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Relationships

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

I didn’t invite my mum to my wedding.

79 replies

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:01

I’m feeling awful, horrendously guilty, as I’ve hurt my mum. Due to Covid we have had a tiny wedding ceremony. It’s a second marriage and we had our dc and two friends as witnesses. We are intending to have a full wedding blessing and party next year when hopefully things are better and we can celebrate with everyone. We did have a bit of a celebration together in the pub. Unfortunately my mum found out - my fault entirely- I shared a pic that I thought was private and unfortunately my settings were not completely private and another relative told my mum. We are Tier 2 and Mum is tier 3 so it wouldn’t actually be within the law for her to attend a wedding reception anyway. Mum is crying and devastated. My brother texted saying that I am disgusting and he never wants to see me or my fat husband again. He said ‘no wonder your daughter slices her wrists.’ My teen dd has self harmed in the past and we are getting support from CAMHS. I try to give her a stable home with us. Brother does have aggressive tendencies and I try to avoid him, but that was obviously hurtful.

Mum has a history of becoming drunkenly abusive, particularly at events where she isn’t the centre of attention. She didn’t tell my grandad’s children from his first marriage that he had died and so they missed the funeral. At the funeral, one of her friends gave a eulogy that was all about how wonderful my mum was.

At a different event, she got so drunk that she started screaming and shouting and went off in her car!! I had to prevent her taking my dd with her.

She doesn’t see her grandchildren v often - maybe once or twice a year and she shows no interest when she does. She doesn’t babysit and offered no support even when I was a single parent and really really struggling.

She didn’t come with me to my wedding dress fitting because I wanted to bring my dds and friend (before Covid hit) and because I wouldn’t drive 40 minutes in the opposite direction to prick her up so she didn’t have to drive.

She wasn’t a great mum when I was a kid. Stepdad was violent, which she knew and did nothing about. She had affairs and used to bring me along as cover when she met up with these men. She has many many hangers on who adore her and she’s spent a fortune on surgery to look beautiful, but when I was struggling and the dc were small, she never came to see me - even though she lived 5 mins away.

When the rules were changed, I took the opportunity to tell mum that the wedding was postponed. I intended (and still do) to invite her to the blessing and party. But I just wanted to get married without worrying that she would get drunk and abusive, or make it all about her. I was going to tell her in person that we had a small legal ceremony. But now she’s hurt and she’s told all her friends how terrible I am. I’m on honeymoon but am just so devastated and guilty. I can never take this back. I’m meant to be having Christmas dinner with her Sad

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 22/12/2020 17:03

How was your mum going to your dress fitting if she didn't know you were getting married?

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:05

She did know. She was originally invited. The Covid happened so I told her we had postponed it.

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Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:06

I did put that in the OP but sorry if it’s a bit garbled.

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myrtlehuckingfuge · 22/12/2020 17:07

Why are you still in contact with your mum? She sounds absolutely awful. I am not surprised that you got married on the quiet.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:08

I just feel so very guilty. She’s my mum after all and I suppose I struggle to pinpoint what she’s done that’s so bad. There’s just loads of smaller things. You normalise it when you grow up with it.

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 22/12/2020 17:10

I hope you had a lovely wedding. She'll get over it. It sounds as though if it wasn't that it would be something else.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:12

I did, it was beautiful and romantic. Thank you. I just need to put the guilt aside. She hasn’t wished me well since finding out and is now blanking me- so it’s a bit upsetting. Though I suppose I’ve hurt her.

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slipperywhensparticus · 22/12/2020 17:14

Yeah I would use this as an opportunity to reasses the people I allow in my life

myrtlehuckingfuge · 22/12/2020 17:15

I am not an expert on this topic, there are others on here who are but fear, obligation and guilt (the 'fog') appear to clouding your judgement. You have written a list here of negative things that suffice IMO as to what she's 'done wrong'. It is natural to feel guilty but it is utterly understandable as to why you didn't want her there.

akittencalledjesus · 22/12/2020 17:16

Your brother sounds like a peach too. The comment about your daughter is particularly disgusting on his part.

