To postpone or not to postpone?

Depends on how close. For a parent yes. Otherwise I would be sure to give th lots of pictures as I am sure that they would understand.

Probably gonna need some more information...

Depending on who it was and how sick?

I would talk to the family member and get their opinion. If it was my mom or dad -or someone else who helped raise me- and it was terminal? I'd move it up unless it was a temporary hospital stay.

My best friend's brother was on a deck when the railing gave out and he fell 20 feet- breaking both of his legs and his back - the Monday before her wedding. She wanted to postpone but he was very adamant that she should not. They kept the date - but found ways to make sure he was involved and hired a videographer so he could still enjoy all the details..and had him record a speech for the reception. It really depends. I'd really ask the family member.

I agree with Sassy - probably only if it were a parent.

I agree with the other ladies - it depends on the family member. It also could make sense to ask that family member what they would want you to do. More than likely, they'd want you to be happy and to go on as planned, though I know that can be easier said than done.

Is there a chance that that relative (and I would only consider for a parent) could get out of the hospital before your wedding? Or a leave? But honestly I don't think I would postpone, especially if there's a chance that they wouldn't recover.

A friend of mine was SUPER pregnant and in the hospital last year with preclampsia (sp) at the time of her sons wedding. The doctors weren't even sure until that morning if they were going to let her out for a couple hours to attend, and they almost didn't. She went to ceremony then to reception and had their dance and was taken back to the hospital shortly after...

Okay here is a bit more information. My FH's brother (also his bestman) was diagnosed with cancer a couple years ago. He is now cancer free but still has a weak immune system from all of the chemo and radiation so he gets sick and stays in the hospital frequently. Well he's back in the hospital and they said he is going to be there for at least a few more weeks which means he will miss the wedding. Now we are trying to decide whether we should postpone the wedding or not. We already sent out invites and got RSVPs back and have everything paid in full so I feel like it would be a mess to postpone. Also since he is so frequently in and out of the hospital, I have no idea how we could pick a new date and be sure that the same thing won't happen again.

I would just go through with it. Maybe have someone set up a laptop and he can be there to watch via Skype?

I would talk to him and if you can find a way for him to be included (have a nice meal sent to his room? facetime him before, and have him record a speech to be played either at the rehersal or reception?), go forward. But definitely talk to him so he feels included and like you are considering his situation.

I think given that you have paid for everything and you really don't have that much time, plus he could end up being in the hospital again if you do postpone, you should go ahead with your current plans. See if there is another way to include him, technology is a godsend for situations like this. Maybe if your venue is not too far from the hospital you guys can go visit him the morning of too?

I would talk to him about it. Usually in these situations I would imagine him telling you NOT to postpone. Esp since he is in the hospital frequently. You could postpone and he could be in the hospital again. I would go through with it. Actually could you talk to his doctors? Maybe he could be released for an hour just to attend the ceremony and be in a couple pictures?

I would not postpone in this situation. Even if he regains his strength and can leave the hospital, it may not be a good idea for him to come to a wedding since he already has a weak immune system and there will be a lot of people (germs)

My mom found out a couple of weeks before the wedding that she has bladder cancer. She doesn't look sick but she's had a lot of health issues in the past year. She also has interstitial cystitis and systemic lupus. I was really worried about her but before I could even say anything to her about it she told me, my FH and my step-dad that the wedding WILL go on no matter what happens. She said she worked too hard in the planning and paying for everything for things to just stop because of her health problems. She said " You ARE getting married June 26. Life goes on and so will your wedding." You'd have to know my mom. She's a very strong-willed person. She handled the wedding just fine and you'd never know from looking at her that she's got all these health issues. She will begin treatments for the cancer in 2 weeks. I wouldn't have wanted to have the wedding without her. Knowing how strongly she felt about it, I don't know if I could have done it. I'm glad I didn't have to find out.

I wouldn't postpone. But I would speak with him first. The only way I'd postpone is if you'd already bought wedding insurance and knew that if you decided to postpone (and it was included in your coverage) that you would be able to be reimbursed (weddings are expensive!). Maybe that's cut throat, but as you said, you have no way of knowing if he'll be in the hospital the next time.

I wouldn't postpone, and if I was him I wouldn't let you postpone! Totally crappy situation, though.

This is very sad, but I wouldn't postpone the wedding. There are too many people involved, too much money spent, and there is always the possibility that he may end up in the hospital when the new date happens.

Skype him the wedding. Mention him briefly during the ceremony. Toast to him at the reception. At this point, move ahead as you had planned.

Do not postpone it. People already worked this into their schedules. Maybe took the day off work. Maybe booked flight. If he's in there often, you have this risk every time. You're too close to the date to postpone. Definitely try to get someone to skype the ceremony and some of the reception. The first holiday my brother moved out of state, his girlfriend came over with our family and she walked her tablet around so he could see everyone and talk to them.

Anybody watch Modern Family? You should have the robot Phil version of him

Sorry, hope that wasn't disrespectful, I just wanted to lighten the mood. I agree with other people that you should talk to him and have him call in on skype (if he has enough energy to stay awake for a while). I would likely not postpone for all the reasons you mentioned above.

What Maltese said-