Wedding Etiquette Forum

Destination Wedding Invite Drama

Hi All,

This is my first post, and it's a little long winded, so I apologize...but this topic is giving me anxiety!

At the beginning of summer, I was asked to be a bridal attendant in a friend's wedding.  She assured me I would only have to help set up (which I did). She also mentioned she was asking me because she couldn't have anymore bridesmaids but wanted me to be included on the boat the bridal party (which my then boyfriend, now fiance was a part of) was taking between the ceremony and reception (3 hours).  On the day of the wedding, I found out from her mother that I would not be allowed on the boat, rather I would be serving drinks to guests at her wedding reception.  I did not feel as though this is part of the bridal attendant duties (they had caterers?) and refused to do it.   This obviously created tension between us and we have not talked since and don't see us resolving matters in the near (or far) future.  I have heard from our mutual friends that she has no interest in being my friend anymore. 

Fast forward to my engagement.  We decided to have a destination wedding with our closest friends and family.  I would like to get save the dates out but cannot decide what would be the right thing to do in regards to inviting her.  Traditional etiquette states I should invite her since she is the wife of my fiance's friend.  Although, I feel it would ruin MY time if she was there. If I were having a larger wedding at home, she would surely be invited.  But I feel that my small destination wedding is far too intimate to bring drama along and also to have to spend 5 days with someone who doesn't like me pains me.

So, do I risk ruining my time and inviting her so my fiance and his friend won't lose their relationship over this, or should I invite her husband as a solo guest?

Any advice or suggestions, good or bad, would be much appreciated!
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Re: Destination Wedding Invite Drama

  • gatortot said:
    Hi All,

    This is my first post, and it's a little long winded, so I apologize...but this topic is giving me anxiety!

    At the beginning of summer, I was asked to be a bridal attendant in a friend's wedding.  She assured me I would only have to help set up (which I did). She also mentioned she was asking me because she couldn't have anymore bridesmaids but wanted me to be included on the boat the bridal party (which my then boyfriend, now fiance was a part of) was taking between the ceremony and reception (3 hours).  On the day of the wedding, I found out from her mother that I would not be allowed on the boat, rather I would be serving drinks to guests at her wedding reception.  I did not feel as though this is part of the bridal attendant duties (they had caterers?) and refused to do it.   This obviously created tension between us and we have not talked since and don't see us resolving matters in the near (or far) future.  I have heard from our mutual friends that she has no interest in being my friend anymore. 

    Fast forward to my engagement.  We decided to have a destination wedding with our closest friends and family.  I would like to get save the dates out but cannot decide what would be the right thing to do in regards to inviting her.  Traditional etiquette states I should invite her since she is the wife of my fiance's friend.  Although, I feel it would ruin MY time if she was there. If I were having a larger wedding at home, she would surely be invited.  But I feel that my small destination wedding is far too intimate to bring drama along and also to have to spend 5 days with someone who doesn't like me pains me.

    So, do I risk ruining my time and inviting her so my fiance and his friend won't lose their relationship over this, or should I invite her husband as a solo guest?

    Any advice or suggestions, good or bad, would be much appreciated!

    JIC
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers
  • To answer your question, OP, what you are planning is incredibly rude. You will risk your FI's friendship with this man and you will come across as being a huge brat. Just invite her. On your wedding day the only person you will really notice is your FI.
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers
  • She's not going to ruin your time at the wedding if you invite her. Anything snotty she does is on her. Invite both or neither.
    --

    I'm the fuck
    out.

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  • What does your FI have to say about possibly not inviting him?
  • You definitely can NOT split up the couple.

    I think it is really more up to your fiance on the invite, though. It is HIS friend and should decide whether his friend is invited. If he says "yes", then you must deal with the wife.

    you absolutely CANNOT split up a couple....
  • She's a jerk, but you don't get to be a jerk in return. Can you imagine how offensive it is to get left of an invite for a DW especially? Like do you seriously think the husband would consider attending when it costs so much money to attend and you didn't invite the wife? Like hell that would happen in my household. I also don't understand why the groom is off the hook completely, it was his douche-y wedding, too.

