Hey Guys,
So last weekend Kevin’s parents came down to have dinner with my family. I think we were both a little worried about it at first. The first time they met was during our engagement party but since there were so many people and so much commotion going on, they didn’t get a chance to talk to each other a lot.
I absolutely love both of our families. They are awesome. Kevin’s parents are probably some of the sweetest people I have ever met and my dad is without a doubt one of my best friends.
With that being said, our families could not be more different. Kevin’s parents are extremely conservative and my family is extremely liberal. They are trump supporters and my dad is convinced trump is the worst thing to happen to the world. His parents are very religious and my dad hasn’t been to church in over 40 years. They are the perfect, sweet all-American family and my family is mish-mash of cultures (My dad and I are European, his wife is Brazilian and we’ve all spent lots of time in numerous countries – my baby brother is going to grow up with 4 different languages!).They have spent almost their entire lives in one home and my family has spent our lives moving around. Kevin describes it as the Jetsons meeting the Flintstones. I could go on and on but I’m sure you get the picture.
So with two families coming from completely different perspectives, I’m sure you could see how I might be slightly nervous about them meeting. I, of course, am the type of person who tries to avoid conflict at all costs. I always want everyone to get along. On top of that I would consider myself an extreme family person. So this meeting was important to me. I wanted it to go well and everyone to get along and like each other. Right now, in my mind I am picturing everyone gathering around the table for thanksgiving – a holiday my family has never actually celebrated, which is highly unrealistic seeing as my family probably won’t even be in the country for thanksgiving. But it’s still a nice thought.
Of course, realistically even if it hadn’t gone well and everyone disliked each other, it still would have been fine. Kevin and I would still be getting married and we would still love our families. There are tons of people who don’t get along with their in-laws and whose families don’t get along and they still make it.
However, I am happy to report that it went well. Fantastic even! I honestly, was surprised at how extremely well it went. Even without Kevin and me constantly jumping in and having to redirect the conversation (something I had feared would happen). Everyone got along and there was lots of laughter and smiles. Our fathers talked about technology and jobs while Kevin and I made the food. My dad even took Kevin’s dad for a ride in his Tesla. Kevin’s mom and Ana (my dad’s wife) doted on Dylan (my one year old little brother). Of course, Dylan stole the show with his happy go lucky attitude and award winning smiles (In respect to my dad and Ana’s wishes, no photos of Dylan are being posted online). I mean seriously, the little guy is adorable and could probably make anyone forget their differences.
Dinner was amazing! Big shout out to Kevin, who BBQ’ed everything. Without him, we probably would have just ate salad. We’re german. BBQ is not in our blood unfortunately (as much as we do love our sausages – and I mean literal sausages :P)
Of course, Emma got in on the action too! We couldn’t help ourselves. Yes, I know. She is spoiled. But hey, why not? As (in my opinion) the best lab on the planet, she deserves it!
After dinner we all went for a walk on the beach. We took turns swinging Dylan in between us. Afterwards, everyone hung out for a bit, had coffee and talked some more. There was lots of talk about everyone’s desire for Kevin and I to have children (HAHA – we aren’t even married yet, chill out everyone!).
Overall, it went incredibly well. I could not have been happier with them meeting and am hoping for lots more combined family outings in the future. I can now rest assured that our families do not hate each other – despite so many differences! My dad even repeatedly told me how nice Kevin’s parents are afterwards (win!). One less thing to stress about on our wedding day! 🙂
I would love to hear your stories about your families meeting! How have you and your S.O. handled it? How did it go? Comment below ☺
Love,
Jules
P.S. I am going wedding dress shopping tomorrow! YAY! I am super excited… more on that in the next post!
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