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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Wedding invite etiquette?

146 replies

Zippy1510 · 01/10/2019 08:21

I started a new job 4 years ago as a lecturer at a local university. I was employed with 3 other new members of staff (M1, M2 and F1). We all got on really well and spent a lot of time outside of work socialising with each other and our respective partners. Friday night post work drinks and food were a weekly occurrence and we also start a wine and nibbles rotation at each other’s houses every few months. Fast forward a few years and we still do our bi-monthly evenings but I am less able to get out for the post-work drinks every week since having DS1. M1 and M2 are openly are not very keen on being around children so that limits things although I do try to go out with them when I can. M1 has recently gotten engaged and brought the save the dates into work, it’s for next summer. F1 and M2 were invited but I was not, which was slightly awkward as it’s a 300 person venue but of course it’s their wedding and they are welcome to invite whoever they like. Now this is where I am trying to work out if I am being unreasonable. It’s my turn to host the next wine and nibbles evening- and it falls on my birthday next month which is great as I will get to celebrate with everyone and won’t need to find a babysitter as DS will be asleep upstairs. I’ve spoken to everyone (friends both from work and outside work) and it’s all been organised. Yesterday we received a message from M1s partner saying “as it’s our legal wedding next month we will host the wine and nibbles evening and it can be a mini hen/stag wedding appreciation event”. AIBU to be feeling a bit annoyed that they’ve decided to turn my birthday into a celebration for a wedding that they aren’t inviting me to? Do I just go along with it or say “sorry but we’ve arranged to be celebrating my birthday then?”

OP posts:
AnchorDownDeepBreath · 01/10/2019 09:04

Just to be sure, @Zippy1510 , is it a 300 person wedding or a 300 person venue?

Technically our venue can hold 250 although I have zero idea how you'd fit them in, it must be like sardines! But we have 60 people invited. I have tried not to leave anyone out.

Not that it will make a huge difference, I suppose... I'd either talk to M1, as suggested; or reply that it's your birthday celebration this time round but perhaps the next one could be in honour of their wedding.

Zippy1510 · 01/10/2019 09:04

Thanks all. I think I’ll just go ahead with the birthday plans and let the chips fall into place. Spoke to M2 about my birthday this morning and he said both him and his partner will be there. I don’t think M1s partner dislikes me...in fact I would say her and F1 don’t really get on very well but me and her speak regularly outside of work. Oh well! Thanks for the replies.

OP posts:
NearlyGranny · 01/10/2019 09:05

No, your event was planned first! The fiancée was out of line to hijack your event without any consultation. Wedding planning can become a bit compelling and lead to a sense of overweening entitlement. I wonder how much input your fiancé colleague had in this particular plan? He might be cringingly embarrassed.

Is he the sort of person you could have a quiet word with? You could say you were a bit surprised at his fiancée's WhatsApp message as this was planned as your birthday bash. Ask him whether he would be just as happy with a different date so people can celebrate both and have double the fun, or would he like you to give way on this. If he looks shifty and uncomfortable, perhaps she's steamrollered him and he may have tried and failed to talk her out of it!

If he asks you to give way, take a risk and ask him whether he'd rather you didn't come. Say you can of course celebrate your birthday with friends and family on a different day, but that as you won't actually be coming to the wedding, they might prefer to celebrate only with those who are.

Be prepared for him to look horrified and ask why you aren't coming to his wedding!

I'm wondering whether the bride-to-be has heard your praises being sung so long and thoroughly that she's actually feeling a little resentful and jealous. I realise I'm extrapolating from minimal evidence here, but it would explain what's happened.

Have a great birthday regardless!

Damntheman · 01/10/2019 09:06

Woooow.. I mean the wedding thing was ok, whatever. But engineering a social divide by having a 'wedding thing' (I HATE the word nibbles) when you openly organised a birthday gathering is beyond the pale.

I agree you should respond in the group. Ask if they'd forgotten that you posted (and people RSVPed) to your birthday gathering on that very day because the birthday thing is not changing. Don't mention the wedding.

BasinHaircut · 01/10/2019 09:07

How about responding in the group chat:

‘I think you may have sent this on the wrong group? Did you mean to send to a group for people invited to the wedding?’

MrsCollinssettled · 01/10/2019 09:08

So you meet every other month as just the 4 of you plus partners, it's not other people as well? You've had 3 birthdays whilst this routine has been in place so they must know that there would have been a clash with their plan. It's really off that friends you've known for that long didn't have a word with you first to see if you minded the change of plan.

So you're faced with either spending your birthday at a celebration of the wedding you're not invited to OR having to make new arrangements just with your family OR make M2 and F1 choose between the two events.

I think I'd go on the WhatsApp and suggest that you all celebrate your birthday as usual on the regular get together night. They can then have the wedding celebration on another night with just the people who are invited to the wedding as it won't be awkward for them. (PA but if they don't feel awkward they should)

NearlyGranny · 01/10/2019 09:10

Sorry, cross-posted! Still worth talking to the groom-to-be, though.

