Abby Connolly
When an older family member pays for a large percentage of your wedding expenses, they may make particular demands for part of the ceremony or reception.
One woman recently decided to step down as her sister’s maid of honor when she found out that her future brother-in-law’s family disapproved of her relationship status.
She’s a 29-year-old single mother of two, and her twin sister, Stella, will marry her fiancé named Jon this fall.
When she married her ex-husband eight years ago, Stella was her maid of honor. Once Stella got engaged, she was asked to take on the role for her wedding. Her two daughters are going to be Stella’s flower girls.
Stella has been a very supportive sister to her over the last couple of years, especially when things took a turn with her and her ex-husband.
“My parents and sister were the only reason I didn’t drown from the stress, loneliness, and total abandonment of my spouse,” she explained.
“I was a total mess. I went to therapy, got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression, quit drinking, and I owe a lot of it to my amazing sister.”
Stella and Jon got engaged last year. With their families, they decided that Jon’s parents would pay for about 60% of the wedding expenses, while she and Stella’s parents would pay for 30%. Jon and Stella will cover whatever costs are left.
While it’s nice that Jon’s parents will contribute so much money to the wedding, they’re being very strict about the ceremony. They insisted that it had to be in their family church, with a complete mass included as part of the ceremony. Jon’s parents care a lot about their reputation at their church.
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