Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul

Is she, or isn't she? (long)

So, after reading Shan's post about her BM advice, I figured I should voice my concern about one of mine...or, well, I'm not really sure IF she is a BM or not.

I asked the girls and my Man of Honor within a week of getting engaged (back in September) if they would be my BM's. All except one confirmed relatively quickly. The other, well, she is a little more complicated. I sent her an "ecard" asking her to be my BM, as I did wtih all the other girls. She never responded directly, so after about half a week, I texted her asking if she got my email. She responded that she did, but that she wanted to talk to me in person about it. I said that was fine, and about a week or so later, we met at a coffee shop to talk that, among other life/catching-up things. I asked her if she had made a decision and she more or less completely avoided the question. I brushed it off, figuring she was still deciding, and knowing of her financial issues, I understood and didn't want to pressure her.

Fast forward about 2 weeks, we arranged to get together again, at my apartment. I had asked her if she had decided on being a BM, and she said she wanted to talk to me more about that, and how it pertained to her concerns about her "illness"..... Ok her newly diagnosed illness was in August, and the doctor told her she has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) ... She is being a little bit of a drama queen about it, and I feel bad for saying that because it is never fun to have a condition like that. BUT, I feel like she is making it into something way bigger than it needs to be for everyone else to know about it. (She made a Facebook post for everyone to see that she had this new illness and how she doesn't want anyone to judge her if she can't eat something or if she wants to stay home etc.... she basically made it sound like she had cancer instead of problems in the bathroom)
After hanging out again, she still never directly answered the question as to whether she would be a BM or not, using her illness as an ambiguous answer.

Now, I am not getting married until January of 2012, and I really do want her to be a BM. She is my first friend I've ever had, and since she is a year younger than me, we have been friends literally since she was born. (Her dad has been lifelong friends with mine) We grew up together and while we've had times of distance, we aren't at that type of place right now and I consider her one of my closest friends. It would mean a lot for me to have her in the wedding. Her finances are extremely rocky and if that was her prime concern, I would have no qualms about paying for her dress, because it means that much to me for her to be there. I guess I'm just wondering what you girls think is a reasonable time frame to wait for a response... I am not planning on retracting the invitation because I think that is incredibly tacky and rude. I feel like it is also rude to give an ultimatim but there is a certain point in planning that I need to know the actual count of BM's that I have.... blargh..any advice?
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Re: Is she, or isn't she? (long)

  • SSaltzman87SSaltzman87 member
    2500 Comments Third Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    I think it's way too early to tell, especially since your wedding's in January 2012. I'd let it go for right now, she obviously has other things on her mind. If you keep bringing it up, you're asking for a falling out.


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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_she-isnt-she-long?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:f6150ec2-53a5-47f6-856c-6d3223d22894Post:60af6bf1-8369-4f0b-a28a-485a385dcb00">Re: Is she, or isn't she? (long)</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think it's way too early to tell, especially since your wedding's in January 2012. I'd let it go for right now, she obviously has other things on her mind. If you keep bringing it up, you're asking for a falling out.
    Posted by SSaltzman87[/QUOTE]


    Yeah, I agree it's pretty early in planning, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy in letting her have a lot of time to respond. You make a good point about the falling out thing.
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  • edited December 2011
    She's probably a little overwhelmed with her new diagnosis... 2 of my BMs actually also have IBS, and once you learn to manage it, it really doesn't have to interfere with your life.  One of them, though, at her bachelorette party a few years ago, had a bad unexpected flare up and I literally had to pay the guy at the little convenience store downtown next to Sneaky Pete's to let her use their employees-only bathroom emergently!! 

    I bet once your friend gets used to the changes she'll have to make in her diet/lifestyle, she will realize that it doesn't have to keep her from being in your wedding.  If it comes up again, just let her know that you understand its kind of a scary thing she's going through and that you two can revisit the BM decision in a few months when she knows more about how its going - maybe even set a date to talk about it again so she knows its coming?

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  • edited December 2011
    P.s..... Not to make light of the situation, but BM in my work-world stands for "bowel movement".... sorta ironic?  :)

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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_she-isnt-she-long?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:f6150ec2-53a5-47f6-856c-6d3223d22894Post:3e12f220-fd03-4612-ac03-2b874f5f9336">Re: Is she, or isn't she? (long)</a>:
    [QUOTE]She's probably a little overwhelmed with her new diagnosis... 2 of my BMs actually also have IBS, and once you learn to manage it, it really doesn't have to interfere with your life.  One of them, though, at her bachelorette party a few years ago, had a bad unexpected flare up and I literally had to pay the guy at the little convenience store downtown next to Sneaky Pete's to let her use their employees-only bathroom emergently!!  I bet once your friend gets used to the changes she'll have to make in her diet/lifestyle, she will realize that it doesn't have to keep her from being in your wedding.  If it comes up again, just let her know that you understand its kind of a scary thing she's going through and that you two can revisit the BM decision in a few months when she knows more about how its going - maybe even set a date to talk about it again so she knows its coming?
    Posted by jenn920[/QUOTE]


    That's a good point, and I'm guessing that it a good guess on why she is hesitant...my mom also brought up the point that she may get more used to it and in better control over it. I'm hoping that when she does, she will be willing to talk more about it. I love her to death and don't want her to feel like she has to miss out on being a BM because of it.

    and I definitely LOL'ed at the BM reference, haha!
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  • maybe984maybe984 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Yeah... give her some time. It does sound like she's being a bit of a drama queen (this may be TMI... but I've had IBS my whole life and have never been afraid to leave the house because of it!) but if the diagnosis is relatively new, maybe she's just overwhelmed. However, I would think that something else is going on here. Some time, when you're spending time with just her, bring the topic back up in a gentle way. Ask her what she's afraid will happen if she's in the wedding. It may come out that it's some other issue entirely. But again... you DO NOT need to do this right away.
  • tpender13tpender13 member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Yeah, I would wait until after the holidays. You've got a ton of time, so give her awhile to get used to things and I'm sure it will get better. Or it won't - maybe your friendship has changed... Either way, I would just not bring it up for awhile, and see what happens.

    GL!
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  • edited December 2011
    My advice is to be a little more sensitive about her IBS. I have it, and so does one of my closest friends (one of my BMs). It has caused her not to leave the house sometimes. It can "flare up" during stressful times, so sometimes you can't control it or predict when it'll happen. Because you don't have it, you might not realize how debilitating it can be.

    For the record, there is no "cure" for IBS, and medications can only attempt to help -- they can't stop it completely.
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