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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To drop future SIL from being a bridesmaid?

110 replies

Faraway11 · 08/06/2026 11:12

I hope you’re sat with a cuppa because it’s abit of a long one. My Fiancé and I have been planning our wedding for a long time. We get married in less than 2 weeks, so this happened a while ago but I’ve only just decided to discuss it as it still weighs on me. Initially, my plan was to have my best friend as my maid of honour, one of my closest friends as a bridesmaid and my SIL as a bridesmaid too. We had come out of a rough patch a few months prior, after she cut me off for not being able to attend her birthday drinks due to my car breaking and me not being able to afford it. She eventually apologised and we moved on. After asking her to be a bridesmaid she seemed happy and accepted. I reached out to the girls asking for a date we could all go dress shopping for my wedding dress as I needed input. On the day or shopping for my dress, SIL could not have looked any more miserable. I messaged her after I got home to ask if she was okay. She was annoyed because she thought she was getting her dress too that day and said she had to book time off work for it. It got smoothed over and I forgot about it. We eventually went to go and get the bridesmaid dresses, she seemed very happy on that day and it all went great. Between then and now, I’ve been having health issues, I’ve been diagnosed with ME/CFS and have been having extreme bouts of depression, but have been doing my best to function with the support of my family and friends. Back in April, my MOH asked what I’d like for my hen party. I explained I was more than happy to have a girly sleepover with some games, a takeaway and some cheesy films. I’m not one for being a party animal. My friends tried to get SIL on board with this, SIL mentioned wanting to go to a magic mike show, but that’s not something I’m interested in. So over the months leading up to the hen, my friends tried and tried to ask SIL if she was coming, she kept saying she didn’t know if she’d be at work (this was 6 months before the hen), then she was talking about not having enough money. My friends said they were happy to chip in and help her out if it meant her being there for my hen do. Eventually about 3 weeks before the hen, my bridesmaid messaged her again about it. SIL replied to say she didn’t want to come, because apparently my attitude and demeanor has been depressing lately, she didn’t want to sit in a room with a ‘mood hoover’ all night making her feel depressed, and also because she can sit and watch films at home. My bridesmaid immediately had my back and called her out on this, SIL replied to say that she’s had it hard too but she just got on with it. Obviously with my bridesmaid being a very close friend, she told me straight away. Myself and my partner phoned his mum, we explained that SIL was still more than welcome to attend the wedding, but she is no longer required as a bridesmaid and is not to contact me at all. Since then, I haven’t spoken to her, but she is point blank refusing to attend the wedding at all. I honestly don’t care, it’s my partner I feel sorry for, even though he has constantly supported me and expressed he also doesn’t care wether she attends. I’ve heard that she also thinks I’m taking advantage of my partner due to him covering bills whilst I’ve been unwell. Her reasoning for not attending the wedding continues to fluctuate between not wanting to be around my friends, and just saying she doesn’t want to go. Was i unreasonable?

OP posts:
albu · Yesterday 19:05

F**k her!

Anonymouseposter · Yesterday 19:15

Well she certainly hasn’t been very nice but I do think you had too many expectations of her and have made things worse.
She was asked because of her relationship to your fiancé , she isn’t your friend. It was a bit much to ask her to come to choose your dress and she misunderstood that she would be getting hers. If she didn’t want to come to the hen night, well fair enough.What she said was out of order but your other bridesmaid pushed it.
I feel sorry for your MIL. It’s not nice for her that her kids have fallen out even though they’re adults and it’s horrible to be put in the middle of it and be asked to pass on messages. Your fiancé was a bit inconsiderate towards her, although it sounds as if she’s navigating it okay.
Anyway SIL isn’t coming now so that’s that.

LettuceAndCarrots · Yesterday 19:16

I agree with the first poster. She's not coming and doesn't want to, and you don't want her there. Sounds like you should both be happy and give it no more thought.

Sounds like there's fault on both sides though. Tbh I'd be miffed to take a day off work if I thought it was so all the bridesmaids could get a dress together, only to find it was to watch the bride trying on dresses. She was nasty and dumb to say that stuff to your friend though.

Pistachiocake · Yesterday 19:19

The only thing I would say was unreasonable was calling her mum. SIL is an adult and it's not on your future MIL to be involved in this (unless she was coordinating things for you).
Otherwise, she's not being kind to you and is acting like a stroppy toddler, so why have her in your party?

NameChangeMay2026 · Yesterday 19:51

Rpop · Yesterday 18:55

You could do with a comma.

No, she couldn't. The clause after "so" is dependent on the clause before, so no comma.

There is a spelling mistake, though.

Rpop · Yesterday 20:06

NameChangeMay2026 · Yesterday 19:51

No, she couldn't. The clause after "so" is dependent on the clause before, so no comma.

There is a spelling mistake, though.

Edited

I guess I was more intent on sarcasm as the important issue was the content of OP’s post not her grammar.

TheignT · Yesterday 20:25

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 08/06/2026 19:38

It's really crappy to make another adult pass the message on. You could have texted or left a voicemail, you didn't have to involve MIL.
Other than that you don't want her to come, your partner says he doesn't and your SIL doesn't want to come so what's the issue? She doesn't come and everyone is happy. You don't need to do anything except concentrate on having a lovely day with people who care about you.

I agree. As a MIL I wouldn't have done it. Two of my sons are married, their wives don't get on. I refuse to get involved or take sides. It annoys me as my sons were close but it is what it is but like hell would I be passing on a message like that. Your husband was well out of order to put that on his mother.

Anonymouseposter · Yesterday 20:34

TheignT · Yesterday 20:25

I agree. As a MIL I wouldn't have done it. Two of my sons are married, their wives don't get on. I refuse to get involved or take sides. It annoys me as my sons were close but it is what it is but like hell would I be passing on a message like that. Your husband was well out of order to put that on his mother.

I agree, I would have said that I wasn’t passing on messages and he would have to tell her himself.

Ilovelifeverymuch · Yesterday 20:57

Faraway11 · 08/06/2026 16:11

You can not believe it all you like, that’s the truth. It’s not just about the fact of finding other ways to contact her. I stated that I wasn’t and still am not in the right frame of mind to deal with it, hence why my partner took it into his own hands. He knows how to deal with his family

The way I see it SIL seems like a drama queen and it's good to be rid of her. You've taken a stand and removed her as a bridesmaid and she has said she doesn't want to come to the wedding which is great in my opinion. You've already said she's welcome to come so that's her choice

Your DH supports you etc so I'm not really sure of the need to get into arguments on mumsnet about this. Focus on your wedding and health and keep her at arms length going forward. Going on about she wants to come but doesn't want to come etc is just getting sucked into unnecessary drama. As you said your DH knows his family and how to deal with them so I don't see the need for this thread to ask if you're unreasonable, allow doubt to sleep in or get into unnecessary arguments with people on mumsnet.

While I think it's strange to involve MIL I also recognize that I have no insight into the family dynamics so I don't think it's my place to attack you like some posters are doing here and the update that she doesn't pick the phone when upset is just childish idiotic behaviour that I don't have time for and more reason you should be happy she is not coming.

JayJayj · Today 00:07

Arlanymor · 08/06/2026 11:22

Why did you phone her mum to say that his sister was no longer a bridesmaid? Surely you should have said it directly to her. I imagine that is why she doesn’t want to go, she was demoted and had to hear about it from her mum. But either way neither your nor your fiancé want her there so I’m not sure what it is that you’re concerned about. You don’t want her there, she’s not coming, so end of?

The ringing the mum thing was the part I also didn’t get. Unless SIL is a child then it should have been a phone call to her.

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