges? Congratulations and good luck with the pregnancy

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 18:55

Thanks Dr, had already invited eldest cousin and DH to stay - will follow up :)

OP posts:
Rosenip · 19/08/2013 18:56

and yes, sorry should have said, out of everything I guess it's finding out exactly that. I don't they they would have meant for me to feel sad about it.

OP posts:
sorryitsanotherpilone · 19/08/2013 19:00

I do think you were bu .... But .....

There's nothing wrong with bu every once in a while as long as you are open to constructive criticism when people say you are, which you seem to be.

I know I've got on my high horse about a situation with bil in the past thinking he was being unreasonable over something.
I then discussed it with my brother and was so shocked he saw the whole situation differently to me. plus he was my brother and should have been on my side lolol

Anyway after the chat with my bro I realised I was being a tad unreasonable at it was more of a tit for tat situation. I then went out of my way to be friendly with bil and made up.

Everyone does it and as long as you can see from both sides now that's all that matters.

Besides by December you'll probably not even get time to speak to your cousins you'll be so busy lol.
Maybe just send them a card to just sat hello and catch up if you want to make up with them.

Wannabestepfordwife · 19/08/2013 19:11

Yabu in some instances but I can understand why. If someone copied my wedding ideas I would be a bit miffed.

With the family members attending her wedding not yours that is the fault of those family members they should have honoured your invitation which they recieved first.

soapysam · 19/08/2013 19:18

Wow. Sorry love but that is waaaay over the Bridezilla boundary there. As a sufferer of a chronic illness myself, I think the line about the BM with ME is particularly awful. Poor lady did her best under the circumstances and you bullied her! As for tents and bunting, well, its hardly original is it??

Get over youself...

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:22

Bullied her?! I agreed she could came later on in the morning, which she did! How awful of me to offer her some free pampering by way of having her hair done, exactly how ever she wanted.

OP posts:
MrsKoala · 19/08/2013 19:26

I think it depends how you did it Rose. You say she called to say she was too tired and would do her own hair and you said you'd already paid etc. It could have been interpreted to her as emotional blackmail and pressure so she reluctantly agreed to come a bit later. What you consider 'pampering' others don't i'm afraid - especially if i was feeling ill and tired with a whole day at a wedding ahead of me. Sorry :(

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:27

no, she just sent a text at about 10.30pm to my sister, just as I was about to go to bed.

OP posts:
aturtlenamedmack · 19/08/2013 19:33

Ofgs. It's a wedding. It doesn't matter, it really doesn't.
So what if they had bunting too, so what if theirs was before yours, so what if your bridesmaids hair wasn't perfect. So what!!!!!
It's one day, a day for you to enjoy and share with your loved ones. No one remembers the hair or the flags, everyone remembers the atmosphere and the conversation and the fun that they had.
If you like those members of your family then spend time with them, if not, don't.
But let go of the anger, life is faaaaar to short for that.

LittleBearPad · 19/08/2013 19:34

YABU - you were then and you are now to still be thinking about it.

Four months is masses of time, bunting's everywhere and anywhere these days. Not being asked to be in photos when am aunt/cousin is pretty typical.

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:38

You people.

OP posts:
NapaCab · 19/08/2013 19:39

Wedding stuff can rankle for years afterwards as it's such an important event. I think you worded your post poorly, Rosenip, but I get where you're coming from.

You expected your family to care about your wedding and attend and make a bit of a fuss over you, which is what everyone wants. Instead they turned out to be preoccupied with their own stuff and not interested in your big day. It's disappointing but weddings have a way of exposing these things. Similar stuff happened to us with DH's two siblings. They made it abundantly clear that they couldn't care less about us getting married and neither attended even though my DH attended theirs. They just acted like they were past the whole wedding phase, had kids, had more important things going on. It's hurtful but you have to move on at some point.

If you think the relationship with your cousins is worth salvaging, try to do so. If not, just move on!

inneedofsomehelpplz · 19/08/2013 19:40

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:40

Why am I a nutjob?

OP posts:
aturtlenamedmack · 19/08/2013 19:43
Hmm
ExitPursuedByABear · 19/08/2013 19:43

No one gets excited about the build up to other people's weddings do they?

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:46

Don't they? I generally do, it's an exciting time isn't it?

OP posts:
OliviaIsOffTheGinMumsnet · 19/08/2013 19:46

ahem
Evening all - anyone need a link to our guidelines??

Floggingmolly · 19/08/2013 19:52

It's an exciting time isn't it?. More for the couple concerned than for anyone else, and her wedding was before yours.
Why is yours the only one that counts? Confused

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:54

Mostly for the couple concerned but for everyone surely? I've always been excited for my friends/family/colleagues who are in the run up to theirs, I assumed having a genuine interest in big life events was usual?

OP posts:
WorrySighWorrySigh · 19/08/2013 19:57

Sorry Rosenip, no, someone else's wedding isnt an exciting time. Hopefully it will be a nice day, that's it.

The problem with bridezillas is that you just cant tell them. To them their special day is really exciting. To everyone else it can very quickly turn into a bore.

Rosenip · 19/08/2013 19:59

And at no point did I say hers wasn't important to her, but surely I can only post my own thoughts on how things went?

OP posts:
Lilyloo · 19/08/2013 20:04

Welcome to your first AIBU post :) don't take the responses to heart .

I agree with those who say let it go and move on , focus on the new baby. Maybe that's a good way of building bridges with your cousins. When you say 'wil it ever go away' that is up to you.

Sadly I don't think they did see your wedding the same way you hoped they would. But you need to draw a line under it and move on , you can't change things.

Maybe start planning your baby shower , they can't usurp you on this ;)

Oh and next time word anything in AIBU carefully it never goes quite the way you hope.