Skip to main content

Post content has been hidden

To unblock this content, please click here

C
Beginner September 2013

How do *you* deal with telling people they're not invited?

Caraboo, 2 January, 2013 at 16:12 Posted on Planning 0 23

Firstly, I've not been around for a while, so apologies for being such a bad bridey. Happy new year to you all - especially the 2013 brides. We're getting married this year - SQUEEEEE!!!

This is my THIRD attempt at typing this out, so I'm hoping it sends this time. I'm employing the Cmd-A, Cmd-C keys quite a lot this time Smiley smile

So, this is my biggest wedding pet peeve. People asking if they're invited to the wedding, even though you don't really know them and/or haven't seen them in ages. A couple of days ago, someone I don't really know asked me if he was invited. I'm so rubbish at letting people down, so I just jokingly said, "You'll just have to wait and see. If you get an invitation, you are. If you don't, you're not!". He then proceeded to ask OH later that night how to go about getting an invitation. GAH!

It's just so unbelievably RUDE!!

We can't use the excuse of it being an intimate gathering, because we're having 150 guests, but (barring my brother, his wife and their daughter who I will grudgingly be inviting even though I don't really want them there), we are close to every single person that's going.

So, I wanted to hear the ways that you have dealt with this situation? Have you been blunt and just told them they're not invited, or have you wimped out like me? Smiley smile
Some actual quotes could be interesting!

23 replies

Latest activity by AJBsoon2bMRS, 3 January, 2013 at 14:51
  • kharv
    Beginner March 2012
    kharv ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I couldn't blame it on having a small wedding either as we had 140 guests but with me the truth was that we both have massive families so they took up a lot of the capacity.

    • Reply
  • S
    Beginner September 2013
    Snc12 ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Are you a Sept 7th bride?? Me too Smiley smile if you aren't, my counting skills are terrible Smiley smile

    We are having only 30 people who are family and close friends, no work colleagues etc so we are just going with the 'its a small family wedding' I know you are having a few more than us but could you not just say that it is just a few friends and family (they don't need to know that yours and their definition differ so much Smiley smile)

    But I did quite like your comment to the person trying to invite themselves, it is very non-committal Smiley smile

    • Reply
  • MrsA2B2014
    Beginner September 2014
    MrsA2B2014 ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    We're in a slightly different situation, getting married abroad with only 70 guests but plan on throwing a big party when we get back and most people are fine with that, a few - not so much. When we've said where we're getting married, some people have said "Oh that's nice and will you be doing something for everyone when you get back?".

    But the amount of people that ask if they're coming or presume they're coming is unreal, it's so rude.

    Unless I was family, I would never assume I'd be invited to a wedding and in fact my cousin got married in August and we were only invited to the evening.

    It's an intimate time, no matter how big your wedding might be. 70 people might seem a lot but the way we're getting around it is saying that anyone who is coming are our parents, close close close friends and our Godparents and their children. I don't know what it is about weddings that makes people so funny, maybe they just want to be voyeurs.

    Admittedly, when people have asked I've done the same as you but said "we're still sorting out our guest lists at the mo"

    Nightmares!

    • Reply
  • F
    Beginner August 2013
    FMG ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Over Christmas I have had a number of people say to me 'I can't wait for your wedding' and I'm thinking... Why? You're not invited!!! So I've laughingly brushed them off and added their names to the evening do. There's no way these people are coming to my day do at £100 per head as we really don't know them well enough but as I see it the evening do is more the merrier!

    • Reply
  • A
    Beginner April 2013
    aimzxx ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I agree with the above and have done the same....Although some cousins have said "oooo can't wait" on facebook and i've just ignored them...I only see them once a year if that so my wedding isnt turning into the annual get together!!

    x

    • Reply
  • C
    Beginner September 2013
    Caraboo ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Sadly, I don't have the option of an evening only invitation, because we're having ours abroad - many of our friends live in Europe anyway, and most of the rest spend half the year here so it's not a traditional "location" wedding, but still it would be very odd to ask people to travel to only invite them to a portion of it. We're also doing a whole weekend so the catering costs mount up for each person that attends!
    Most important, though, is that we only want the people there who are closest to us, not just every Tom, Dick and Harry that we know.
    There's unfortunately no way of keeping the scale from them, because everyone pretty much knows everyone over here!

    And, yes, September 7th. I can't wait! Have you joined the Hitched on Facebook group for 2013 brides, Snc12??

    Fx

    • Reply
  • S
    Beginner September 2013
    Snc12 ·
    • Report
    • Hide content
    View quoted message

    I have indeed joined the FB group but only on Monday. I think I am addicted Smiley smile x

    • Reply
  • ForTheLoveOfMrsBrown
    Beginner January 2012
    ForTheLoveOfMrsBrown ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    "I'm sorry, but if you think I'm the kind of person who is going to respond well to that question, then you clearly don't know me well enough to warrant an invitation to my wedding".

