Snarky Brides

FIL is Bad Mouthing Us Again

Okay so, before I get into this, know that when I first got engaged and we talked to our parents about how we were planning a smaller wedding so we could afford a honeymoon, my parents and his parents both offered to contribute. My parents are pretty much picking up half the tab (which I love, gotta say, huge weight off my shoulders). His mother is giving us 100 a month (so sweet of her to offer) and his dad offered 20 a month, (which was totally fine).

Later he had a huge fight with my fiance about how it was completely irresponsible for us to get married when we are students and only working part time (we've been together for 10 years, saved up, and although our jobs are technically part time we are both working 35 hours a week) and how he was selfish for even expecting any kind of money out of him (which he definitely didn't). My fiance let fly a whole bunch of pent up rage he had left over from issues with his father from the past (Such as moving to a different city when my fiance was a month away from HS graduation and just expecting him to find somewhere to live, and later moving to another state without thinking about my FI's little sister who barely sees her dad as it is) 

So after a bit of time passed they started to talk again and my FI just decided he was going to let it go, even though the things his dad said were really really mean, he decided it wasn't worth it. They didn't talk a lot but they did try to chat sometimes. We invited him to everything, even though we knew he wasn't going to come because we wanted him to feel involved.  (My FI was really sad when we had the food tasting though because his dad is a chef and he always dreamed of him coming to the tasting with him so he could offer his opinion) 

Now, just recently, his sister came over to hang out with us after spending a week or two at her dad's. She told my FI that her dad had said to her that we are irresponsible children and he can't believe we are going through with this poorly planned "white" wedding (really not sure what that means) when we are so fiscally irresponsible and he's sure it will fail. I have no idea what he is talking about, we are both very financially smart about this entire thing. We planned this wedding with only our contribution in mind so that if something happens to my parents contribution or his mom we can still afford it (although maybe a honeymoon in the states instead). The entire thing shouldn't cost more then a few thousand, which is really good in my area, and we have our head screwed on really straight about priorities. It's really upsetting to me and my fiance that he's still bad mouthing us after FI extended an olive branch and tried to work past the cruel things he said.

Another thing is, my FI and I have been together since 8th grade. His mother was really jealous of me because he's the youngest boy and she feared I'd take him away (she'd say really mean things to me, a little 13 year old innocent kid about dressing like a slut or being a stuck up bitch.... yeah not a very sane woman) but I was relatively close with his dad. The same is true with FI. He loves his mom a lot but he can't get over how she treated me for the first 4 years of our relationship (she's a lot better now) and he was always really close to his dad for his first 18 years. It's getting so bad right now that I don't know if his dad is even going to show up at the wedding and I really don't want my love to have his heart broken like that. 



TL;DR? Father in Law is bad mouthing us and the wedding and now I'm concerned that he won't go. Is there anything I can do to help? 

Re: FIL is Bad Mouthing Us Again

  • The best thing you can do is stay out of it. These do not sound like mentally stable people. Whatever his dad decides, you have no control over and nothing you do will change that. Just ignore the trash talk, be gracious, don't respond, and realise your Fi may need a little extra love and support right now.
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    After all that shit do you think it's a good idea for him to be there??? *HUGS* The best thing I think to do is to talk about it with him, let him know your feelings about it all, and then sit tight and let him handle it. And avoid them as much as possible, don't respond and be civil. It will aggravate the shit out of them.


    I have a similar situation about my MIL who is just the nastiest. I have been with FI since I was 13 as well, and she says the exact same things. I am still really struggling on letting FI just deal with all of it rather then try to control how the conversation goes or whatever. I just tell him my feelings and then support him in any way possible. And block her on my phone and email. She was giving me panic attacks from the constant nasty shit she sent to me all day. I wish she wouldn't come to our wedding or be near me at all for the rest of my live, but unfortunately she is FI's mother so I suppose I must shut my mouth and hold on to my sanity and let him take care of it. He has almost no relationship with her now, except being civil during the holidays. We are still very close with his siblings and father. 
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  • esstee33esstee33 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2014
    Yeah, I'm not sure why you would even want this dick nugget at your wedding when he can't even tolerate the idea of it now. He clearly has some issues he needs to work through, and that's not your responsibility or your FI's. The best thing you guys can do is to step back, remove yourself from the situation, and let FFIL feel his feelings until he's tired himself out. 

    If you're still accepting money from him for the wedding, btw, I'd stop doing that, too. 

