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Wedding Etiquette Forum

Weddiquette - Invitation to nearby shower, not distant wedding?

My FMIL is very generously throwing a bridal shower for me, largely planning all the details & handling the associated costs. I'm looking forward to the social & traditional aspect, though Fi and I don't need much - we've lived together for nearly 2 years.

My concerns- This is truly her party to throw and she has control of the guest list.
She has a very extended family (cousins whom Fi doesn't really know) and friends from work (we've met maybe a few) she plans to invite, but Fi and I are actually planning our wedding event for 75-80 guests - which is all spacing allows for at our venue. We just cannot invite all of them with such limited space. 
She acknowledges this. 

...BUT, because our wedding will be about 2 hours away from where most of these folks live, she thinks most of the shower guests would choose not come to the wedding if invited, so it's ok to invite them to the shower. I disagree, and think it's inappropriate to invite them to a shower when we physically will not have the space to even invite them to the wedding. When I brought this up, it seemed as if she took it as me not wanting to have a shower or appreciating the gesture. 
What should I do? I don't want to hurt her feelings but I don't think it's right to have a shower full of guests we aren't inviting to our wedding.

Re: Weddiquette - Invitation to nearby shower, not distant wedding?

  • I think you and your FI need to sit with her and thank her for throwing the shower, but explain it is against etiquette to invite people to the shower who are not invited to the wedding.  Give her a copy of wedding guestlist so she knows who she could invite.
  • That seems like a tough situation. Maybe she's just really caught up in the excitement of planning your shower? When my mother was initially talking about the guests invited to my shower she mentioned wanting to invite her friends from work. I had the same reaction as you, and asked her not to invite them. When she thought about it she realised that I was right. 

    Maybe you should say something like "I would hate for all of those people to feel obligated to bring a gift to the shower and then not get an invitation to the wedding." 
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_weddiquette-invitation-to-nearby-shower-not-distant-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d7105f53-20b3-40ec-90bf-a70384842df5Post:578514cd-cf5c-42b3-b255-dc839695281f">Re: Weddiquette - Invitation to nearby shower, not distant wedding?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think you and your FI need to sit with her and thank her for throwing the shower, but explain it is against etiquette to invite people to the shower who are not invited to the wedding.  Give her a copy of wedding guestlist so she knows who she could invite.
    Posted by HockeyFan4[/QUOTE]

    <div>Agree.</div>
  • Just be careful how you approach her (potential) breech in ettiquette.   I think it's important to stress how uncomfortable you would feel having people at the shower who cannot be invited to the wedding, and emphasize that you think people will be hurt if they go out of their way to attend (and buy a gift for) a shower, then aren't invited to the wedding.   It's generally impolite to point out others' rudeness or instruct them on proper manners (unless they ask your advice).   

    If your FMIL insists on her guest list, you can always decline the shower.
    DSC_9275
  • Decline the shower if she won't listen. As you, the bride, will look bad if she hosts a shower with non-wedding guests.

    Planning Bio
    Married 9/15/11

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    *This is Not Legal Advice*
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