    Another vote for invite both or neither.
  • Like others said, you can't invite just the husband.  You either have invite both or neither.  My first instinct would be neither, but since it's your FI's friend, you definitely need to take his feelings into account. Since it is just closest friends & family, if they ask why they weren't invited you could probably just tell then that you had to limit the guest list.  But, if this is a very close friend, you may not have much choice but to invite both.

    You could invite both and just ignore her the whole time.  I doubt she will be looking to ruin your wedding. And you will likely be too busy focusing on your wedding to pay much attention to her. Or if they do come, maybe take her aside right from the start, or call before the trip, to clear the air a bit.  Tell her that there was obviously a misunderstanding during her wedding and you agreed to be the attendant, with the understanding that it just meant helping set up, not being an unpaid waitress, and that you are sorry if there are any hard feelings there. You didn't mean to disrupt or make things difficult for her wedding, but you don't appreciate being lied to or used as a doormat either, and you hope that you both can put it behind you and move on. Clearing the air doesn't necessarily mean you will be friends again, or that either of you even want to be, but maybe it will help maintain a civil tolerance of each other to get through your week long DW.

    Or you could invite both and assign her as an attendant and ask her to carry your luggage.  And maybe steam your dress, while everyone hangs out at the beach.  Or be in charge of getting everyone drinks all week.  :)

    image 

  • Thanks for the responses. Great advice! Will not be sending a save the date until more time passes and will go from there. Thanks!
  • downtondivadowntondiva member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited September 2014

    blondeej said:
    Ditto Ditto Ditto to JellyBean's #2!

    I would not be inviting that woman OR her husband to my destination wedding. And if my FI and I were in the same boat as you he would agree - whether he's friends with the husband or not - his friend's wife wronged his FI and that there is what prompts his decision. Your and your future husband are a team and should always support one another on things like this, IMO. 
    Agreed! I'd say ultimately they were both very rude to you. If you were having a big wedding with a big guest list, I'd say invite them and just thank them for coming that day and otherwise keep your distance. But you said that this destination wedding will include your "closest friends and family," so I assume you're not planning on it being a big guest list. In that case, you're going to notice that they're there and it's harder to ignore them. You can't split up a couple, so I think you'd probably be better off not inviting them if having her there is going to be aggravating for you.

    ETA: Obviously you do need to talk to FI about that first. Does he realize how upsetting the situation with their wedding was for you?
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  • In my mind, your FI needs to justify why he wants this couple at what'll surely be a small destination wedding (most are small, I mean).

    I'm appalled at how you were treated. Do you socialize with this couple on a regular basis still?  If so, was this all just brushed under the rug?  If you're not even close friends anymore, they don't justify an invite to a DW. 

    ________________________________


  • Ditto PPs. If you invite him, you must invite his wife. Even if she's Cruela Devil, you don't split up couples.

    What I don't get is why your fiance is so dead set on inviting the husband. It's an intimate DW... It would solve all your problems if you just didn't invite him (thus, not inviting her) at all.
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  • Ditto PPs. If you invite him, you must invite his wife. Even if she's Cruela Devil, you don't split up couples.

    What I don't get is why your fiance is so dead set on inviting the husband. It's an intimate DW... It would solve all your problems if you just didn't invite him (thus, not inviting her) at all.
    Probably because her FI considers that man a very close friend.

    Just playing devils advocate here, but the groom of the rude ass bride may not have even been aware of what was going down.  As we know from reading many posts on here, some grooms are put in the dark or just not told some things about the wedding plans so that guy may not have even known what the bride and her Mom had in store for OP.  So in the end, it may have just been the bride that was at fault here.

