Bride’s Wedding Venue Dreams Shattered by Grandparents’ 1 Demand

One bride’s dream wedding venue has hit an unexpected roadblock—her grandparents.

On Reddit’s “Wedding Drama” forum, the mother of the bride shared that her daughter is facing what she calls “wedding heartbreak” because her grandparents have set one strict condition for attending the wedding at their barn.

“Grandma will not listen. I am heartbroken for my daughter as she is in tears,” the mother wrote.

Both of the mother’s daughters are getting married next year, and each envisioned their ceremony at the family barn—a place that holds a “special place in their hearts” because they grew up across from it.

Initially, the grandparents gave both granddaughters permission to use the barn—but their blessing came with an ultimatum.

“Grandparents would not attend if her children (our girl’s aunts and uncles) were not invited to the ceremony also,” the mother explained.

The barn is “only so big,” meaning there’s a limit on how many guests can safely fit inside.

One daughter’s fiancé has a large family, so the couple cannot expand their guest list to include both sets of aunts and uncles plus their children. These relatives are invited to the reception, but there simply isn’t enough space for them at the ceremony.

“For one daughter that would add about 10 more people from her side to the already 30, but then would have to invite fiancé’s aunts and uncles to be fair, which would add another 40 people,” the mother said. “So the guest list for the ceremony would go from 30 people to 80. Eighty people is not feasible.”

Reddit users suggested holding the ceremony outside the barn to fit more guests. However, her mother pointed out that this isn’t possible: “Unfortunately, the barn is built on a hill and there truly is no flat land that isn’t crops, hence having the ceremony in the barn. Safest place for the aging grandparents.”

Some Redditors felt it was fair for the grandparents to have a say because they’re “donating” the venue. Others thought it was unreasonable for them to “dictate the guest list using the barn as leverage.”

Most commenters agreed that the grandmother’s demand simply cannot work.

“The sad part is everyone is invited to the reception. But the barn is too small to invite everyone to the ceremony. Grandma is just being controlling,” one person wrote. Another added, “That’s what gets me. The space is physically too small for the guests grandma wants. It’s literally not possible. Why are people acting like it’s reasonable? It’s completely insane.”