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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

My mum is refusing to come to my wedding

117 replies

newbie83 · 17/02/2014 12:28

Hi there

I am having a really rough time as my mother is saying she won't be coming to my wedding. As a person, she is pretty up and down and tends to throw tantrums if she doesn't get her own way. I have my suspicions that she may have a personality disorder as the mood swings are so strong (this is why we have generally not got on as I found her hard to deal with growing up). She has a tendency to fly off the handle and cut people out of her life (most of the family have been at the other end of this at some point or other). So this behaviour isnt new...

Background…
She gave us some money towards the wedding and I believe that she feels that this should give her free reign to basically say what we can and cannot have, what we should and should not do. I thought the money was a gift…and have tried to involve her in the decision making process so that she is part of our wedding. But In all honesty she has not really taken me up on anything I have asked her for input for (been asking a lot)…normally saying she is too busy.

She keeps pushing to bring her friend to the wedding – whilst I am happy for her to bring a friend (if she really has to) it feels rather unnecessary with all of her family, my stepfather's family and my father's family that are coming to our small wedding. She has also selected someone who hasnt been very friendly/kind to me – so I really wouldn’t feel that happy about this person in particular coming.

My partner and I are kicking ourselves that we accepted her gesture of a contribution towards our wedding (we are good, kind people - this was a moment of weakness).

I know that my mother has paid for half of our little wedding…but does this give her the right to have final say on things and invite her friends that make me feel uncomfortable? Should I give the money back? Anyone out there experienced their parents being a nightmare in the lead up to their wedding?

Feeling really down right now.. :-(

OP posts:
DraggingDownDownDown · 20/08/2014 10:05

This is such a drama when it really doesn't have to be. If you are going to go no contact anyway after the wedding why do you even want her there? She will be in the photo's etc and so everytime you look at them you will be reminded of her - not much closure for you there!

She has decided not to come - well good - and don't let her change her mind again and the same for her brother. Otherwise you are not standing up to her at all as she is still leading you a merry dance and you are falling for it over and over.

Be strong be happy - have the wedding day you deserve surrounded by people that you love and who love you and be happy with your DH xx

p.s - black humour - at least if they pull out the expense is reduced.

2rebecca · 20/08/2014 11:10

If your uncle is that poisonous and self centred the wedding is better without them.
Remember what the wedding is for. Its main purpose is for you and your husband to declare your love for each other in front of supportive people and to give a strong legal footing for your future.
It isn't about your extended families having a reunion and all getting on nicely together.
If people don't want to come stop trying to persuade them and let them not come. It's your big day, not their big day, let them bow out. I didn't have any uncles and aunts at my second wedding.
If you make your wedding be all about which dysfunctional relative is/isn't coming it will cause unnecessary stress. The meeting with your uncle sounds completely unnecessary and it not happening is a good thing.
The mother of the bride doesn't normally have a special "role" at the wedding. being mother of the bride should be enough for her.
Focus on making the day fun for those who come and give the stroppy crew a final date when their decision will be considered final and ignore tantrums before that date.
If they choose not to come it's their loss (or not as some people aren't keen on weddings but that's OK as it's not for them)

Finney2 · 20/08/2014 11:16

Blimey. Everyone else is right. Just tell them gracefully that you accept they don't want to come and that you will have to accept their decision as final and give their places to friends.

The just ignore any other crap from them.

I can't actually believe you're even bothering to give them the time of day tbh. They sound absolutely off reservation.

newbie83 · 20/08/2014 11:25

Larrytheleprechaun - I agree. I tried to be better them and diplomatic but i now just want to defend my last few weeks of engagement...and my poor fiance.

I know for sure we wont have anything to do with them after this wedding. It fills me with horror the thought of having her around when i have kids (which we are hoping for after we have had the wedding!)

Any ideas how it is best to forget about all this crap?

OP posts:
newbie83 · 20/08/2014 11:28

why i am giving the time of day - it is everyone else laying it on thick. My dad saying that my mother needs to be there...ya da ya da ya da. I cracked though with this and decided i cant keep trying to make them happy at my expense. x

OP posts:
newbie83 · 20/08/2014 11:31

The other thing is - my fiance is a peaceful man - he doesnt like the warfare so i have tried to keep him happy too...

Do you think with all this stress i can get us to a place where we are happy?

Is it normal do you think to have a stressful engagement?x

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 20/08/2014 11:41

This is typical behaviour from such dysfunctional families like your birth family newbie.

The "normal" rules of dealing with familial relations goes out the window completely when it comes to dysfunctional families like your family of origin.

You have to ignore all these people including the winged monkeys who want to pressure you as well. After all its your day. Your dad is only saying such things for his own reasons, your mother patently does not have to be there at all. Your mother and her brother are dysfunctional; its not your fault they are like this and you did not make them this way.

Your fiancé likely comes from an emotionally healthy family so all this familial dysfunction from your family of origin is completely unknown to him. The best thing he can do for you is to support you fully, both of you anyway need to put on a united front.

You in particular need to raise your own boundaries with regards to this lot; being as low as they have been to date has only allowed them to put the boot in even more. It is little point trying to be nice and diplomatic as they will seize on that as weakness and thus have a pop at you even more.

LookingThroughTheFog · 20/08/2014 11:56

My dad saying that my mother needs to be there...ya da ya da ya da.

She really doesn't though. What needs to happen is for you to have a stress-free, loving day with your hew husband. I'm not convinced that your mother being there will be conducive to that.

Your uncle is trying to dictate your wedding day. His wanting to meet to air his grievances over your wedding made my jaw drop.

