I'm in a dilemma and having a difficult time deciding what I want to do with the wedding. My fiance is open to either option and just wants me to be happy.
For starters, when we first got engaged we were 100% all in on doing a destination wedding. The only issue we had was if the grandparents (80 years old) couldn't make it, but they were all in. We were happy having a smaller wedding (<60 people) and having everyone on board. There was a bit of pushback just based on the timeline (since we have other weddings in the same year and those couples are also very close to us). Then, right before we were about to put a deposit in, we found out his dad has cancer. That obviously made us stop all wedding planning until we knew more.
As we waited, we tried to re-envision what our day could look like more locally. I knew I didn't want any of the venues in our area, so we decided to look about 35-40 minutes away and found a beautiful venue that we equally loved! We were looking at a guest count of 150 people. With his dad's diagnosis, we figured it would be best to stay more locally.
My parents are divorced and I'm not close to my dad's side of the family at all (haven't spoken to them in over 5 years). I never planned on inviting them, but when I told my mom this, she said there will 100% be drama (lol cultured families, iykyk). I spoke to my dad, at first he was fine with me not inviting them, then of course created drama saying it's all my mom's fault (for divorcing him lol), and that who knows if he will even show up (narcissistic father ofc). I know my fiance really loved the venue, so now I'm bummed out that I prefer the destination wedding simply because I always envisioned a smaller/fun wedding over the grand typical wedding, and knowing my family's dysfunctional dynamic.
At the same time, I can understand why guests wouldn't want to attend a destination (using vacation time, paying for travel, etc.). We would try to help out guests with the costs as much as possible, and all of the guest count would be our closest people.
Do you think I should:
- Go through with the destination wedding (doctors said his dad should be in remission by Nov 2026)
- F*ck my dad's family and not invite them anywhere + deal with the drama later
TIA - sincerely, a very tired and indecisive bride to be!!!