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Just Said Yes September 2026

Sister-in-law Inclusion in Wedding Party

Samantha, on August 29, 2025 at 5:36 PM Posted in Family and Relationships 0 3
Hey all! I was hoping for some advice on how to approach this situation — I am trying to do so politely and conscientiously. My fiancé has two sisters, one of which got married a couple years ago and did not include the other sister in her bridal party. At the time, this was a major point of tension within my fiancé’s family including arguments, his mother crying at a family gathering, etc. I had felt so bad for the excluded sister at the time that I assured her when/if my then-bf and I got married, that she would be a bridesmaid in my wedding.


About a year after that, the excluded sister came to visit my fiancé (then-bf) and I and said multiple comments about me that I found offensive. She also was very pushy about our potential engagement plans. My then-bf talked to her about it at the time and she apologized, but I honestly haven’t really spoken to her since. As for the other sister, we are amicable but she once was rude to me when she was drinking like 6 years ago and I’ve always felt a bit off around her since then. I also just want to say that overall I am fine with his sisters and those are just instances that I think influence how I feel about including them in my bridal party.
It’s very important to my partner that his sisters are included in our wedding. I think he was hoping they would be bridesmaids. But after thinking it over, I do not feel comfortable enough with them that I would want to include them on my bachelorette trip or have them around when I’m getting ready on my wedding day. I tend to be an anxious person, and I would like the people around me to be ones I feel comfortable and confident with.
My proposed solution was for my fiancé to make his two sisters be groomswomen and I would have my sister be my MOH and my brother be a bridesman. Two and two — thought it was only fair. Unfortunately, my fiance is hesitant to agree to this and called it a “sensitive topic.” I think he remembers how upsetting his sister’s wedding was to his family and does not want a repeated situation. I completely understand that and do not want to upset anyone either, but this is my personal boundary. I also know his family is likely expecting his sisters to be bridesmaids especially after what I said and I don’t want to hurt anyone. My other issue with them being bridesmaids was simply the unfairness around them taking two spots from other friends/family of mine while I would only have one brother being a groomsman.
My question for you all would be, do you think including them as groomswomen would be poorly received by his family? And if we were to make them groomsmen, how would it be best to explain the reasoning behind that decision? Also, do you think my idea of my fiance and I each having our two siblings on our prospective sides makes sense?

3 Comments

Latest activity by LM, on September 2, 2025 at 4:26 AM
  • Sarah
    Savvy June 2025
    Sarah ·
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    Hi Samantha,
    I understand where you are coming from, and ultimately it just depends on what you want. The wedding should be about you and your fiance getting married not about family politics. If you stand your ground and say no to the sisters being bridesmaids, you have to make sure your fiance respects that. In that case I wouldn’t push for your brother to be a groomsmen. In a traditional sense I wouldnt want a groomswoman or anything like that. But that’s my personal opinion, his sisters already hold the title of being “sister of the groom” so I don’t think it matters too much, but I understand that it can be an issue.
    From someone who is now married and just went through a wedding, any choice you & your fiance make, be sure to think about & accept the outcome of others behaviors at your wedding. For what it’s worth, when my brother got married I was not going to be a bridemaid, and then when I got married my sister in law was my matron of honor—on the other hand my husbands sister was not involved in the wedding at all & that’s okay!
    My advice for the wedding day: whatever happens with his family, you will NEVER get your wedding day back, just let it go in the moment and have fun with your new hubby that’s what it’s all about!
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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    Personally if he's so worried about them being in the wedding then I agree with you that they can be groomswomen. I don't understand why that should upset them or anyone in his family. They are still being included in the wedding party.

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  • LM
    Super December 2022
    LM ·
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    Typically, one chooses their own people, so if you want your own siblings, you have the right. Family issues don't get solved by an arbitrary wedding deadline date and it's not your responsibility to be peacemaker to people you haven't talked to in a year.


    Or if your fiance isn't close to them either, you can both skip the wedding party altogether and let it be about you two and not others' issues.
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