Two things I want to say to you now:

  1. You are worth SO much more than these people.

  2. NONE of their behaviour is your fault.

Oh and 3) Have a lovely wedding, you and your husband together. Nobody else matters on that day.

newbie83 · 20/08/2014 11:58

Attilathemeerkat and Lookingthroughthefog

Honestly - thanks so much for your kind words. I am so worried i cant get away from this in my head. Any advice on how my fiance and i can lift our moods so that we feel better.

When this happened back in february we threw ourselves into wedding organising etc. Now we are just dealing with paperwork rather than going for yummy food tastings etc....so it is a bit easier to sit there and feel rubbish.

xxx

OP posts:
MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 20/08/2014 12:07

Ignore everyone. I didn't invite my Father or his side of the family to my wedding although we did keep it very low-key, and 17 years later I still don't regret it. I still have no real relationship with my Father but a slightly better one with the rest of the family now. I'm sure, in fact I know that some people didn't agree with my decision, even DH was unsure about it but I know it was the best thing to do at the time. I loved my wedding even though it was cheap and small and I wouldn't have done that if he'd been there. He didn't deserve it.

Whatever happens I hope your wedding day is nothing but happy memories Smile

LookingThroughTheFog · 20/08/2014 12:16

Any advice on how my fiance and i can lift our moods so that we feel better.

Attila might well have better advice than me, but from my perspective, I think that I'd start making my own choices now.

You're held hostage with the 'maybe I'll come! Maybe I won't...'

I think you need to make a choice now, simply to take yourself out of that hostage position. You know that your mother will not behave, so given that, do you want her to be there? Do you want to pander to her needs?

Remember, this is your day (the two of you). If all goes well, you only get this once.

She comes or she doesn't - If she's not prepared to step up as your mother on this one, important day, then she's just another wedding guest, and it's really not a big deal if she doesn't show up.

I would definitely stop responding to her, and certainly don't start negotiating with her. She seems to thrive from the drama, and the more you respond, the more she has you dancing on the end of her string.

It's awful, it's horrible when it's sitting in your head, but the only advice I can give is that you try some mindfulness or meditation exercises, focussing on the hear and now. Keep yourself in the moment, and when your mind starts to wander to 'will my mother show up?' stop yourself and think 'yes, that's a troubling thought, but realistically, as long as Partner is there, it doesn't matter. He is my choice now.'

You need to work on a way of devaluing her role in your life. It will be hard work (and I'd strongly recommend you book yourself in for some therapy after the wedding is all done), but you need to stop yourself being the frightened child in your aggressive mother's presence. You need to work on feeling like the valuable adult that you are.

Trust me, you really are valuable, able, loving and brilliant. Don't let anyone, even your mother or your father, tell you otherwise.

areyoubeingserviced · 20/08/2014 12:29

If she doesn't come that's her business.
My MIL threatened not to come to our wedding because we didn't put her best friend on the high table.
Both dh and I stood our ground and she eventually saw reason .
I would not have taken a penny from MIL or DM.

newbie83 · 20/08/2014 12:32

The devaluing i definately need to work on.

I think the frustration is another thing. Over the years...i have cut her out point blank...and been truly happy. It was only because of my grandmother pressing me to "be friends" with my mother that i have ended up breaking the silence - and trying to be in a relationship with her.

Awful thought, as I love my grandmother, but if she wasnt still going it would be much more clear cut with how i deal with the wedding. My grandmother brought me up a fair bit...

Ironically - i think it was my grandmother and grandfather that caused my mother and uncle to be this way..!

But yes, in a nutshell, i have told her to fuck off in the past as i am no shrinking violet. What i am struggling with is trying to keep everyone happy. I have got to the point where i dont care though.

OP posts:
newbie83 · 20/08/2014 12:34

Note that the silences have been for 1 year at a time over the course of my life - eg in my final year at Uni (where i wanted to achieve a first but knew i couldnt with her crap) and so on.

OP posts:
Meerka · 20/08/2014 13:36

larrytheleprechaun and attilla's advice was great.

How can you reclaim the wedding? I'm afraid that you can't fully now. I'm afraid that she and her weird coterie of damaged relatives have had their effect.

You can't keep happy a bunch of unpleasant drama queens with the tendancy to be petty. They wouldn't want to be happy. They want their drama.

But what you can do is say what larry suggests, say "ok sorry you can't be there" and then forget them.

If they text you hassling you, tbh by now I'd ask your provider to block them. or give your phone to your fiance, ask him to read the messages and delete the ones that aren't reasonable (if he can cope with that). Better to block them really. If okay relatives contact you explain that your mother and uncle are making your very special day miserable, that she's changed her mind three times and you don't want it spoiled any further.

Beyond that I really think you need to read Toxic Parents by Susan Forward and to actively talk to your fiance and to decide, both of you, that you are not going to let them spoil it any further. that you're going to chuckle at their antics. Seriously, if you can get to the point that you can deliberately laugh at the craziness, that will help.

Inertia · 20/08/2014 13:54

You can't keep everyone happy- because the very idea that things are calm and settled sends your mother and uncle into a flying rage that there's no attention on them and their latest drama of choice.

It's a no-win situation. You can tie yourself in knots as much as you like, and iron out as many perceived grievances as you can manage - but people like this will create new grievances to whip up the drama again.

Your wedding needs to include 5 people- you, your husband-to-be, the official in charge of the ceremony, and a couple of witnesses. Everything else is gravy. If your dad is that bothered about what your mum does, he can invite her to his important life events.

ChasedByBees · 20/08/2014 13:59

Let them know that whatever they decide now, they are uninvited. Don't negotiate with blackmailers! They are trying to control and hurt you at what should be a happy and joyful time.

You can't keep everyone happy, but it's your day - you and you partner getting married is the key thing here. I think you'll have a better time without them.

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