Aunt wonders how to counsel niece

Dear Amy: I am close with my niece, who recently got engaged. Her now-fiance was up front, by saying he didn’t really believe in marriage. She was up front, too, saying that if he ever wanted to buy a house, her name would not go on a mortgage if they weren’t married.

Recently, he got serious about buying a house and my niece stuck to her guns — either get married or sign a lease. He proposed.

Now he says his grandparents have to be at the wedding. But they are almost 5,000 miles away and too old to fly, so he is insisting they get married where the grandparents live.

Amy, my niece’s father has advanced Parkinson’s disease and can’t possibly travel that far, either. In addition, 98 percent of both of their immediate families are being excluded from the wedding held in this remote location, because they can’t afford to get there.

My niece has asked me for advice. She really loves him and wants to marry him, but she sees it as a stalemate on the location — I see a reluctant groom. What should I tell her? — Worried Aunt

Dear Aunt: My perspective about this couple is that they use negotiation, rather than consensus, to advance their relationship. I don’t think this is hugely uncommon. However, if this is the way they operate and communicate, your niece needs to be prepared for future stalemates, especially surrounding large life events that are already stressful. Have they talked about having children or how to share their expenses?

Fortunately for you, this doesn’t concern you directly. When your niece asks you for advice, you could be both honest and circumspect, and say, “You two seem to see this as a stalemate on the location for your wedding, but I see it as being bigger than that. Have you had your premarital counseling yet?”