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Why is it ok for the groom's family to be left out?

posted 2 weeks ago in Etiquette
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    coloradoguy49     

    I'm the father of a groom who will be getting married in August 2010. I am divorced from his mother. We have three other children together another son and two daughters. Since the planning of the wedding me, my ex wife and kids have been left out of a lot stuff despite our efforts of offering to help. The wedding party will consist of the mostly of the bride's family. My son's closest friend will be the best man and the brides brothers and cousin will be groomsmen. My other son is currently deployed in Iraq and won't be back until October 2010. He will be missing the wedding.

    My ex and I are both upset about what has been going with the wedding planning. At first we thought maybe they weren't involving us too much because we are divorced. My ex and I get along well so we don't think that's the reason. Pretty much everyone I have talked to as said that the bride and her family usually have more involvement with stuff and that me and my ex wife's obligation is just to give the rehearsal dinner. I just don't feel that it's right that the groom's family gets left out a lot. I just want to why it seems ok to most people for the groom's family to be left out a lot and have lesser role in a wedding.

     
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    jocelyn3476     New Jersey

    I think how the planning process plays out has a lot to do with how the couple handles it.  You should talk to your son and tell him how you are feeling.  It is up to him and his fiancee to try and involve you more.

     
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    alicia-s   5/29/2010  

    a lot of it may have to do with the involvement of your son.  Men are usually pretty hands off about it, and only do what they're asked .  I've tried to get my groom involved and keep asking him to do stuff, but all the stuff I've done with my Future In Laws, I've initiated myself.  Maybe you should talk to his fiancee and tell her that you're interested in helping and she may be able to delegate some tasks to you.

     
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    CorgiTales   Winter 2010/2011?  Columbus, Ohio

    I think with weddings.. "too many cooks in the kitchen" can be a really bad thing. Usually a bride handles most of the planning with her family. In general (not always, but usually) the groom just doesn't care about the details. I"m sure some brides as for the help of the future FIL, but that could just bring drama with more opinions to consider and feelings to hurt. I'm sure they are not trying to exclude you, they are just doing the traditional thing. 

     
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    Mrs. DG   July 18th, 2009  Seattle/Tahoe

    I would talk to your son about it... My partner's family actually did the bulk of the family work.  They were completely amazing and we were so happy to have their help.  They offered to help in the beginning and then followed up with weekly phone calls so that they were always in the loop.  We couldn't have done it without his family and we were so grateful.

    If the bride is made aware (through her fiance) of your desire, I would hope that you'd be included!

    I'd be thrilled, personally!

     
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    eryepye   03/27/2010  Seattle, getting married in Portland

    Wow, I wish my groom's family wanted to be involved like you do!  We have the opposite going on, I am attempting to include them every which way I am able, but I'm getting a lot of apathy back.  I think it's definitely more common that the bride's family does a lot of the planning, but I don't see how if you would like to help and be involved, why your son and his fiance wouldn't welcome that offer.  Is something else going on?  Have you told your son or his wife to be just how much you'd appreciate being able to help?  I hope it works out for you!

     
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    caszos   6/5/2010  Tallahassee/Melbourne FL

    I feel bad about this as well because I am having my brother and sister in the wedding party but none of his 3 sisters will be in the party.  Granted his 3 sisters are older and all have children as opposed to me and my sister who are relatively close and my brother who is close to my fiance. 

    I think I am going to compromise and try to involve some of his neices and nephews in honor of his family.  Even the two older nieces may help pass out programs or something. 

     
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    Kittyachi   August 2010  NYC / wedding in CT

    I'm sorry you're feeling left out of the planning process but I think it's lovely that you and your ex-wife have a good relationship with one another and want to be a part of the process. I know many people where this was not the case and it was a constant struggle dealing with one parent vs. the other during planning.

    First, do you and your ex-wife have a good relationship with your son's fiance and her family? And who is paying for the wedding? Money is always a touchy subject but if they are paying and you don't have a close relationship with them, they may feel like they aren't obligated to include you and your ex-wife in any of the planning. That's not right of them, but it could possibly be a reason. Have you and your ex-wife spoken with your son about how you're feeling? You should be open about it and let them know that you're feeling excluded. You will all be family soon after all.

