My granddaughter lives with me (age 14). She has a younger sister (age 11) who lives with their mother (my daughter). The girls have a paternal aunt who is getting married (finally....the groom had to finalize his divorce first, and they had two children during their "courtship", but never mind that). Auntie called me a couple of months ago and asked if Cheyenne could be one of her bridesmaids. Auntie asked me not to mention it to Emily (the other granddaughter) because "I haven't figured out a part for Emily in the wedding yet". I (foolish me) took that to mean there WOULD be a role for Emily in her aunt's wedding.

Spring Break is coming up. Auntie wants to take Cheyenne (the bridesmaid granddaughter) to San Antonio for the week and have the bridesmaid's dress fitted. Okay....but I mentioned this to my daughter, only to learn that nothing has been said about Emily....no dress fitting, no asking permission for her to be in the wedding....nothing.

So last night I told Cheyenne to find out from Auntie what Emily's part will be in the wedding. Auntie says she still "doesn't know". So I said to Cheyenne, "I'm concerned that your aunt may leave Emily out of her wedding entirely and if that's the case, you aren't going to be in it, either. You're sisters, close in age, and that's just not right. Emily is going to think Auntie likes you better than her."

It was as if I had dropped the bomb to set off WWIII. Auntie called me, screaming that I was "butting into her business"...."trying to ruin her wedding"....and informed me that "this isn't going to happen".

Her reason for not including Emily, she said, was that she couldn't afford another dress. "I'll pay for the dress," I said. Then she said she couldn't include her in the bridal party because there was no male counterpart for her on the groom's side. I reminded her that at her brother's wedding, when she was 8 years old, we included a young boy we would not have otherwise, for the exact same reason - so she would not be left out. And I paid for her dress. She told me, in response, that this was her wedding, "not your daughter's".

Cheyenne is furious with me, and with her mother (for not bucking my decision). I, however, think this is just a really inconsiderate act on Auntie's part. Turns out she invited Cheyenne to participate because the groom has a 10 year old brother who will be a groomsman and they needed someone close to his height on the bride's side, so the wedding party looks symmetrical. Cheyenne is 4' 10" and Emily is about two inches shorter.

So....what do you guys think? I believe family is more important that symmetry. Am I being unreasonable?

Boo Boo Kitty: You win!!!

We lived in Orlando when my daughter got married. We booked a fantastic ballroom downtown at Church Street Station for the reception. When I went to check on things (fortunately early in the game) they told me that they booked a different wedding party because we we having fewer guests. No, they did not apologize or comp us for anything. I was stunned, extremely disappointed and beside myself. They showed me another room that was available, but it was hidden under the big rooms, like an ugly step-sister's cubby hole or something.

My daughter was completely unfazed. Couldn't have cared less. Thank goodness. I re-grouped and someone told me about a beautiful new golf course not too far from our house. It turned out to be very beautiful with an adequate outside breezeway looking out over the golf course, for the actual wedding and very pretty rooms for the reception. In the wedding video the sun is setting behind the chaplain who married them and my daughter's dress went from white to nearly all colors of the rainbow - incredibly beautiful.

All the men (mostly from Maryland) were thrilled to have the chance to play 18 holes of golf and the best man's father hit a hole in one. (During the reception he kept thanking us for having this party to Celebrate his hole in one.) Our deejay was a nut and tons of fun and everyone relaxed and had a blast.

Lots of people came up to me afterwards and told me it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to. To cap the whole thing off, my new SIL's mother came to my house the next morning before heading back to Maryland and handed me a check for $2500 to help defray the cost of the reception (she had already paid for most of the flowers)!! What a woman!

Everyone still talks about what a great party it was and what a beautiful wedding it was. I am still a little on cloud nine over it and they've been married 7 years.

So this doesn't exactly fit the bill for the worst wedding, but I had to say that not all brides are bridezillas and not all weddings have to cost $100,000 to be fabulous.