    I didn't have any trouble with this issue whatsoever. However, I'd like to imagine ^^^^

    • Reply
  • N
    Beginner May 2014
    Newmoongirl ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Id say ''sorry your not invited, I cant invite eveyone, what do do you think im made of money'' id laugh then change the subject. Done. Without being rude....even though trying to invite yourself is very rude!

    • Reply
  • C
    Beginner September 2013
    Caraboo ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I LOVE this!!! ?

    Just wish I was brave enough!

    There's two guys in particular who assume they are getting invitations. They're not because they're cocks. One repeatedly cheats on his girlfriend (actually, his bit on the side asked if she was invited with him!!!!!!) and the other is just a general all-round twunt. I am seriously considering creating "invitations" for them, but instead of the details being inside, I'd have an explanation of all the reasons why they're not invited. Oh, if only I could grow a pair!

    • Reply
  • C
    Beginner March 2013
    Chedi ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Oooh. I've been saying 120 is a small wedding ? For the day time its been really simple, as that bit is small at just 58 the ceremony, I'm just saying its primarily family thats invited. For the evening, I've been saying along the lines that our family take up about the half the number we're allowed, so splitting the rest between both of our friends has been really hard so we've been really struggling. We would have loved you to come, but we just havent been able too with a lot of other people too, so you're not the only one. I've only had a few people from different work departments asking, but keeping in mind i'm not asking most of the people I work with daily, they havent really had any where to go with that.

    • Reply
  • Honky
    Beginner October 2013
    Honky ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I have absolutely no balls. I just pretend I don't hear them/ change the question then I'm hoping I won't see them after I've sent the invites out...... Really hope this works.....!

    • Reply
  • S108HAN
    Beginner August 2013
    S108HAN ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    We're looking at a guest list of 180 day time and we still have no shortage of guests. Other half has mates that we haven't seen in 3 years that he wants to come but I don't want to say anything because I went to their weddings and because there are plenty of people I'm inviting that he isn't fussed on. There are plenty of people I see regularly or who invited me to their wedding that I'm not inviting. There has been no shortage of people who have assumed they are coming making for some awkwardness. My mum and I have fallen out about my uncle, who I have no relationship being invited. She has friends that I haven't seen in ages that said to her to let them know when we confirm the date and they'll put it in they're diary . She is prepared to back me up on that though.

    • Reply
  • clarehj
    Beginner April 2012
    clarehj ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    This made me laugh. I had this from work colleagues. i find things like that really awkward, so first I pretended not to hear it from the lady at work who asked loudly in the office "are you inviting US then". But she repeated it. I squeaked out something nonsensical. I then made a point a few days later (when i thought of something to say) along the lines of we had a restricted guest list, when we really had about 125. By the time they realise you had a big wedding, it's too late.

    My awkwardness arose from the fact that I was inviting half the office, but the people I socialised with outside of the office, but just ploughed ahead.

    I wouldn't have been blunt as needed to work with this lady and would have been a headache if not handled fairly delicately.

    I don't think she spoke to me for about 2 weeks after my honeymoon!

    • Reply
  • DaffodilWaves
    DaffodilWaves ·
    • Report
    • Hide content
    View quoted message

    Wow!!!

    How about your venue is at it's maximum capacity?

    • Reply
  • rachd03
    Beginner May 2014
    rachd03 ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I am dreading this when it inevitably happens, its been hard enough figuring out the guest list as it is!! Plus i hate any kind of confrontation or awkwardness.... maybe I'll just let H2B explain ?!!

    our issue is our local pub is very much a 'local' pub where we are all close and they are the majority of our friend base and there are a few couples we would invite but would not want there 19/20 year old children there as they are renowned nightmares. they assume whereever their parents are invited they are automatically invited aswell. So how do we invite the parents but not them?! plus we cant invite the rest of the pub but omit that couple. Logistigcal nightmare!!!!

    • Reply
  • I
    Beginner October 2013
    Irisbride ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I can't believe some people- I wouldn't dream of asking if I was invited to a wedding! I'd just wait for the invite! We've had this- from a cousin of my Mum's I don't know that well at a family do. I would never thought of inviting her, but will just invite her to the evening. I also just think 'the more the merrier' in terms of the evening. I appreciate you can't do that though logistically. I think the suggestion of 'unfortunately, the venue is at maximum capacity' is a good one! Then it's like the decision was out of your hands!

    • Reply
  • Alice_In_Wonderland
    Beginner March 2013
    Alice_In_Wonderland ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Bizarrely, we're having kind of the opposite problem!!