     
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    hotchildinthecity   June 12, 2010  Live in NYC, wedding in Albany, NY

    I think you should talk to your son, but it definitely depends a lot on the bride.  FI and I are getting married a few months apart from future brother in law.  My future mother in law is THRILLED because I am involved her so much in planning.   I email her ideas of photos, she's going shopping with my mom and I for bridesmaids' dresses, etc.  My future sister in law, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be involving her so much and she feels bad about that. 

    My fiance pretty much has had nothing to do with any of this.  I've initiated it all.

     
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    lilyfaith   6/24/2012  Lakeview, Chicago

    Funny you post this, because my situation is the opposite! We are including R's family a lot, down to the planning and bridal party. Mostly because I have a huge family, and there's no way I could include everyone. So I think I will have my youngest cousin be a junior bridesmaid, and that's it from my side. 

    Have you expressed how you feel to your son and FDIL? Maybe they're not aware of you wanting to be involved?

     
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    Future Mrs. Martin   Aug 21 2010  London Ontario Canada

    I think it is very sweet that you want to be more involved and I am sorry that you feel left out! I do not think this appropriate and I do no think that all brides and grooms handle planning a wedding in this way!

    I would tell him - it could be as easy as he doesn't think you guys are interested in being involved! It seems like your son's bride might be holding onto the reigns of this wedding seen as her family is monopolizing the wedding party but I am sure if you let him know how you are feeling he will respond accordingly!

    Good Luck!

     
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    artbee   02/28/2010  palm harbor, fl

    like others have said, i think it all depends on the grooms involvement and the fact that there's so many opinions when it comes to weddings. my fi is oddly very involved in our wedding, so we try to involve his parents too. but in reality, we're not invovling anyone but us in most of the process because i learned early that all those opinions overwhelm me. we only involve them by sharing our plans with them. we brought them to our venue, i brought his mom dress shopping, we tell them when we buy wedding stuff or book anything. same as my parents.

     
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    Jacqi   July 10, 2010  Alexandria, VA

    I think a lot of who is involved in the planning depends on who is paying for the wedding and the location of the wedding.

    Also, as one of the previous posters said, my finace doesn't really care much about the planning. I feel like it is the groom's responsibility to involve his side of the family, not the bride's, so therefore my family is more involved in the planning than his.

     
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    smyley     new jersey

    Well...I'm the Mother of the Bride,and we had one daughter's wedding this past June,and the other daughter's wedding will be next May. From MY perspective and so far in my experience with this,we've had exact opposites with groom's families being involved. The June wedding for my younger daughter,the only thing done by the groom's family was the rehearsal dinner. The groom's parents are divorced and both remarried,but his father & stepmother were the only ones who took care of the dinner. We got no help or even offers of help (financially or otherwise) from anyone in the groom's family......and they didn't even come to the bridal shower.

    For my next daughter's wedding,HIS parents have been involved from the beginning. His Mom & I email all the time (they're living in Australia) and contracts,pictures,menus,flowers have all been going back and forth. They have offered to pay for the invitations (about $700.), are paying for the photographer (another $1800.), the bridal party flowers (TBD), the rehearsal dinner (about $800.),the wedding night suite, and are giving them travel miles to go anywhere they want for their honeymoon. We not only paid for everything for DD #1's wedding,we're also paying for everything else (reception,venue,DJ,centerpieces,favors,wedding gown & accessories as well as bridesmaid's dresses...and all misc.) for DD 2's .  All the financial contributions this Groom's family are making are so welcome that it REALLY helps us a lot!

    I know the 'tradition' is for the bride's family is to pay for the wedding,but that's pretty much a thing of the past (as it should be). I think it should either be split by both sets of parents or divided into thirds,with the future couple contributing (especaially the older & more established they are).

