Here's a different perspective. Weddings are expensive. If your son doesn't have a relationship with the bride and groom beyond being related, they may not want to spend part of their limited budget on him and his wife. My niece is getting married soon and is not having a ceremony (not required in our state). Neither is religious and they feel it would be an empty gesture to get married in a church. Only the immediate family and one aunt who is particularly close to the groom is invited to a dinner at a restaurant in celebration of the marriage. I understand their reasoning, but I'm still hurt. I also understand that it's my problem, not theirs.