Wedding invites & parents

Advice Request

Hello all, I’m looking for some help. Here’s some context, sorry that it’s so long. I have spent the last 7 years in therapy to heal the traumas of abuse I went through at the hands of my addict father, then my ex. I have one or two memories of my father acting like a father. The rest are screaming, hitting, and belittling me for being born a girl. I am reading “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.” And so far it has helped me come to terms with his behavior, our relationship, and his emotional landscape. My entire childhood he denied I was his daughter, and when I was 23, he demanded a dna test, which proved I was his. This changed none of his behavior. I gradually began to accept that I do not have a dad, just a dna donor, and I do not wish to have him in my life. Which, he made easy, as he has not contacted me himself since I moved out on my own almost 9 years ago. But my mom is still married to him, and relays my life to him. I will occasionally see him when I visit home, it’s always surface level conversations, and I leave as quickly as I can when he enters the room because being around him is very triggering due to the abuse he put me through. Because of how uncomfortable I am around him, I decided he would not be invited to my wedding next year. He doesn’t know who I am, and he’s barely said 5 sentences to my fiancé in the 6 years we’ve been together. My mother asked me today what it would take for me to just invite him to the wedding, because THEY have been in couples therapy, and “he’s doing better!” But that doesn’t mean he has done anything to mend our relationship. I feel physically ill when I think about him being there on one of the happiest days of my life. How do I navigate this? I don’t think if I tried to communicate that he has not been a father that that would change how he treats me today. If anyone could me know how you handled your wedding & parental situation, I think it would help, even just to know I’m not alone. Thank you.

Posted Oct 10, 2025, 7:30 PM UTC

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