    I hate to say this,but you may be excluded from planning & decision making if the bride's family is covering all the expenses. I've heard it on here many times,that if you contribute financially you get a say in what happens. I never asked my future SIL's family...they called us up & offered. That was a great day! :o)

    http://weddings.about.com/od/getorganized/a/WhoPays.htm

    I found this interesting too!

     
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    Mermaid1082   9/4/10  St Louis, MO

    Are you and your ex contributing financially to the wedding?  I think that's a direct correlation.  Since the bride's family traditionally hosts the party, tney take on the lion's share of the planning.

     
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    Mrs. Louboutin   7.10.10  

    I doubt that this is happening intentionally.  Do you live far away from your son and future daughter in law?  Perhaps that is part of the reason.  Also, (I don't want to ruffle any feathers here when I say this), but are you contributing monetarily to the wedding?  If so, then you have a right to have a large portion of say in the wedding planning, but if the bride's parents are paying, they are the ones doing the planning, which makes sense. 

    I think this also has to do with tradition - traditionally, the bride and her family plans the wedding. It is becoming more in fashion for the groom to also help, but I don't think it is typical for the groom's family to be all that involved unless they are helping to pay. 

    What is it specifically that you would like to be more involved in?

    I speak from experience when I say that we are not involving my fiance's family in the wedding planning.  They live 2,500 miles away and also also not contributing towards the wedding other than the rehersal dinner.  To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure how we could involve them.  The groom's borthers are all in the wedding party and we plan to have a son/ mother dance at the wedding, but other than that, I'm not really sure what else they would want to help with.

     
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    DecemberBride   December 5, 2009  Seattle, Washington

    I can say that in the beginning, my fiance's dad wasn't involved as much as the rest of the family, and that's only because we didn't realize he was interested in the wedding stuff. We thought we he found it boring, so we tried to keep the wedding talk to a minimum. Then he called us one day and told us that he wanted to be more involved, and ever since then we've been including him in everything.

    The point, though, is that we were not intentionally trying to be mean or hurtful; we just didn't realize he was interested. That being said, all he had to do was talk to us about it, and we changed it. So my suggestion would be to talk it over with your son.

     

     
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    Miss Sapphire   2010  Seattle

    I have to also echo the financial part.  It's hard to have outside opinions on things that my parents are throwing a large chunk of change at.  It's not that your son doesn't want to include you, it's just that a lot of opinions don't always work well.

     
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    His Barista   09/04/2010  Portland, OR

    You know, my FI's family has been way more invovled than my own. I'm not sure if it's because they are in the state where it is taking place or not. Who knows. I'd talk to your son about it, or even his fiancee if you feel the need. PErsonally I'd be excited to have the extra help!

     
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    FutureMrsMorgan   5/9/09  Los Angeles, CA

    yeah.  thats pretty sucky.  i can sympathize, but also relate to the bride.  1) my husband was not interested at all in any of the wedding details.  so, when his parents called him for updates, he didnt have answers.  i wasnt trying to exclude them, but their son didnt really care about colors or flowers, etc.  2)we paid for the wedding ourselves.  i had a clear vision for what i wanted and didnt want input from anyone (his mother or mine) on how i was spending our money, so again, their wasnt a lot of discussion with his family (or mine) about the details. 3) i get along great with my MIL, but we have VERY different tastes.  after she expressed her disappointment in a couple of my choices, I stopped sharing them with her.

    if this is your first child to get married, i can understand your excitement and desire to be included.  but depending on the age of the couple and your financial contribution, that just may not be realistic.  when you say you want more involvement, what specifically are you looking for?  you want to be consulted on the location and date?  or you want to be there when the bride picks out her dress?  you should probably call your son and discuss your feelings.

     
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    lampshade127   March 27  Houston

    While it's not okay for the groom's family to be left out of the planning (especially intentionally), sometimes it happens.

    It could depend on a lot of different things- where you are living in relation to the wedding, how much planning has actually happened (August is still a ways out there), as well as the personalities of the bride/her mom.

