Wedding Woes

I need a sympathetic ear...

So, I am less than one week from my wedding and I am at the point now where I really wish I could build a time machine and go back in time to before I started planning my wedding and just elope instead! There has been so much drama that I am not even looking forward to our actual wedding day anymore! I love my fiance more than ever and cannot wait to be his wife but I am seriously over the drama...especially from my family. What's done is done at this point and I know that. I just need some place to vent and maybe get some reassurance that other brides have gone through the same or similar situations and it all turned out okay. I feel like I should also note that my fiance and I are paying for 99% of our wedding. Fiance's mom is paying for food because she is cooking it and won't let us pay. Fiance and I are paying for everything else.

There are a million things I wish I could talk about but I am going to stick to one: My mother.


I have a pretty good relationship with my mother for the most part but ever since I have started the wedding planning, I feel like my relationship with her is deteriorating. She is constantly comparing how much she gets to do versus how much fiance's family gets to do. Its driving me nuts. Fiance's mom is doing all the food for the reception so I told my mom that she would be helping me with the decor. She was really excited and I thought that would make everything better. We brainstormed together on the direction I wanted to go and I thought we were having the same vision. I called her one night to talk about the uplighting I wanted to rent and the idea I had for the ceiling. I showed her pictures, I asked for her opinion on it, she seemed to really like it so I went ahead and rented/bought the items I would need. Then this morning she calls me to talk about the schedule for everything and starts telling me how I have hurt everyone's feelings because I haven't let them do everything for the wedding. She says its not fair that I didn't let her plan the decor and this wedding is not just me and my fiance's wedding but hers and my dad's and my fiance's parents wedding too.

Now, I will admit that I am a control freak. Its true. Not just about the wedding but about a lot of things. Its part of who I am. I decided to do a lot of DIY for my wedding because it would save some money and because I like to do crafty stuff. Because of my control issues, and the fact that I live 3 hours away from majority of my bridesmaids, I did most of the DIY stuff myself. My MOH and another bridesmaid who live up here did help me on some things but the rest of my bridesmaids and my mother really didn't get to. I know this wasn't how my mother pictured the planning of the wedding for her first engaged daughter, but this is how it worked out. She texted my fiance after the phone call today and said she was sorry if she hurt me but that she felt I needed to know her feelings. I agree that she should be able to tell me her feelings about everything, but I don't feel like a week before the wedding when everything is already done, is the right time to do it. It doesn't change anything other than the fact that now I just feel upset.

I just don't understand why having strong opinions about my own wedding and wanting to do most of it myself makes me a bad person. I wasn't mean to other poeple when they had suggestions. I just told them that while they were good/cool/pretty ideas, they weren't really fitting with the vision I had in my head.

At this point, I want to elope and say forget the big ceremony and reception. I feel like the memory of the wedding will forever be marred by all these negative feelings I am having now.

:o(

P.S.- Sorry for the novel-length post.

 

Re: I need a sympathetic ear...

  • I would be cool if my friend wanted to do everything by herself.

    <says the girl that was folding programs at 1 am for the last wedding I was in>

     

    Do you, sista. Just know that if you get to the eleventh hour don't start wigging out because you don't have any help finishing all of your diy projects.

    image
  • SBminiSBmini member
    500 Love Its 1000 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    I've only been engaged for two months, but I can say with complete certainty that there is nothing you can do to make everyone happy and you best just stop trying. It only drives you crazy while your good intentions are lost on everyone else. It is your wedding and if your mom is not satisfied with her role that's her pity party, not yours. Try to move past this and don't let her drama ruin your day.
    image
  • I could tell you my story that's if you'd like to hear it. It might help to see that things can be good even in the middle of all the complicated dramas that go with family and planning a wedding. And as long as you keep in mind that there are brides that would love to vent right along with you. And might just use this page to do so. But I understand about how people can be brats.
  • LAM524LAM524 member
    100 Love Its 100 Comments First Anniversary First Answer
    Kelli8885 said:

    So, I am less than one week from my wedding and I am at the point now where I really wish I could build a time machine and go back in time to before I started planning my wedding and just elope instead! There has been so much drama that I am not even looking forward to our actual wedding day anymore! I love my fiance more than ever and cannot wait to be his wife but I am seriously over the drama...especially from my family. What's done is done at this point and I know that. I just need some place to vent and maybe get some reassurance that other brides have gone through the same or similar situations and it all turned out okay. I feel like I should also note that my fiance and I are paying for 99% of our wedding. Fiance's mom is paying for food because she is cooking it and won't let us pay. Fiance and I are paying for everything else.