Congrats on you marriage, OP. Time to step back from the crazies and live your life with those who do care about you.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:19

I won’t speak to my brother again. Fine to attack me about the wedding, but there was no need to bring dd into it. I have 3 dc and that side of the family obviously favour my dd and ignore the other two. Yes FOG is exactly what I’m feeling. My aunty (mum's sister) has already gone NC and keeps telling me it’s the only way to be free - but I keep thinking about how terrible I would feel.

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wishywashywoowoo70 · 22/12/2020 17:26

I don't think you have anything to feel guilty about. I don't think she's someone I'd want at my wedding TBH.

You had a romantic personal wedding with no drama. It sounds perfect to me.
Your brother sounds like an idiot just forget his words.

Enjoy your honeymoon and the rest of you married life. Congratulations to you both

ImaginaryCat · 22/12/2020 17:28

My mother was nowhere near as bad as yours, and yet was bad enough that both her brothers went NC with her. The fact your aunt has done the same is very telling. If I were you I'd cut the mother and brother out, and go build a nice relationship with your aunt.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:38

Thank you for the congratulations :) I wish mum would congratulate us too. My aunt has been a great support. She had counselling to help with this as well. She’s said I can’t deal with this on my own. My mum hates all mention of her sister and doesn’t like me having any contact with her.

OP posts:
Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 17:55

It just occurred to me that neither mum's sister nor brother speak to her and now her daughter has married without her. Yet not once has she ever examined her own behaviour.

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Mojofilter · 22/12/2020 18:07

Does she have any redeeming qualities? I'm struggling to see why you are torn about this.

beautifulclouds · 22/12/2020 18:10

OP, I sympathise so much. I think you're spot on when you say growing up like this makes you normalise these things. I feel the same as you, there's so much guilt because you can never pinpoint exactly what was so bad. I think this must be quite common.

Taking you with her when she went to see men does sound like an objectively horrendous and abusive thing to me, though.

I think you were absolutely right not to invite her and I would have done exactly the same in your situation. It's her own fault- it's not like you planned out not inviting her just to be malicious, it's her own behaviour that led to it. Congratulations OP and I'm so glad you had a beautiful romantic ceremony with those closest to you! x

gottakeeponmovin · 22/12/2020 18:13

Hmm you seem to be justifying your decision with she didn't do this, she does this etc etc. At the end of the day she is your Mum and she didn't get invited to your wedding. She is allowed to be upset

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 18:15

Yes I guess I am justifying it. I have never said she isn’t allowed to be upset though. I know she’s upset and I feel awful about it. I did have my reasons though - that’s not ‘justification’. I’m not the sort of person who would ever normally do this and I’ve agonised over it.

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Mojofilter · 22/12/2020 18:16

@gottakeeponmovin

Hmm you seem to be justifying your decision with she didn't do this, she does this etc etc. At the end of the day she is your Mum and she didn't get invited to your wedding. She is allowed to be upset
"Mum has a history of becoming drunkenly abusive, particularly at events where she isn’t the centre of attention"

Are you saying that biology gives someone the right to attend an event like a wedding when it sounds like there's a high chance they will ruin it?

MMM2 · 22/12/2020 18:17

Hmm if I was your mum I dont think I would get over it !

beautifulclouds · 22/12/2020 18:18

I'd say the upset and drama now is just another way to make it all about her again. Mums don't have an automatic 'right' to a central role in their childrens lives. She forfeited it herself through her actions.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 18:18

I haven’t got over being hit so hard that my stepdads handprint came up in bubbles on my leg. Or being kept out till 1 am as a ten or eleven year old while mum snogged random men. Or having her try to pull my terrified eight year old into her car when she was about to drive off drunk.

OP posts:
HighSpecWhistle · 22/12/2020 18:21

Look, you feel guilty because really, of course you should have either spoken to her about it before or invited her.

To just pretend you didn't get married is really not nice.

Unfortunately what's done is done. But all the reasons you've given are kind of irrelevant as while you don't paint a nice picture of her, if you're willing to invite her to your party next year and still choose to have a relationship her, then you should have spoken to her.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 22/12/2020 18:21

Or having to hide a decorative sword while mum and stepdad whacked each other when I was five. I got in the middle and had my lip busted. The difference is, I was a child. I had no choice.

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