    For us, a big part of it is that his parents are out of town. They have come down 1 time since the planning began which makes it nearly impossible to get them involved. We did show them the ceremony and reception venues before we booked them. We brought different menus and pictures of rehearsal dinner locations up with us when we visited so that they could decide what they wanted to do. All of the other decisions like music, cake, flowers etc. my fiance and I made without the help of either parents.

    My fiance is one of three boys so I know that his parents will never experience all of wedding planning. I try to keep them updated by sending pictures of different things we decided on. I think it's important for the groom's family to not feel like they are just showing up to the event.

    I agree with everyone else, talk to your son about how you would like to be more involved. He is the best one to link you to the wedding plans. Good luck!

     
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    ejs4y8   6/20/2009  STL

    Ah, well, I definitely kinda ended up leaving my husband's family out of the loop for all the reasons mentioned above

    1) too many cooks in the kitchen. Too many ideas=too much stress. It was just easier to pick what we wanted and go with it.

    2) financials. Yes, i often heard "oh you should do htis and this and this...you MUST!" that's nice, where's the $300 coming from? Often there was a significant reason why I chose to do what I did and it was based on money.Are you contributing?

    How do you want to be "included" i guess. Do you just want an update about whats going on with wedding plans? Or do you want to be involved--helping pick out stationary or something?

    Frankly, it stressed me out when I talked wedding with everyone else. Everyone had their own 2 cents to throw in and how i should do it bigger and better and we couldn't afford that so we just were going to do what we wanted to do. Things go much quicker--I didn't even take anyone dress shopping; it's a hassle with all those people in there crooning over me! So maybe it's just the bride is like me--she likes her space and she works best when she puts her nose to the grindstone and doesn't have other people fluttering about? It's likely not personal--some of us are just like that in general. Do you live close to them? Have you offered your services for X, Y, and Z, or are you just waiting for her to reach out to you?

     
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    msmonicka   06*19*2010  Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    you shuold talk to your son

     
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    coloradoguy49     

    My son is paying for most of the wedding. He recently asked me and my ex for about $2,000 each to help with expenses. So we are contributing.  My son estimates that the wedding will be around $8,000. He is putting a lot of money into it. I think the bride's parents contribution is the same amount as me and my ex. But I'm not sure about that. I would feel bit nosy asking my son about that. I live about an hour away from my son. My ex wife retired as an emergency room nurse two years ago but she works two weeks out of the month as a travel nurse for a rehab hospital system. My son probably sees me more than her.

    My son is nvolved in the planning of the wedding. I talked to him on Sunday night and he told me that he and his wife went to a printing store to look over invitations and stuff the day before. The conversation didn't last long because he was at a friend's house watching the World Series. 

    My ex offered to help making wedding favors but my son's fiance said her friends were planning to help her with that.

    I would just like my ex wife and I to have a little more involvement than the rehearsal dinner. My two daughters sort of wanted to be bridesmaids but the bride selected her two cousins and two friends as bridesmaids. I do understand that is pretty common for the bride to select those closest to her but I'm sort of bugged that her two brothers are in the wedding party. Her two brothers actually invited themselves to be in the wedding and my son just let it happen. I do think if my other son wasn't deployed he would have been the best man in the wedding.

    I'm not sure how to approach my son about this. A friend of mine was in a similar situation when his son son got married and when his wife started asking questions fights ensued. I'm a bit leery of talking to my son about this and my ex is also scared to talk to him.

     
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    Miss Sapphire   2010  Seattle

    Ok, first off, while it is a nice gesture to include family members in either side of the wedding party, it is not a must.  Maybe your son didn't just roll over and let her brothers to be in the wedding party.  Maybe he didn't have a lot of close friends, or as many as the bride does.

     

    Second, if the bride has a lot of friends that she can reach out to that are local, she's going to go with them hands down to help with favors and such.  Trying to coordinate a time with a FMIL that is not in town adds a lot of stress, some of which EJS hit upon.

     

    Third, there is a ton of time between now and August.  I find it odd that you are scared to ask your son if there are things that can be delegated out to both you and your ex that can be done without the assistance of the fiancee.