    ETA: Ah, yeah, given the new info from @southernbelle0915, I'm wholly unsurprised he's ranting about finances. He may have been offended that you asked about his contributions, he may believe that you can't afford the wedding you're planning, or whatever else. I still think the best thing to do is just stop talking to him about the wedding, period. If he's contributing monetarily still and he has input on something, absolutely listen and take that into consideration, but I would not make it a point to include him in the planning if he's going to use it as leverage to be disparaging. 
  • esstee33 said:
    Yeah, I'm not sure why you would even want this dick nugget at your wedding when he can't even tolerate the idea of it now. He clearly has some issues he needs to work through, and that's not your responsibility or your FI's. The best thing you guys can do is to step back, remove yourself from the situation, and let FFIL feel his feelings until he's tired himself out. 

    If you're still accepting money from him for the wedding, btw, I'd stop doing that, too. 

    ETA: Ah, yeah, given the new info from @southernbelle0915, I'm wholly unsurprised he's ranting about finances. He may have been offended that you asked about his contributions, he may believe that you can't afford the wedding you're planning, or whatever else. I still think the best thing to do is just stop talking to him about the wedding, period. If he's contributing monetarily still and he has input on something, absolutely listen and take that into consideration, but I would not make it a point to include him in the planning if he's going to use it as leverage to be disparaging. 
    Yeah, ditto this 100%. 
  • This is me to your FFIL

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    PPs have given great advice. I am just here with hugs.

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  • The previous post about this was just about the wedding speech so I gave a really brief introduction this is what I said "So when my fiancee and I were talking about budget for our wedding we both talked to our parents to see how much they could contribute. "  This conversation was already after both sets of parents said they wanted to help us with our wedding. So first, we talked about how we wanted a small wedding and they all said they wanted to contribute, likely due to us having a bigger family and wanting everyone included. Then, later, we talked about budget and they told us the amount they could contribute. I think I said that in the previous post like ten times. I only gave a really rough explanation because that's not what that post was about. 

    We have never asked him for anything. He offered and then when he realized that he couldn't afford it he got defensive and instead of calmly telling my fiance like an adult he lashed out and made it about my fiance being irresponsible getting married at all. I believe a part of it is because he found out his ex-wife was contributing and he didn't want to feel like a bad father in comparison but either way I can tell you with 100% certainty that we never requested anything from him except for when he said he wanted his 50 to go to a very specific thing and my fiance said we would be paying that soon.... that's it and it's not really requesting so much as letting him know if he wanted to be a part of that aspect of the wedding. 

    But thank you for your help. I agree that this is probably up to my fiance to deal with but I just feel really bad that he is going through this and I wish I could help in some way. 


     
  • I just found out that by him saying he can't believe we are going through with this whole "white wedding" that means that it's because I'm not a virginal bride we shouldn't have a formal wedding (I seriously didn't know that's what a white wedding was) Now I'm really offended. My fiance and I waited 5 years to have sex, until well after we graduated high school because I didn't want to do it in high school. Him implying anything negative about me is totally surprising. In my group I'm the good girl (in a group of good girls) and I'm still totally confused that anyone would have any kind of negative comment about that. 

    He's not even religious and he's been married twice. What the heck. 
  • Like @beethery said, return his money ASAP.

    IF your FI & FFIL want to work out their issues they need to see a counselor.

    If he were my father we'd have a serious discussion about boundaries re: my fiance, my wedding, and my marriage and I'd reconsider inviting him to the wedding at all.  
    Formerly known as flutterbride2b
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  • I just found out that by him saying he can't believe we are going through with this whole "white wedding" that means that it's because I'm not a virginal bride we shouldn't have a formal wedding (I seriously didn't know that's what a white wedding was) Now I'm really offended. My fiance and I waited 5 years to have sex, until well after we graduated high school because I didn't want to do it in high school. Him implying anything negative about me is totally surprising. In my group I'm the good girl (in a group of good girls) and I'm still totally confused that anyone would have any kind of negative comment about that. 

    He's not even religious and he's been married twice. What the heck. 
    This is what you need to say to your FFIL when he starts that bullshit: "Your problems with me are not my problems." Or just think it, so that you don't waste your time getting into a confrontation with him. Also important lesson I learned from dealing with my own psycho bitch sister: the shit people say about you is their own shit; it doesn't make any of it true. 

    Obviously FFIL is just lashing out because he has his own issues. Those are HIS issues. That doesn't make YOU any less of a person. I know it sucks and I know it hurts, but you gotta ignore the shit he says. It doesn't change you, it doesn't change your life, it doesn't change the love between you and your FI, it doesn't matter. Not one bit. 
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  • I'd hope like hell the old man doesn't come. Maybe that's why I'm not too tight with my family - I refuse to accept BS and will slice someone right out of my life without a thought.

    Achievement Unlocked: Survived Your Wedding! 
  • I kind of hope he doesn't come either. My father is pretty furious about the whole thing.

    But the man didn't actually contribute any money at all so it would be an empty envelope, but it still might send the message I'm looking for. Thanks everyone, I was pretty ticked off. 
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