Bride Dreads Telling Her Groom’s Parents That Only Specific Family Members Will Be Invited to Their Destination Wedding

A bride-to-be hopes her dream of a fairytale wedding in Italy won’t be spoiled after she informs her fiancé’s parents about the limited guest list for their destination celebration.

Posting on the community forum Mumsnet, the woman admitted she’s dreading the conversation with her future in-laws, as the guest list is much smaller than they might expect.

“My partner and I got engaged after nine years and we’re absolutely thrilled,” she wrote. “We’ve always dreamed of getting married in Italy — whether it was just the two of us eloping or hosting a slightly larger celebration there.”

The couple has set their guest list at 70 people. “I only have five family members coming as mine is quite small, whereas [my fiancé] has 22, with the rest being our closest friends,” she explained.

Now, the bride must tell her future in-laws that most of their extended family won’t be invited to the wedding abroad.

She shared that she’s already anxious about breaking the news because of a past experience: “I’ve organized a surprise 30th party for my partner next year, and his parents were very vocal about the guest list, saying we ‘can’t invite one uncle and not the other.’ My mother-in-law is lovely but very opinionated and insists certain family members and family friends should be invited.”

Explaining their reasoning, the bride said, “We know destination weddings can be divisive, but that’s why we’re being selective. We want a small, meaningful day with the people who matter most.”

Seeking advice from others, she asked whether she was being unreasonable for feeling so uneasy about the situation.

“Are his parents paying for the wedding?” one commenter asked. “If not, then they don’t get a say in who should or shouldn’t be invited — it’s the couple’s choice.”

Another user advised, “Let him handle his own family and their drama.”

Someone else sympathized, adding, “All these invite complications are taking the shine off what could be a beautiful Italian wedding.”