     
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    terremotia   8/29/10  NYC

    If I had to say, I'd guess that she's going to be following your lead on how much she thinks you want to hear and get involved.

    My parents bought me my dress, that's the part that they're interested in. Other than that, they don't bring the wedding up (or anything about it), but seem happy to talk about it if I've got something to say-- so I'm operating under the assumption that they do not want to be involved.

    His mother (his father passed away a few months ago) talks to him rather than to me about the wedding, because most of the input she wants is on making the event more religious. As long as that's the only thing she brings up, that's the only thing we're likely to talk about with her.

    If either set asked about other things/ offered to help with other things, I'd be happy to share/ involve them, but it just feels weird to me to spout wedding details / planning information to people who possibly don't care at all.

     
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    FutureMrsMorgan   5/9/09  Los Angeles, CA

    hmmmm...well that changes everything.  if her brothers are groomsmen, why arent his sisters bridemaids?  I think this can definitely be discussed without causing a fuss.  I say, go straight to the source.  Email the bride.  Rather than tell her youre feeling left out, tell her how excited you are that they are getting married and how much youd like to be involved and get to know her better.  Did she ask you for a guest list for your side of the family yet, or is that already done.  Ask would she mind sending you over a copy of the menu.  Are you going to be wearing a tux?  If yes, go with the groom to pick them out.

    you know, i bet she thinks you arent really that interested.  My husbands dad (and my dad) could care less...they just wanted instructions on what to do.  They had absolutely no opinions.  I think a sweet, fatherly email and a follow up call would do the trick.

     
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    oracle   10-02-2010  Los Angeles

    I think if you approach it from a:  would you consider this - type of communication, it might be better received than: we are hurt that you are not....

    Meaning:  Ask him:  Would you consider having your two sisters in your wedding party?  I know it would mean a great deal to them, and would be a nice symbolism of the joining of the family (note:  they could stand with your son, not with the bride).  

    But, also realize that since they've already picked who they want to stand with them, they've likely already made this decision.  I know it's easy to see this as hurtful, but try not to take it this way.  You have to let it go.  Hopefully, over time, your daughters will develop a relationship with your FDIL.

    About being involved, I think it's great that you are making specific offers to help (ie: with the favors) but it sounds like they have already made decisions about how they'd like to have things done.  It's impossible to include everyone in all planning, and, quite frankly, is sometimes cause of hurt feelings (if the bride doesn't like the ideas, etc.).  

    Are you feeling like you want to have more of an involvement because it symbolizes a closer relationship with your son and your FDIL - or are you genuinely excited about party planning?

    I love my FMIL, but I'm not involving her in planning at all.  I figure it's one less thing for her to worry about, it's one less thing I have to deal with (I'm already bombarded with my family and friends and their well-meaning advice).  I'd MUCH rather hang out with my FMIL, destress or talk about wedding stuff, and just enjoy each other's company  - than fuss about this detail or that.  If you find that what you really are craving is time with your son and your FDIL, than perhaps be intention about getting together with them (it can even be: Let's get together, we'd love to hear how the wedding plans are coming along).  In a low-stress context like that - through regular conversation, you may find ways to become involve by offering your help.  

    I'd definitely NOT tell your son how upset your ex wife and you are because he hasn't made you part of the planning.  That will just put him on the defensive and feel like he has to battle between his fiance and his family.  I think you can bring up the topic in conversation so it allows them to see how much you want to be involved and a role can be discovered through communicating with him.

     

     
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    Jacqi   July 10, 2010  Alexandria, VA

    @coloradoguy- I just realized that the wedding isnt until August 2010. At the beginning stages of planning my family and I'm sure my fiance's family thought they were being left out of the process, when really I didn't even have a set plan in my head, so there is no way I could have delegated responsibilities.

    My suggestion to you is to come up with certain ways that you can be involved in the planning and the wedding itself and then present those ideas to your son and his finacee. As a bride, I can tell you that it is difficult to have to come up with ways to involve people who are feeling like I am not involving them. The bride can't read your mind and doesn't know what you want to help with. Once you try to come up with ways you can help, you may realize that there isn't really much for you to do at this stage in the planning. You could start looking at DJs and emailing ideas to your son.

