My fiance is British, and I am American, and we always planned on having an intimate wedding ceremony. We invited 24 guests to our wedding in the United States, but out of all of his friends (who are British), all of them RSVP-ed "no", except for his best man, his parents, and his sister. He invited only his closest friends and their partners, but they are not attending -- not because they can't afford it but because the couples all have small children who they say they can't leave behind or take travelling -- this includes his best friend (and invited groomsman) who he has had since he was 11 years old. As of now, we have 14 of my guests attending and only 4 of his. He is bitter and disillusioned, but I don't know how to make him feel any better. He can't imagine getting married without his best friends there and is extremely upset -- saying that none of it matters to him anymore and that we should have eloped. He even attended the wedding of his best mate -- both when the man eloped to Vegas, and when he got married for a second time to a different bride in the UK. We have already put deposits down on the venue, minister, bar, and transporation. Is there anything that any of you can think of to make him feel better? How would you feel, if, literally, all of your friends bailed on your wedding? I understand that having small children is a good excuse to not travel overseas, but how do you make him feel better that his wedding consists of none of his side, especially when he doesn't care for small children anyway? I proposed having a pub party the next time that we visited the UK, but he insists that it isn't the same . . . He also doesn't care very much for my family, as my mother was very rude, when we announced our engagement. We are not that young, but in our early 30s and expect most people to be able to make it.