I’m the MOH for my sister. She had always asked for there to only be one bridal shower. This was communicated between both families, and was agreed upon amicably and in total agreement between both moms and both sisters of the bride and groom.
Recently, groom’s aunt offered to host the shower. We all said how nice this was and happy for her to help, but would never expect all responsibility (financial and otherwise) to be on one person.
Bride makes a guest list, and groom’s aunt discovers that there are only 10 guests on the Grooms side (all Aunts and cousins) and 40 on the brides (family/friends/BMs). She decides (without speaking to myself or my mom/ MOB) that it’s too much for her to pay for and she doesn’t want to have an “awkward” conversation about money with Brides Family, who she barely knows.
Groom’s aunt, mom, and sister talk to the Bride when they’re together and convince her (she’s a people pleaser, and they’re very pushy, so I’m sure it wasn’t hard) to do 2 showers: one for family, hosted by them, and one for friends, hosted by us/Bride’s family and BMs.
This means that Bride’s family, which is also mine and my mom’s family (our aunts, great-aunts, cousins, etc/ MOB’s sisters, SILs, nieces, etc) are ONLY invited to Groom’s side shower (“family” shower) and are not allowed, per the Bride, to be invited to the shower that we (myself and mom/MOH and MOB) are hosting. Bride doesn’t want to invite anyone to both showers besides the moms and sisters, which I understand. She doesn’t want to seem greedy for gifts.
I fought the fight with my sister/bride, to explain that it’s not polite, it’s not right, to not invite our own family to the shower we are hosting. They don’t know groom’s family at all. But, I was “not respecting” her “wishes” for the guest lists (which IMO she shouldn’t have drafted anyway, she should have simply suggested). In reality, groom’s family is not respecting her wishes for having only 1 shower. Any input would be great. Maybe I am the jerk here.