     
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    pendola     

    We haven't been keeping my FI's family much in the loop because all we get are complaints and negativity from the mom; her past behavior was also considered in why we chose not to divulge everything.

    I think it's great that you and your ex get along...that's grand!  Unfortunately my IL's don't get along and we end up playing favorites, yada yada.  We've asked FMIL to come to various things and she begrudgingly came to one thing; FFIL always says they will do XYZ, come visit, etc but they never have. 

    The bright side is that you have daughters where you will probably be helping a ton!

    Also, 'those who pay have say', while it seems to be becoming popular, not everyone sees it that way so please don't assume...try to find out which your son and FDIL are.

    And at the same time, my family isn't included in as much as the typical bride's family as far as decisions go because they live so far away and it's our wedding.

     
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    Miss Chapstick   September 2009  Chicago, IL

    Hmm, this is tough. One one side, as a woman who just got married recently, I now how hard it is when too many people get involved. I know everyone in our families wanted to help and give opinions, etc., but early on we realized that it just made everything 10 times more complicated and stressful on my husband and I. After a while, we just kind of did everything on our own.

    However, as far as involving family with the big stuff, like being in the actual wedding, we tried to get everyone involved. Granted, we have small  families, but for example, I asked my husband's cousin, who he's close with, to be a bridesmaid, and I didn't ask some close friends to be a bridesmaid ... we kept it in the family, and I really wanted to put an effort into combining the two families.

    So, the way I see it, your son could just be overwhelmed, and might not want too many people involved. However, if you'd like to organize the rehearsal dinner, I would tell your son specifically that you would like to take that over and your gift to him and his fiancee. We let our inlaws do that, and they also paid for it. It was lovely, and we greatly appreciated it. I think not asking the entire family for opinions on things is okay, but involving people with the actual wedding is necessary. At this point, they still have a lot of time, and might not have some things finalized yet. When it gets closer, I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it.

     
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    coloradoguy49     

    I don't want to make my son or his fiance feel bad. My ex wife and I have offered help when we can but usually my son's fiance will right away say something about how  her and her family already looking into things. Like I said above my son is involved with the planning of the wedding. He does have a lot of close friends. I do think he rolled over and just let her brothers be in the wedding.  On the issues of DJ's a friend of the bride will be the DJ. At this point I'm not really sure what else to offer help for. I will be wearing a tux and my son says he will be picking out through the David's Bridal website. 

    One of my daughters is hearing impaired and wears hearing aids so she sometimes thinks that turns her off from my son's fiance. She is still hurt by not being in the wedding party. My other daughter has told me that even if she handed out programs or something she would be ok with that. But so far it seems those little tasks have gone to friends or relatives of the bride.

    This is the first time one of my children is getting married so yes I am excited about this. I do have a close relationship with my son.  So this thing is hurting me quite a bit.

     
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    spaniel     

    Have you and your ex talked to your son and the bride about feeling left out? It's possible that they don't even know that you feel that way. I'd say that this might happen because the bride usually takes over most of the planning, and that's something that she would typically involve her own parents in more than her fiance's. If your son is actively planning with her, though, it would make sense for his parents to be more involved if they wanted to be.

    It also depends on what you mean by "involved," though. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you help contribute financially to the wedding, but I think you can only have so many actual planners involved in the final results otherwise things get out of control. The concept of "too many cooks in the kitchen" definitely applies.

     
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    starcharades   12/31/11  New York

    I think it depends on the couple. At the beginning of our planning we tried to have everyone included in everything. That just gave us both a ton of stress and anxiety. For the caterer we decided no one goes but us. For everything else we decided certain people would be involved in certain aspects. We are telling everyone everything. But my dad is going to help with music, my mom with the dress, his dad with alcohol/transportation and his mom with flowers. This way everyone can have a part without there being a bazillion voices all at once.

