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Cynthia
Just Said Yes December 2020

Sister in Law Ruining Wedding

Cynthia, on November 17, 2020 at 12:06 AM Posted in Family and Relationships 0 19
Hi y’all-


What to do about a super high anxiety sister-in-law (to be) who is pressuring my fiancé every single day to cancel our wedding? To be clear, we cancelled our “big” 150-person wedding and are having a parent/sibling only ceremony with CDC precautions galore—including creating a “safety bubble” by quarantining for 2-weeks and COVID testing before the gathering. Regardless, she continues to call, text, email—even drove 5-hours to “beg” us in person to cancel the wedding because she’s convinced everyone is going to get COVID and die. We’ve done everything we can think of to calm her fears and she continues to escalate the situation beyond reasonability or rationality. HELP.

19 Comments

Latest activity by Judith, on November 22, 2020 at 8:53 PM
  • KiwiDerbyBride
    VIP May 2015
    KiwiDerbyBride ·
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    “No” is a complete sentence. If she’s so terrified, she can stay at home. And how is her driving 5 hours to beg you in person any less dangerous than actually having a wedding? Your fiancé needs to shut his sister down right now. Be kind but firm - “we know you have concerns however we will not be cancelling or postponing our wedding. If you’re not comfortable attending, we will miss you.” Then next time she brings it up, say “this subject is not up for discussion” and change the subject when she circles back to it, hang up. The following time she calls, no warning - hang up when she starts in again. If she texts or emails about it, ignore them completely. And if she’s crazy enough to drive to you again, don’t let her into your house - yell through the door that you’re not having this conversation. Simply stop entertaining the discussion. She’s shown that you can’t calm or assuage her fears, to an insane point, so stop trying.

    EDIT: you’re doing pretty much what Princess Beatrice did, except that she included her grandparents. If it’s good enough for royalty, who undoubtedly have the best medical advice possible available to them, it’s good enough for you!

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  • Rebecca
    Master August 2019
    Rebecca ·
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    What she said.

    "No." It's a complete sentence.

    If she does not want to come, "I'm sorry, we'll miss you. We understand."

    But, honestly? She drove FIVE HOURS to come see you? Uh, that's super unsafe right now, and I think you have every right to say, "we are not confident in your ability to quarantine, we will see you after the vaccine comes out."

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  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    Tell her she does have the option to not attend if she's so worried. Whew, we opted for parents only and no siblings and I'm so glad we did.
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  • Caytlyn
    Legend November 2019
    Caytlyn ·
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    Tell her she can watch the ceremony via Skype.
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  • Michelle
    Master April 2021
    Michelle ·
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    Totally, 💯 % agree!! Crazy that she drove 5 hours to convince you to cancel (which she probably stopped for gas, food & potty breaks)!! If & when she brings it up again just tell her that she’s more than welcome to not attend.
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  • Soon2Bemarried
    Devoted September 2022
    Soon2Bemarried ·
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    The SIL can’t push her worries onto everyone else. You can let her know she has the duty to stay home if she refuses to stop making your day about her and her concerns.
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  • A
    Expert September 2022
    Allie ·
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    Oof. I think you're being very responsible with all the precautions you're taking. I myself have let my fear get the best of me at times just because there's so much going on in the world, BUT I think she's taking it to a whole. new. level. Whoa! I would agree with prior posters: try to calmly state that you'll be proceeding with x, y, and z precautions, and she's more than welcome to Skype in, and then shut the convo down if she continues to nag you guys. I think what she's done (driving 5 hours to beg you in person...uhh...doesn't that defeat the point?) is a little worrisome. Is she ok, like is there something else going on in her life that is exacerbating how she's feeling about this situation? (A rhetorical question, but just wondering out loud if other stuff could be affecting her reaction to the wedding)

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  • Florida Marlins
    Expert October 2017
    Florida Marlins ·
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    Wow - she sounds......like a handful. Skype her in, whatever, but tell hr you respect her feelings on COVID 19, but "We are moving ahead with safety precautions and it sounds like we will miss you!"

    She also sounds like a major control freak.

    Good luck!

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  • Rabreena
    Expert October 2021
    Rabreena ·
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    I agree that "NO" is the answer and she can stay at home in order to keep herself safe if she is so overly worried/panicked in regards to getting COVID 19.
    If you have the option to where others can watch virtually then I would give her that as an option to "be there" without physically being there so she can feel and remain safe.

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  • Cynthia
    Just Said Yes December 2020
    Cynthia ·
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    Thank you everyone! I just sent her an email that basically said “we are moving forward, this discussion is closed and we will not revisit it so stop bringing it up. We honor your decision to join virtually.”


    No response, of course. But thank you all for the advice and helping me feel more sane. She was gaslighting us so hard we were beginning to question our reality.
    Much love to all of you!!!!
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  • Victoria
    Devoted June 2021
    Victoria ·
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    Glad she got the point! You go enjoy your big day girl!

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  • M
    Super October 2022
    Michele ·
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    She does have the option to stay home. While her concerns are valid and will be until further notice, she is going about it all wrong. Most people who are genuinely concerned will stay home. Pre-event testing really does nothing. There's a world of difference in you postponing until a potentially safer time and her telling you to call it off and go your separate ways, which she has no business doing.


    Tell her she will be missed and leave it at that.
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  • Susan
    Devoted October 2021
    Susan ·
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    Good for you! Exactly what needed to be done.

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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    Good for you for standing your ground! If she continues, ignore her.

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  • C
    Savvy October 2020
    Chelsea ·
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    This almost sounds like an actual anxiety disorder. Because that is a VERY extreme outcome that she believes, and it seems like it is really consuming her life. She needs professional help.

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  • Q
    Dedicated August 2020
    Q ·
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    Jeeeeeez. She drove 5 hours to see you yet is so concerned.. um she’s contradicting herself with her own actions and behavior. She can stay home and attend via Skype or zoom. Happy to hear you addressed the situation and shut her nonsense down. Best of luck in the future with her. Give us an update if she replies!
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  • Kk
    Devoted October 2021
    Kk ·
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    You did the right thing by flat-out telling her no, but be gentle with her. As someone with anxiety, it's sometimes hard to quiet the fears, even when you know they are irrational. At the end of the day, you can't blame her for being concerned for everyone's safety, even if it's coming off as being extreme to everyone else.
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  • Kari
    Master May 2020
    Kari ·
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    OMG do we have the same sister-in-law?

    It sounds like you are taking every possible precaution to ensure everyone's safety - with a two week quarantine and Covid test you should be able to celebrate like it's 2018! I would reiterate all of the precautions you are taking and emphasize that attendance is optional. Tell her that every adult invited to your wedding has the ability to decide for themselves if they want to commit to the expectations for the wedding and attend, and that she is free to skip the wedding if she doesn't feel safe.

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  • J
    Master 0000
    Judith ·
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    She seriously sounds in need of psychiatric care if she is this obsessive about it.
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