HELP!! I am pretty sure I have a VERY rare situation on my hands and I need some help on how to handle it. My Mom is 47 years old and a single WONDERFUL mom to me, her only daughter, 25 years old. She has never been married before, but is about to be married to a very nice gentleman, but this is HIS second marriage. Now, I wanted to throw a shower for her, but she was undecided on the date (It was very last minute, booked only 1.5 months in advance) and the guest list (they don't have a lot of money, so finally it was decided that only immediate family would be invited...he has six daughters who are married and 7 grandchildren, plus 6 brothers & sisters...so that took up a lot of room on the guest list.) Anyway, on top of the limited guest list and last minute decision making on my Mom's part...she is feuding with her own mother, a sister and a brother. SOoooo....to say the least, this put me in an awkward position to throw a shower for her. PLUS my Mom is very modest and is not a big fan of attention!! Anyway, now the wedding is October 2 and family members have been questioning why there has been no shower (this IS her first marriage). Now I feel HORRIBLE!! PLUS, very close cousins,etc. have been hurt that they weren't invited to celebrate in this very special occasion for my mom. So, I was thinking I could throw something for her on Oct. 16th. Can I invite people that weren't invited to the ceremony/dinner(there's no reception)? What do I call it...a shower or a celebration? How do I word the invitations? I can't afford to rent a hall and my apartment isn't that big...will it be tacky to try my best to make the most of it there?? As you can see, I need MAJOR HELP!!!
(This post was
edited by sunsand7 on Sep 21, 2004, 4:39 PM)
Well, a shower would not be appropriate because you are a close family member--family is not supposed to host showers. However, you could host an after wedding gathering to introduce the family to your mother's new husband. You could simply call it a party.
One way to help make the guests feel as if they are a part of the celebration would be to create a slide show of your mother's wedding pictures and play them on your television.
You could invite your guests to a celebration to introduce them as man and wife. I don't know about mentioning the word 'wedding' in the invitation because this is a non-traditional event. We wouldn't want to confuse people making them think that this is a reception. And, the guests could decide on their own whether or not to bring a gift.
I would imagine that you could invite anyone. This is a party!
I'm glad that you like the idea of a slide-show. I use my digital too and it works so well. Everyone just loves the shows.
How about asking some of those close cousins if they would like to have the party at their home? They could help host the party, and this way they could feel included too. Here's another idea for the invitation:
Post-wedding celebration/shower appropriateness?
HELP!! I am pretty sure I have a VERY rare situation on my hands and I need some help on how to handle it. My Mom is 47 years old and a single WONDERFUL mom to me, her only daughter, 25 years old. She has never been married before, but is about to be married to a very nice gentleman, but this is HIS second marriage. Now, I wanted to throw a shower for her, but she was undecided on the date (It was very last minute, booked only 1.5 months in advance) and the guest list (they don't have a lot of money, so finally it was decided that only immediate family would be invited...he has six daughters who are married and 7 grandchildren, plus 6 brothers & sisters...so that took up a lot of room on the guest list.) Anyway, on top of the limited guest list and last minute decision making on my Mom's part...she is feuding with her own mother, a sister and a brother. SOoooo....to say the least, this put me in an awkward position to throw a shower for her. PLUS my Mom is very modest and is not a big fan of attention!! Anyway, now the wedding is October 2 and family members have been questioning why there has been no shower (this IS her first marriage). Now I feel HORRIBLE!! PLUS, very close cousins,etc. have been hurt that they weren't invited to celebrate in this very special occasion for my mom. So, I was thinking I could throw something for her on Oct. 16th. Can I invite people that weren't invited to the ceremony/dinner(there's no reception)? What do I call it...a shower or a celebration? How do I word the invitations? I can't afford to rent a hall and my apartment isn't that big...will it be tacky to try my best to make the most of it there?? As you can see, I need MAJOR HELP!!! 