    Personally, I would invite the couple.  H has a few close friends where I am not the biggest fans of their SOs but I deal with them because H is such good friends with the other half of the couple.  I am cordial with them when they are around and they certainly don't ruin my time just because they are present since I am typically talking to people that I would rather converse/spend time with.

  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited September 2014
    The groom may not have known, but her FI certainly did. I'm seriously side-eyeing this FI who is okay with his future wife being treated this way by his friends?!
    Yes, her FI did know what happened.  But then the FI should have a beef with the rude ass bride not his friend who most likely did not have had a hand in the rude ass behavior.

    I mean are we really suggesting that the OPs FI stop being friends with this guy because his wife was the one who acted rudely?  I just think that is kind of crazy.  I think this situation is something that OP and the crazy bride need to work out between them and not get the guys relationship involved.

    ETA:  Also, no where did OP state that her FI didn't say something to his friend about the situation.  I think we are jumping to conclusions about her FI before we have all the information.

  • Ditto PPs. If you invite him, you must invite his wife. Even if she's Cruela Devil, you don't split up couples.

    What I don't get is why your fiance is so dead set on inviting the husband. It's an intimate DW... It would solve all your problems if you just didn't invite him (thus, not inviting her) at all.
    Probably because her FI considers that man a very close friend.

    Just playing devils advocate here, but the groom of the rude ass bride may not have even been aware of what was going down.  As we know from reading many posts on here, some grooms are put in the dark or just not told some things about the wedding plans so that guy may not have even known what the bride and her Mom had in store for OP.  So in the end, it may have just been the bride that was at fault here.

    Personally, I would invite the couple.  H has a few close friends where I am not the biggest fans of their SOs but I deal with them because H is such good friends with the other half of the couple.  I am cordial with them when they are around and they certainly don't ruin my time just because they are present since I am typically talking to people that I would rather converse/spend time with.
    She didn't say that. She said he's "a friend". 

    I get what you're saying and that if it means the world to her FI that this gentleman be invited, then she can just ignore this woman for one day. 

    However, if I had a "very close friend" whose husband treated DH like total shit and then cut off the friendship, I probably wouldn't invite them to my DW wedding if it made DH uncomfortable. If I thought he was being childish, I'd tell him. But if he was legit mistreated, hell no those people wouldn't be invited.
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  • The groom may not have known, but her FI certainly did. I'm seriously side-eyeing this FI who is okay with his future wife being treated this way by his friends?!
    Yes, her FI did know what happened.  But then the FI should have a beef with the rude ass bride not his friend who most likely did not have had a hand in the rude ass behavior.

    I mean are we really suggesting that the OPs FI stop being friends with this guy because his wife was the one who acted rudely?  I just think that is kind of crazy.  I think this situation is something that OP and the crazy bride need to work out between them and not get the guys relationship involved.

    ETA:  Also, no where did OP state that her FI didn't say something to his friend about the situation.  I think we are jumping to conclusions about her FI before we have all the information.
    OP hasn't answered our questions yet!

    "Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."


  • Ditto PPs. If you invite him, you must invite his wife. Even if she's Cruela Devil, you don't split up couples.

    What I don't get is why your fiance is so dead set on inviting the husband. It's an intimate DW... It would solve all your problems if you just didn't invite him (thus, not inviting her) at all.
    Probably because her FI considers that man a very close friend.

    Just playing devils advocate here, but the groom of the rude ass bride may not have even been aware of what was going down.  As we know from reading many posts on here, some grooms are put in the dark or just not told some things about the wedding plans so that guy may not have even known what the bride and her Mom had in store for OP.  So in the end, it may have just been the bride that was at fault here.

