Wedding Woes

Ring-Bearer Terror!

My fiance and I have a 3 year old daughter, who is going to be our flower girl.  She is very well behaved and very excited about her role in the wedding.  However, my FI just informed me today that he feels bad about not asking his sister's 4 year old son to be the ring-bearer.  FI seems to think if you have a flower, you must have a ring bearer as well.

HOWEVER, his sisters 4 year old son is an absolute terror!  At every family event he is racing around at top speed, throwing things, having tantrums, and being rude.  And inevitably, he gets our daughter wound up too, so she joins him in the crazy racing all over the house!  At our christmas party he was taking our ornaments and slam dunking them into LIT jar candles, splashing wax everywhere, burning people and making a mess! 

And of course, his mom and dad, my SIL and BIL, are totally in denial about his behavior being so awful.  They have no control over him and don't bother making him behave.  Their house is a landfill because the crazy son gets full run of the house and they just shrug, and pick up after him!

My huge concern is that on the day of the wedding, if this kid is the ring-bearer, he's going to be a disaster.  He'll either refuse to walk down the aisle and scream at the top of his lungs (like he does when his mother asks him to do almost anything) or he'll be a human tornado and run through the church at top speed.  I'm concerned enough about our daughter being shy and remembering what she has to do, and getting her to sit quietly... if she is around this kid before the ceremony chances are good he'll have her totally wired up and crazy before it even begins!

I've told my FI about my concerns but he  says he'll feel guilty unless he asks his sister about it.  I don't think his sister is even going to consider that fact that her son can barely handle daily pre-school, let alone a wedding!  I don't want to be dreading this kid walking down the aisle... what should I do?!

Re: Ring-Bearer Terror!

  • tesskerrtesskerr member
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    I would just have him. If he doesn't want to walk down the aisle, then you haven't lost anything, because if you didn't ask, you wouldn't have had him anyway.
    Also, because the flower girl is shy, and he is not, he might actually have a good influence on getting her to walk down the aisle.
    Have a couple of practices "walking down the aisle" with them, make it a fun game, make a big deal about how great they are doing, how "grown up" they are being. Kids are smart and want to please, even "naughty" ones!
  • DG1DG1 member
    Ninth Anniversary 5000 Comments 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    And what if you don't ask him? It sounds like he would still be a guest at the wedding, in which case he would still quite probably be a holy terror.

    If that's the case, let your FI do this. If it's otherwise adults-only, then please do what you can to understand why your fiance feels the way he does and then determine whether this is a battle worth fighting.

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  • palrmtpalrmt member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    I would just have him as a ring bearer.  No matter what he does at the ceremony (or doesnt do) people will still think its adorable.  My cousin and I were both flower girls in our uncle's wedding when we were 4.  She stood at the back of the church and cried and refused to walk.  Guess what?  We have teased her about it ever since.  But whenever we talk about it, everyone laughs. 

    Remember that no matter what happens, at the end of the day, you will still be married to your best friend and that is all that matters. 

    I do think that the ideas of a couple practice runs would be a good idea.  As well as maybe talking to him and letting him know how important his role is and how much you need him.  That might be enough to calm him down for at least the ceremony.

    Good luck.  HTH
  • hmonkeyhmonkey member
    Ninth Anniversary 10000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    i would ask your fi to respect your feelings, and not ask him.
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  • GBCKGBCK member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
  • Jesse'sGirl17Jesse'sGirl17 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the advice ladies.  I've told my FI about my fears and he said he'll ask his sister if she thinks her son can handle it.  I guess in the long run it may not be worth starting a potential family fight!  He's going to be at the wedding anyway, so maybe I should just grin and bear it. 
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