QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

MIL: Although I have vented about her grandiose visions for the wedding, she is exceptionally generous to us and has made it abundantly clear that she adores me and is thrilled I am marrying her son. My mom is the most low key person ever while she is totally a socially oriented person so it is interesting to see different perspectives.
FIL: Just a lovely man. Like father, like son. Love him so much.
FBIL: I never had little brother before so it is really cool to have that experience.
Overall, it is amazing to be joining a family like this. It is hard to describe in words but the idea of expanding the core people in your life to include these floks who love you as you are is incredible.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

FH is an only child and his father is deceased so it is only FMIL. FMIL is a very generous person and is very good to me. I am lucky because we are more like friends than anything else.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

i was engaged once before, and i almost inherited the in-laws from HELL. so i am super duper overjoyed with FHs family!!!!!!!!

FMIL: from the very beginning she welcomed me into her home. when she caught wind of how serious fh was about me, she welcomed me into the family with no reservation, despite the fact that we are different religions and that her own mother would not welcome me. when fh and i go to florida to visit, i always spend at least one day of quality time alone with his mom... shopping until we drop i just love her...

FFIL: nice and funny and wonderful...

FBIL #1: well, this is the guy that is married to the dud, so that sort of clouds my opinion of him. he also drives me crazy cause he is a sports lawyer, jerry maguire type and is always bragging about who he hung out with, blah blah blah. for example, he is going to starr jones' wedding next month, and wouldn't tell us where it is because it 'secret information that hasn't been released yet'... as if i'm gonna go around nyc posting flyers... he needs to get over himself... that kind of stuff annoys the living daylights out of me

FBIL #2: 17 years old, striving to be a professional soccer player... i really admire his dedication and work ethic at such a young age. and he's SO sweet, sort of just discovering who he is, and it's refreshing and amusing to watch... he's also very funny and laid back... hoping he settles near us in the future so we can be better friends.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

The best-- becoming a part of a large family. For us, it is just me, my bro (his wife) and my parents and step-dad. My dad is an only child, my mom has a sister, who has a step-son and another son. All grandparents are deceased. Basically one half of our small little family lives in NY (me, my parents) and the other half lives in CA (bro, his wife, aunt, uncle and cousins). So, family dinners and holidays have always been a little depressing-- more so in the last 10 to 15 years.

The worst- becoming a part of a big family. It is a little chaotic and not what I am used to... I feel kinda invisible sometimes and esp with wedding planning- I feel like we sometimes don't get undivided attention.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

FMIL and FFIL: Since I have known FI for so many years, I have had the pleasure of knowing my future in laws since I was in my late teens. They are very generous to us and so happy we are together. With the nightmare from his first marriage, they appreciate someone who looks out for his best interest, loves him for him and can actually cook.
And a bonus, they are letting us do the wedding our way. Not once have they interferred with any suggestions! BIG BONUS! And of course, they appreciate that we include them as we go along.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

FMIL- Since my mom died suddenly when I was eight I am very lucky to be getting a great MIL. As you can imagine I've kinda gotten used to not having a mother. All of the mama drama you girls go through is foreign to me. FMIL is very generous and loves me! FH was married once before and his EX caused a lot of drama in the family. FMIL once said to me 'I loved you from the moment we met you because you are so normal' Normal... she must not be talking about me. One downside is she likes to buy me things that aren't my taste and she lives 3 miles away so I it's not like she won't be coming over and noticing I don't have them on display. She came dress shopping with me but is letting us do the wedding our way.

FFIL- He means well and is very generous. He is almost 70 years old and has been a lifelong sufferer of OCD and ADHD way before anyone knew anything about these disabilities. If I wasn't a teacher and wasn't trained in such it would probably drive me bonkers. He is redesigning our kitchen and paying for most of it. Yes, a FFIL who is a kitchen designer, am I lucky or what!

FSIL- Both are very different and both live out of state. All three of us are teachers!! We are still getting to know one another.

FN and FN- I am getting five FNs... four beautiful nieces and one very charming nephew. They are all really great kids. I just wished they lived closer so that our future kids could grow up with them like I did mine.

I must say that I always examined every past-boyfriend's family very closely. YES, you really do marry the family. I consider myself lucky.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

FBIL's & FSIL's-couldn't be happier with them.. Love love love my new niece and nephews.

BIL's-amazing family men
SIL's-Older sisters I never had

FIL-Hysterical, warm hearted, good intentions, and cutest old man ever

MIL-shoot me in the head now
She is Marie from Everybody Loves Raymond only worse!

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

MIL & FIL both passed away. I'm sad I'll never know them. I've heard they were really great people. If it wasn't for his mom we probably wouldn't have met. She was very sick in the hospital. My roommate was a nurse on her floor. After she passed away we ran into my FI at a bar and we met there. His mom used to say to the nurses that she wanted to find a nice girl for him. I guess in a way she did.

SIL is a little bit nutty, but for the most part she's ok. I'm just waiting for the drama. So far we've always gotten along, but she's the type who is always mad at someone for something.

2 BIL - They are both great, so is the wife of the one that's married.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

MIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, let me edit. She is alright. Just a little overbearing and very protective of her baby boy that I am marrying. I hope that things will be alright.

Love my future FIL.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

FMIL- is an amazing woman. FH is exactly like her- same likes/ dislikes, etc. she is so generous and welcoming. Always willing to help when we need it (though we dont usually), but never the type to step on toes.

FFIL- a little cooky, but good-hearted. I get along well with him b/c i know how to laugh, and i think, essentially, he's always trying to get people to laugh, so i amuse him

I wont go through all the FBIL/ FSILs individually... i'm going to have 6 of them!! (FH comes from a large family, and that's one of the things that really attracted me to him).... Overall, though, they alll have a strong sense of 'family'... something you don't see as often as you should these days. Its also a new experience for me, b/c i have 1 sister thats 9 years younger than me and 1 brother thats 10 years younger (my other sister died when i was 11)... but he's the yongest of his syblings,,, so theyre all in their mid-late 30s. So its an adjustment going form being the oldest to the youngest.

My favorite thing though is all of my soon to be nieces and nephews!! Right now i have 5, but 2 of my FSILs are Both pregnant with TWINS!!! (twins run in his family, so i'm definately holding off on Child bearing for now ) But by the time we get married, i will have 9 neices and nephews. I am so psyched!!

hahaha the only one that gets to me sometimes from the family is FH! otherwise, no complaints

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

FIL are really nice people. FH keeps telling me that they adore me. They see how happy I make there son. He comes from a real small family. He has an other brother. He's nice but I don't see him all that often. He's married. I see FSIL seldom. She doesn't care for the family. I have no complaints about my soon to be new family.

Re: QOTW (QOT weekend) - what is the best/worst aspects of getting new in-laws?

Oh don't get me started on the drama. That is the worst part. The good part is that they seem to usually have good intentions that relate to this drama. It is just that it always ends up being a bigger deal than it needed to be.

My goal, to not get involved with the drama. The problem is, for me not to get involved, I can't listen half the things that are said to me. But then I get into more trouble, and now things about me are exagerated.

Luckily, since we have been engaged, rarely has drama occured because 'they' are too busy talking about the wedding.

PS Bet you I am shooting myself in the foot by saying all this since FH brother is engaged and his fiancee is possibly on the board.