    There are a million things I wish I could talk about but I am going to stick to one: My mother.


    I have a pretty good relationship with my mother for the most part but ever since I have started the wedding planning, I feel like my relationship with her is deteriorating. She is constantly comparing how much she gets to do versus how much fiance's family gets to do. Its driving me nuts. Fiance's mom is doing all the food for the reception so I told my mom that she would be helping me with the decor. She was really excited and I thought that would make everything better. We brainstormed together on the direction I wanted to go and I thought we were having the same vision. I called her one night to talk about the uplighting I wanted to rent and the idea I had for the ceiling. I showed her pictures, I asked for her opinion on it, she seemed to really like it so I went ahead and rented/bought the items I would need. Then this morning she calls me to talk about the schedule for everything and starts telling me how I have hurt everyone's feelings because I haven't let them do everything for the wedding. She says its not fair that I didn't let her plan the decor and this wedding is not just me and my fiance's wedding but hers and my dad's and my fiance's parents wedding too.

    Now, I will admit that I am a control freak. Its true. Not just about the wedding but about a lot of things. Its part of who I am. I decided to do a lot of DIY for my wedding because it would save some money and because I like to do crafty stuff. Because of my control issues, and the fact that I live 3 hours away from majority of my bridesmaids, I did most of the DIY stuff myself. My MOH and another bridesmaid who live up here did help me on some things but the rest of my bridesmaids and my mother really didn't get to. I know this wasn't how my mother pictured the planning of the wedding for her first engaged daughter, but this is how it worked out. She texted my fiance after the phone call today and said she was sorry if she hurt me but that she felt I needed to know her feelings. I agree that she should be able to tell me her feelings about everything, but I don't feel like a week before the wedding when everything is already done, is the right time to do it. It doesn't change anything other than the fact that now I just feel upset.

    I just don't understand why having strong opinions about my own wedding and wanting to do most of it myself makes me a bad person. I wasn't mean to other poeple when they had suggestions. I just told them that while they were good/cool/pretty ideas, they weren't really fitting with the vision I had in my head.

    At this point, I want to elope and say forget the big ceremony and reception. I feel like the memory of the wedding will forever be marred by all these negative feelings I am having now.

    :o(

    P.S.- Sorry for the novel-length post.

     

    The very best advice, thus far, that I have read on TK about our happiness for our wedding is that "no one is as happy about it as we are." Its so true! They cant be, its not theirs. I have a similar situation with my mother. This bit of advice really put things into perspective for me and helps with expectations. Spares me from hurt I would have otherwise felt had I not read it.

    If you wanted to elope you would have but it wasnt in your heart. Its the negative experiences and feelings screaming at you. Dont let the stress steal your joy! :) You and FI deserve better. Have a wonderful week! Best wishes!

    tinkerbell gif photo: Tinkerbell stuck in keyhole animated gif Peterpan2_coince9e.gif
  • Thank you so much for all your input, ladies! I meant to reply sooner but everything just got so crazy! I had my wedding this past Saturday and everything turned out absolutely perfect! My mother and I had a heart to heart a few days before the wedding where she apologized and explained her feelings in a less hurtful way. The wedding came and went by so fast in a loved-filled blur! I couldn't be any happier with how everything worked out!

    Bottom line: All the stress over the last year or so was completely worth it! Everything worked out in the end!

    Thanks again, ladies!
  • Glad to hear it all turned out!  I'm facing my own mother woes so glad to know that I'm not alone :)

    Congrats!!

  • Thanks! And I am sure everything will work out with your mother too! Things tend to fall into place eventually! :o)
  • I can totally sympathize.  There has been so much family drama that has gone on, that I am really just not looking forward to the wedding at this point.  It's sad, but I just want it to be over.  My mom keeps saying that things will all work out, but I am skeptical at this point.  I really feel like a lot of people have ruined the "fun" wedding planning experience for me. 

    I am very happy to hear though that things worked out and that you had an amazing day!! That's all that matters!!

     Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I know it is hard to believe at this point, but your mother is right! It will all work out! Even all the little things that go wrong the day of the wedding (and there will be a few), nothing takes away from that moment when you are walking down the aisle and you see your best friend waiting for you. It truly makes it all worth it!
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