    My mum has 2 close friends, one of whom I love to bits, the other I've never really taken to and tbh have hardly even seen in the last 10 years. I've invited the "nice" one to the whole day, the other one will get an eve invite when I get round to sending them, just to be polite really.
    She's assumed she's not been invited which is fine, but the trouble is she also assumes that the "nice" one also isn't invited, and keeps saying stuff like "we could go and watch them coming out of the church couldn't we?" which is putting my mum & the nice friend in a really awkward position!! I feel a bit guilty tbh! [:-/]

    • Reply
  • Mrs.P.To.Be
    Beginner March 2013
    Mrs.P.To.Be ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    This is my current stress out too - people asking to be invited and/or trying to invite additional numbers. In my opinion this is the absolute height of rudeness and if it were me I wouldn't dream of doing it.

    Yesterday some distant relatives of my OH (who only just made the guestlist themsleves due to family politics!) asked if their daughter was invited (aged 18). Firstly, it's rude to ask this, end of; secondly, her name wasn't on the invite so obviously she's not invited; thirdly, she's 18 and at that age can surely be trusted home alone for a few hours; and fourthly, AAAARGH!

    Unfortunately, they asked via my OH's Mum, putting him in a very awkward position. If it were me I'd still have said no - would've waffled on about numbers, venue capacity etc...but I undertsnad the position he was put in and so now she's coming too. For what is essentially a free party for her funded by 2 strangers (my OH hasn't seen her since she was a toddler).

    Raging!

    • Reply
  • Purple*Sparkles
    Beginner June 2013
    Purple*Sparkles ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I've been quite lucky in the fact that friends who live close have made it clear they understand if they are only invited to the evening, things is I want them all there!!! Our day numbers have crept up above the amount we wanted to pay for and so we have had to be a bit harsh with our list. This means I have invited a few cousins but by no means all of them. One such cousin is the only person who has challenged me....... She had previously (at a bbq I could not go to) when saying goodbye to my 'mum's' cousins (not invited to wedding) See you at J's wedding next year!!!!! My mum heard this and in the next breath she said to my mum ooops they probably wont be invited will they?!! My mum was thinking nor are you!! But said nothing. I has steered clear of saying anything about my weeding on FB but in the end thought sod it why shouldn't I this resulted in said cousin facebooking me a private message which said " If I was invited to your wedding when should I expect to receive my invitation?". I very carefully replied with 'due to the size of both our families and restrictions from our chosen venue we are unable to invite everyone who we would like to be at the day so it may just be an evening invite i'm afraid. She responded with 'oh, ok thanks' She hasn't spoken of this again. She has been the only person who has asked. I'm glad I don't like upsetting people but at the end of the day I have friends who are only coming to the evening coz of space and i'd rather they be at the day than a cousin who i hardly see. I have just reassured myself with the fact that they all live away so I don't have to see them or hear their moans.

    I guess after that ramble my answer is.....I wimped out! lol

    x

    • Reply
  • Potato Head
    Beginner March 2014
    Potato Head ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Agree, finding this annoying!

    I had a student nurse who has been working on my ward for 6 weeks say "ooh K, make sure i get an invite!" Erm! I just laughed and said "i havn't decided on anyone yet!" so i wimped out! Early days yet though.....

    Have also had a few friends assuming they will be my BMs without me uttering a word about it.

    • Reply
  • S
    Beginner September 2014
    Shirelley ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    Im early days yet, we wrote a draft "family tree" type thing to work out numbers, and we got 64+14 kids (Our close friends included) Our caterer is booked for 80 so thats our lot. Anyone who asks will be told they can come if they are paying for it. Although, I will probs be nicer and say "sorry we've reached our max numbers and cant afford anymore" The annoying part is plus 1's!! Where do I draw the line with this!? Obv, people who are a "family" unit, but my cousin will have been with his GF for 4 years by then, but il have met her once! Does she get an invite? Arggh!! lol. Think Im putting everyones name in a hat! x

    • Reply
  • A
    Beginner
    AJBsoon2bMRS ·
    • Report
    • Hide content

    I said basically exactly what you said 'you will have to wait & see when i send the invites out'

    Some people just expect a plus one as well & this ends up in a debate. A young (age 21) relative text me asking if he could have a plus one on his invite before i had even sent the invites out! I said wait & see. Afterwards i decided to not give him a plus one as his 'new' girlfriend i had never met & they may not even be together when i get married in 9 months time. I put on the invite he could have a plus one to the evening reception only. I Sent the invites out 2 weeks ago & havnt had an RSVP yet so i don't know what the reaction was.

    Invite who you want - its your wedding not theirs!

    x

    • Reply

You voted for . Add a comment 👇

×

Related articles

General groups

Hitched article topics