Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To assume that no children's name on wedding invitation means they aren't invited?

135 replies

guptent · 14/03/2024 18:31

An old friend of mine is getting married soon. We don't know each other well anymore but used to be close (school). We meet up maybe once every year or couple of years and send "big life event" news in a group chat.

Me (and several others from our old friendship group) are all invited to her wedding in a a couple of months which is very nice. However, the invite has only mine and DHs name on but not DS' (who will be 19 months at the time)

She doesn't have her own children but from what I've known of her she always seemed to like children and being around them. She has a big family with lots of children etc. I know that child-free weddings are becoming more common but she really would never strike me as being a person who would have one. Obviously I don't know her as well as I once did but I would be genuinely amazed if there were no children there.

Im also surprised because several of our friendship group have young children (some babies in arms age) and it's not been mentioned at any point prior to this.

The problem is, going without DS makes things much more difficult. It's several hours drive away in quite a remote place. She's my friend primarily so if only one of us went it would be me, but I don't drive so getting there is going to be difficult if DH isn't there driving. I could get a train but it still wouldn't get me very close so I'd have to get quite a long taxi too which is going to be expensive.

Obviously we could both go and leave DS with someone. However, DS is very anxious and quite sensitive and gets upset without us there. We have built up to the point he can stay with his grandparents for a few hours alone while we go out but him staying overnight without us is likely going to be difficult.

Separation anxiety aside, he's not the easiest sleeper. Once asleep he always sleeps right through the night but getting him to sleep takes a long time (often upwards of an hour). We do not want to sleep train. While hour long bedtimes aren't ideal, he's otherwise good and so it's just one of those things at the moment. I just feel like asking my parents to spend potentially hours trying to get him to sleep is a bit unfair on them. But I wouldn't want him being left to cry either.

I do think we could sort something to make it work if needs be and I do want to go to be there with her and share her day. She is within her rights to have any kind of wedding she wants. I'm not complaining if that's what she has decided.

However DH thinks it's likely that she's made a mistake and expects that we will be bringing DS. He thinks perhaps she couldn't remember his name (she could have checked back on the group chat though) or something. He thinks I should ask and confirm. I don't what to as I feel I'll be putting her on the spot.

However, if we say nothing and do all this sorting to make it work and it turns out DS was always invited it will admittedly be a bit annoying and I will regret not mentioning it.

I just feel we have no choice because it's too rude to ask. In my opinion, wedding invitations are written out very purposefully.

OP posts:
Tlolljs · 14/03/2024 18:33

Ask her?

Simonjt · 14/03/2024 18:35

if she had forgotten his name she would surely have written and family, to show children are invited.

Dacadactyl · 14/03/2024 18:36

I would assume its a child free wedding, for you at least.

She may well have invited children of closer friends and family, but that's her choice to make.

You can ask her but id expect to be told he's not invited tbh.

You can then make plans to attend or not depending on her answer, but I personally feel the invite is clear.

Teacupsandrollups · 14/03/2024 18:37

Only the named persons are invited, just like any other invitation.

Mummame222 · 14/03/2024 18:37

I think DH is definitely wrong. I don’t think your DS is invited.

Tetchypants · 14/03/2024 18:38

“several of our friendship group have young children”

Theres your answer. When a group of, say, 5 friends become “5 friends plus 5 partners plus 8 kids”. Can you check with someone else from your friend group?

Personally I’d leave him at your parents and go and let your hair down. Or, as someone else said, just go with your mates and leave all the partners and kids at home.

SleepingStandingUp · 14/03/2024 18:39

Does anyone else in your friendship group have kids. Ask what theirs say.

If no evidence, say you are trying to sort childcare as it's childfree and you'll confirm if you're both coming after that

Re travel, could you go with your friends?

Tbh for something like this, we'd leave partners and kids at home and book an air BnB just for the friends and make a weekend of it

TeenDivided · 14/03/2024 18:39

I don't think your DS is invited either.
You can both decline due to childcare / you decline due to childcare/travel. If she meant to invite your DS she can then contact you to say so.