    Personally, I would invite the couple.  H has a few close friends where I am not the biggest fans of their SOs but I deal with them because H is such good friends with the other half of the couple.  I am cordial with them when they are around and they certainly don't ruin my time just because they are present since I am typically talking to people that I would rather converse/spend time with.
    You can't even compare your scenario to the OP's - you simply not caring for someone is one thing. Disliking someone for personally offending you and treating you horrible is a completely different reasoning. IMO your scenario is comparing apples to oranges. But I can relate to your example in that my FI has friends with wifes/SO that I treat the same, so I know exactly what you're saying.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Ditto PPs. If you invite him, you must invite his wife. Even if she's Cruela Devil, you don't split up couples.

    What I don't get is why your fiance is so dead set on inviting the husband. It's an intimate DW... It would solve all your problems if you just didn't invite him (thus, not inviting her) at all.
    Probably because her FI considers that man a very close friend.

    Just playing devils advocate here, but the groom of the rude ass bride may not have even been aware of what was going down.  As we know from reading many posts on here, some grooms are put in the dark or just not told some things about the wedding plans so that guy may not have even known what the bride and her Mom had in store for OP.  So in the end, it may have just been the bride that was at fault here.

    Personally, I would invite the couple.  H has a few close friends where I am not the biggest fans of their SOs but I deal with them because H is such good friends with the other half of the couple.  I am cordial with them when they are around and they certainly don't ruin my time just because they are present since I am typically talking to people that I would rather converse/spend time with.
    She didn't say that. She said he's "a friend". 

    I get what you're saying and that if it means the world to her FI that this gentleman be invited, then she can just ignore this woman for one day. 

    However, if I had a "very close friend" whose husband treated DH like total shit and then cut off the friendship, I probably wouldn't invite them to my DW wedding if it made DH uncomfortable. If I thought he was being childish, I'd tell him. But if he was legit mistreated, hell no those people wouldn't be invited.
    I guess for me I am assuming this man is a close friend of OPs FI becasue 1) OPs FI was in the guys wedding party and 2) OP said that their wedding will consist of close friends and family. If OP is wanting to invite this guy to their DW then I think it is safe to assume that he is a close friend. I guess we see things differently. To me if H was close friends to this guy and his wife was rude to me then I would be all, fuck her she is nothing and I can just pretend she doesn't exist so that my H can have his close friend at his wedding. I just don't see how inviting a couple where one half of said couple tried to treat you like a staff member the day of their wedding would make someone so uncomfortable. The woman is a bitch and OP is better off not being friends with her, but I certainly wouldn't want to ruin my H's friendship over some bullshit that is over and done with. That is my stance on it right now. Now if OP came back and said that the groom knew of the bullshit and was fine with her being treated like free labor and her FI still wanted to invite the couple then my answer would be different and would probably include something along the "you have a FI issue" line.

  • I guess for me I am assuming this man is a close friend of OPs FI becasue 1) OPs FI was in the guys wedding party and 2) OP said that their wedding will consist of close friends and family. If OP is wanting to invite this guy to their DW then I think it is safe to assume that he is a close friend. I guess we see things differently. To me if H was close friends to this guy and his wife was rude to me then I would be all, fuck her she is nothing and I can just pretend she doesn't exist so that my H can have his close friend at his wedding. I just don't see how inviting a couple where one half of said couple tried to treat you like a staff member the day of their wedding would make someone so uncomfortable. The woman is a bitch and OP is better off not being friends with her, but I certainly wouldn't want to ruin my H's friendship over some bullshit that is over and done with. That is my stance on it right now. Now if OP came back and said that the groom knew of the bullshit and was fine with her being treated like free labor and her FI still wanted to invite the couple then my answer would be different and would probably include something along the "you have a FI issue" line.
    I see what you're saying about the "close friends and family" piece. 

    It's a judgement call on what actually happened at that couple's wedding and in the aftermath and whether it's one of those things the OP should just get over and ignore this woman. Or whether she's actually justified and her FI should side with his future wife. 