What the heck is a 'wedding appreciation event' when it's at home, though?! Is she angling for pre-presents?!

Sounds a bit like CFery to me...

Imnotbent · 01/10/2019 09:11

I think it speaks volumes that F1 & M2 will be attending your birthday and not the wedding appreciation event. I cant believe how brass neck that invite is!

I would be tempted to ask F1 & F2 to ask M1 why you are not invited, curiosity would get the better of me.

Enjoy your birthday.

Imnotbent · 01/10/2019 09:11

I meant F1 & M2 .

Jeezoh · 01/10/2019 09:14

If the save the date cards were just left on desks, is it possible you have been invited but yours has got misplaced? It sounds very odd that you wouldn’t be invited, so I’d check this out first.

CalmdownJanet · 01/10/2019 09:18

I would just say "I am going to go ahead with plans for me to host the night, it falls on my birthday and I was celebrating on that night and looking forward to it. I'm not going to cancel to go to to a hen/stag celebration of a wedding i'm not invited to, that would be weird. If you can't come just let me know"

They are really rude. I'd be tempted bit too chicken to add -fyi a celebration a year later dressed up as a wedding if fucking ridiculous

thenewname · 01/10/2019 09:23

I invited someone whose invitation got lost, it took me five years to drunkenly go ‘yeah well, you went away for my wedding,’ they said, ‘but... I wasn’t invited?’ SO glad I could finally say omg of course you were invited!!!! So embarrassed they had spent years thinking they weren’t.

Otherwise your colleague and partner are just SO RUDE!

ChuckleBuckles · 01/10/2019 09:24

The asshole part of my brain would want to reply "Is this wedding appreciation event a party to show appreciation that we were not invited to the wedding?"

Just how much celebrating do these people need, CF. Happy birthday OP, I hope you have a lovely evening with family and friends Cake Gin

munchbunch12 · 01/10/2019 09:24

'I have already organised a birthday party at my house that evening. I won't be cancelling that and I'd really appreciate it if you and the others are there. But as I'm not invited to your wedding, I'm surprised to be invited to your pre wedding celebration anyway.'

^^^ This reply given by PP is perfect!

Chunkers · 01/10/2019 09:28

“Sorry, I am already fully organised to host as it’s also my birthday. Perhaps you could have your hen/stag another time with all your wedding guests”.

SunshineCake · 01/10/2019 09:28

Not inviting you to their wedding is nothing to do with them trying to steal your night.

I'd be telling them that yours has already been arranged and if they insisted, and everyone went to theirs rather than yours, I'd not bother with them anymore tbh.

CoraPirbright · 01/10/2019 09:34

How unbelievably rude to hijack your already-planned party!! I think I would play dumb and reply-all something along the lines of:
“Oh! But I have already organised my birthday celebrations as it is my turn to host this time! People have already accepted my invitation and I have started organising everything (food, drink etc). Did you mean another date? Perhaps you included me by accident as I am not included in the wedding?”

littlepeas · 01/10/2019 09:37

Has anyone investigated the lack of wedding invitation? I once thought I wasn’t invited to a wedding when apparently all mutual friends were and it turned out that the invitation was lost in the post and they’d been thinking we were being a bit rude not rsvping! When the penny dropped the bride called me straight away to explain. It would have been sorted much earlier if we’d spoken to each other instead of me quietly sulking about not being invited and her quietly being a bit annoyed I hadn’t rsvp’d!

Gruzinkerbell1 · 01/10/2019 09:38

Carry on with your birthday plans. They sound like CFers.

Mummyoflittledragon · 01/10/2019 09:40

I’d ignore the whose turn it is, that you know you’re not invited etc. Everyone knows it’s your turn. “Thanks for the invitation to your pre wedding party. I have already made all the preparations for a party at my house on x date as it is my birthday. Have fun.”

Ali1cedowntherabbithole · 01/10/2019 09:43

Sounds to me like M1 doesn’t like babies and children. Not, yours in particular OP, he just doesn’t like the idea of them. You are a lesser person now you have sprogged and hence, not worth a Wedding invite.

Furthermore, I will confidently predict should M1 ever become a parent he will be of the annoying no-one-has-done-this-before variety.

I’d have to put something passive-aggressive to the group.

ittakes2 · 01/10/2019 09:57

Is there a chance your invite went missing? seems so odd.

ShippingNews · 01/10/2019 10:01

On a side not am I the only one shuddering at spending so much time with people I work colleagues?

This ^

Sparklypurpleunicornsaremyfav · 01/10/2019 10:03

I think it's lovely your 2 other Co workers have said they're still coming to your birthday although I'm surprised they haven't said anything in response to the message, eg oh that's a nice idea but we're all going to be at zippys birthday celebration then aren't we?
Or something similar

Halloumiwrap · 01/10/2019 10:06

It seems so strange that they would just continue with the friendship as normal after not inviting you. Are you sure it’s not a mistake? As others have said, I would just ask him if I’ve done any to upset them, not because you’re desperate to go to the wedding but because you previously valued the friendship.