     
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    adias.angel   12-11-2010  Destination Wedding - Riviera Maya, MX

    I have to agree with everyone, talk to your son and soon-to-be daughter in law.  I was so happy to include my fiance family in the planning but they had to tell me what they wanted to be part or outside the rehersal dinner.

     
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    smyley     new jersey

    Scared to talk to him about this because there may be an argument? From what you've just said, it sounds like the only thing really bothering you both is that your daughters weren't asked to be in the wedding while her brothers were. Maybe she's closer to them (even if they invited themselves to be in it!) than your son is to his sisters. I think the 'right' thing to do would be to have family members from each side,but unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way.

    I'm curious about their ages and where they live? Together? Closer to her family? How long has he been away from home? I guess it would be helpful to know how close he is to your entire family, and how well you know his fiance. My future SIL thinks his only sister is a ditz,but my daughter insisted she be in the wedding,just as she's having her own sister as MOH....equal family members.

    If your son is paying for most of the wedding (I don't understand how if you & your wife are contributing $4000. & her family the same,you think),but if he is (or they are), it sounds like they're doing most of the decision making & planning themselves. I guess all you can do is offer to help them in any way they need you to, and let them take it from there.

    Good luck!

     
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    snmcdowell   9-13-08  Chicago

    I would not be hurt that your daughters are not bridesmaids even though her brothers are groomemen. Being a bridesmaid is a hugely intimate task that I would only be comfortable giving to my very closest friends. Being a bridesmaid involves dressing the bride (a very personal and intimate moment) as well as hosting the bachelorette party (which can be very intimate too). These are not times to include someone merely out of obligation. It is different for the guys as they don't really dress the groom etc.

     
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    gamblina   5.29.10  detroit/lansing

    i am doing most of the planning with my bridesmaids and my mom, really my fiance hasn't been that involved (i think we both like it that way):) i am trying to include his family as much as i can, but i worry that they'll feel left out too...my fi and i have been together for 6 yrs so i know his family pretty well. i asked his sister (who is 38 to be a bridesmaid and her 3 daughters to be my juniors). his parents are really good dancers so they are going to give us some "lessons" so we don't look like fools, and we'll have a lot of 70's music for them. i also suggested that my fh and his father go to choose the tuxes together. i'm also making sure to get their favorite brand of wine to serve...

    i think for me it's touchy b/c i don't want them to feel as if we are asking for more financial help so i've tried to come up with other ways to include them. i think it's really nice that you and your ex-wife have offered to help, but sometimes it's probably easliest for the bride to bang tasks out herself. maybe you could try to be specific with what exactly you think you'd like to help with and see what she says. if she shoots you down than just tell her, "ok, hopefully i can think of another way to help because i would really like to be more involved". that should do it i would think. you could also talk to your son. i'd leave out the hurt feelings part, but just that you want to find a way to be more involved with planning a great day for them:) they sound really appreciate that!!!

     
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    coloradoguy49     

    My son is close to his sisters and brother. My son who is in Iraq is 28 and my son who is the groom is 24. His sisters are 26 and 21. They are all close to each other. My son has never lived out of my state and neither have my two daughters. My son the Marine is only one to live out of state. He didn't have a big desire to go to college so he joined the Marines. My other kids remained in state for college because they didn't want to bog me or if my ex down with out-of-state tutition.

    The bride does seem close to her brothers. But I think my son is just as close to his sisters as the bride is to her brothers. The bride is 27 and her brothers are in their early 30's.

    As I mentioned in one of my previous posts I'm not sure about how much the bride's parents are contrubuting and at this point the total cost of wedding hasn't been determined.

     
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    Remi   04/10/2010  California

    Sorry to say, but I really enjoy wedding planning, and don't really want help from anyone (except for occasional advice from my mom/sisters). 

    As a bride-to-be, it's difficult to involve everyone in the wedding planning.  I have encouraged my fiance to talk to his dad about it because all we got from him was "congratulations on your engagement."  No questions about when/where, etc.  It took several tries before my fiance was actually able to engage his father in what we're doing as far as planning. 

     

    I don't like that she is not including your daughters in the wedding.  You should tell your son that his sisters are very upset. 

     

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