    To the bolded though, I don't think not inviting someone to a DW has the potential to ruin a friendship (unless they said "you're invited" and then later "just kidding you're not invited"). That's what she's talking about here - whether to invite them or not. 
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  • My take is that the Bride was/is an asshole.  The Groom may not have known what was going on, by ignorance is no excuse.  He's an adult, this was his wedding too.  Groom is therefore an indirect asshole, or a direct asshole if he knew what was going on.

    Now if I were the OP, I'd expect my FI, then BF, to say to his friend the Groom "Dude, dick move."  Not on his wedding day, but certainly after when the wedding came up in conversation.  I don't care if this was his BFF  or his brother, I would expect my FI to let ppl know when they are treating me like shit.

    If FI didn't have that conversation with his friend in some manner, I'd be really pissed with my FI and I'd let him know in no uncertain terms why I think his friends are assholes and prefer they not be invited to the wedding.  I'd leave the decision to him, but I'd waste no more time on them at the wedding other than "Hi, thanks for coming," and I wouldn't go out of my way to socialize with them again.

    "Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."


  • I'd lean against inviting the couple in this situation.  One, destination weddings are usually far more intimate than larger at-home receptions, and it's going to be very hard for OP to avoid this woman.  Two, if OP is really so crass and rude as to expect OP to serve as unpaid labor at her wedding, and if OP (rightfully!!!!!) refused to do it, to me it's not outside the realm of possibility that this woman feels OP "screwed up' her wedding and may attempt to pull some sort of retaliation.

    That said, this is a conversation that needs to take place between OP and FI, and I'd need more information about what FI/FI friend knows about what went down at FI friend's wedding and the relationship between the two before deciding whether FI would be unreasonable to insist that his friend and wife be invited.
  • appsnzertsappsnzerts member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited September 2014
    My FI was really upset. He was moreso upset that the bridal parties dates were also invited on the boat, but me being a bridal attendant AND a date of someone who was in the bridal party still got stuck serving drinks and doing nothing between the ceremony and reception.  I totally forgot to add too, that the bride wanted me to stay after the reception to clean up.  I will try to post my "itinerary"  from the bride's mom later... I also forgot to add that she asked me to get a coordinating dress color to her bridesmaids, but was not in any pictures!  So , all of this added up you can see my frustration.  Not to mention, since the day I came into my FI's friend group, she had it out for me with talking badly about me to our mutual friends, but I got past it, accepted her apologies and forgave her more than once.

    Both the boys are non-confrontational and I am a pretty direct person, although I am so upset about this situation I can't bring myself to talk to her yet.   The groom at the wedding had no idea any of this was happening. My FI did not want to start drama with either of them on the wedding day so we both left it aside from me saying that I wouldn't be serving drinks.

    I have seen the bride once since the wedding and she completely ignored me, after I tried to say hi.  Her husband is nice as pie to me but can tell he feels awkward around me.  My FI refuses to talk to the crazy bride but carries on a friendship with his friend/her husband.  They both know there are major issues there but will not talk about it.
  • I honestly do believe that she thinks I screwed up her wedding by not serving drinks.  From what I heard, she had them set on a table near the entrance of the venue.  Even though they had an open bar all cocktail hour and reception and also had caterers. 

    She is very spiteful and I think she would be judging my choices, the resort, the food etc. the entire time.  Not that I care what she thinks, but why invite that drama and negative energy around? 
    I'd lean against inviting the couple in this situation.  One, destination weddings are usually far more intimate than larger at-home receptions, and it's going to be very hard for OP to avoid this woman.  Two, if OP is really so crass and rude as to expect OP to serve as unpaid labor at her wedding, and if OP (rightfully!!!!!) refused to do it, to me it's not outside the realm of possibility that this woman feels OP "screwed up' her wedding and may attempt to pull some sort of retaliation.

    That said, this is a conversation that needs to take place between OP and FI, and I'd need more information about what FI/FI friend knows about what went down at FI friend's wedding and the relationship between the two before deciding whether FI would be unreasonable to insist that his friend and wife be invited.

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