Golden Wedding Celebration

[UnlimitedCake]

Help! It’s my parents golden wedding anniversary coming up soon and a just over a month ago I text my mum offering to host a little celebration up my house on the day of their anniversary. She replied saying that her and my Dad would love to accept my kind offer. I’ve now started to invite family members and plan little details for the day. Our family is tiny so there aren’t many to invite.

Today my Dad sat me down to say they don’t want any fuss at all on the day and to just send a card. Him and my mum are happy to just look at a few wedding photos on the day. My mum chipped in saying they don’t want a celebration, my brother won’t be there (he has difficulties and won’t go in other peoples houses) and everyone is bound to be asking why he’s not there and how bad it would look. Also that “it is me that wants the family gathering not her” and that golden wedding parties are for “big families” I’m gutted and not sure what to do now as people have already been invited.

I tried to reassure them that it’s just a few family members and a couple of sandwiches/cake to honour their day.

Should I cancel the whole thing?

It's not a question of if you are being unreasonable or not though is it ?

You offered to do something nice for them, and - this is the crucial bit - they accepted .
I would tell them you've already invited people and X, Y, and Z are coming over and you aren't going to cancel.
Remind them that it will be nice to see the rest of your family, whatever 'hook' you hang it on, it is just a nice 'tea' and get together for them and the rest of the family.,
I'd also tell them that of course Golden Wedding Celebrations aren't only for big families.
If your brother won't go into other people's houses, and you only have a small family, then presumably they are already aware that he has social difficulties, so no-one will think it odd at all that he isn't there. If by some oddity they haven't notice that he has difficulties and your parents don't want others to know, then you can just say it's a shame, but he's not well so couldn't come.
Reassure them you've not hired a hall / got people there to a mass surprise party / won't do speeches / whatever it is they are worried about and say you are going ahead, and hope they don't be silly about it and not come.