Pupsandturtles · 14/03/2024 18:39

Is there a wedding website? Check if it says anything about no kids? Has she invited any of your friends’ kids?

id assume no kids if your son’s name isn’t on the invitation.

ancienticecream · 14/03/2024 18:40

It's perfectly fine to ask if children are invited. If it turns out DS isn't then you can decline or do whatever you like. Don't decline on an assumption.

bluesclues91 · 14/03/2024 18:41

Dh is wrong, ds isn't invited. Either get a babysitter or don't go I guess.

WimpoleHat · 14/03/2024 18:42

“Thanks so much for the lovely invitation. We would love to share your day, but are not sure if we will be able to secure childcare for DS. Would you bear with us for a week or so while we see if that’s feasible?”

And see what she says…..

guptent · 14/03/2024 18:43

Thanks all - you have confirmed what I thought.

A good point about "and family" being an easy way to show he was invited without remembering his name if needed.

I think for some reason in my head I'd assumed that people either invite kids or don't but obviously there's the middle ground where she's just not inviting everyone's kids. Fair enough. That is likely what it is.

Re: travel, none of the friends are coming from the same part of the country as me so we won't be able to travel together but I may look into how much it would end up costing and if I can save up. If not perhaps we can try for both of us going and do some trial runs at my parents leading up to it to see how it would actually go. Perhaps he will surprise us!

Thank you everyone.

OP posts:
Zanatdy · 14/03/2024 18:43

Check with another friend or just ask her, you won’t know otherwise. If she’s having a child free wedding she will tell you. Just say you’d love to come but unsure if DC invited or not as you don’t have childcare, say no problem at all if no children but just confirming

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 14/03/2024 18:44

I think you have to assume that he isn't invited.

I guess if you decline (or go alone without your dh), you can explain that it's due to childcare. She will set you straight pretty quickly if your son is welcome at the wedding.

I do find childfree weddings to be rather joyless occasions but ultimately it's the bride and groom's prerogative. Don't feel obliged to go if you don't want to.

WeightoftheWorld · 14/03/2024 18:44

I'd ask. We got a wedding invitation from a relative recently and it didn't have any names on it, it was a printed invitation with no names. Only DH and my name was on the envelope but it came in the post so I wouldn't expect them to have also addressed the postal envelope to the kids. So we asked relative who confirmed yes both kids are invited.

Luckycloverz · 14/03/2024 18:45

You really need to just ask, it's not rude at all, you're checking details and overthinking this.

TwentyFirstCenturyFox · 14/03/2024 18:45

It doesn't have to be child free for your DS not to be invited. We didn't have any children at our wedding. It wasn't childfree. It was just that we didn't know any children so didn't even think to take up one of the limited spaces with a child we didn't know. She may have invited other children but that won't mean your child is invited. 19 months is very young though and the venue may not count him as a guest that has to be counted in numbers or paid for so I would just politely ask.

TeaKitten · 14/03/2024 18:45

You see her once every year or two so it’s no surprise your DC isn’t invited, how many times has she even met them? Your DH seems odd being sure that your child is invited but that she just couldn’t remember the name - if you are distant enough for her to forget your child’s name, it makes sense your child isn’t invited. Don’t feel bad if you can’t make it though.

guptent · 14/03/2024 18:45

Also sounds like I am overthinking the rudeness thing. Some of the suggestions on how to find out are good.

OP posts:
judgementfail · 14/03/2024 18:45

WimpoleHat · 14/03/2024 18:42

“Thanks so much for the lovely invitation. We would love to share your day, but are not sure if we will be able to secure childcare for DS. Would you bear with us for a week or so while we see if that’s feasible?”

And see what she says…..

My response that would be 'ok then' as I would assume you didn't want to bring the child.

Why dance around the question? Just ask!

Berlinlover · 14/03/2024 18:45

Of course your son isn’t invited, his name would be on the invitation if he was.

Dayfurrrrit · 14/03/2024 18:46

Your child is not invited. You respond to the invite however you need to based on that information. For what it’s worth my children have very rarely been invited to weddings, we either enlist family help (difficult as we live abroad), one of us goes (much easier and it’s the one who is closest to the people getting married) or send our regrets (sometimes it just doesn’t work out). And that’s that.

OolongTeaDrinker · 14/03/2024 18:48

You need to just ask. I made the same assumption once and the first thing the bride said to me after greeting was where are the kids - I assumed they weren’t invited and she assumed I would assume they were!

TeenDivided · 14/03/2024 18:49

We invited children we knew, but did not invite children we didn't know.