Reunion Worries

by Karen
(Arkansas)

I am hosting a "cousins" reunion this summer. My mother died at an early age. She and my father had my brother and I. Most of the cousins that will be attending have only known my mother. My father remarried and that marriage produced a daughter, 22 years younger than I am.

Most of the cousins my age don't know her but we want her to come all the same. That marriage did not last. My father remarried for a third time and this marriage in in its 20th year. He has been married to this lady longer than he was married to my mother.

My dilemma is this: I want to make a video slide show from all the old pictures when all of us were young. They are full of my mother. I feel certain that my my stepmother will not like this or at least be uncomfortable if she is in the room when this is being played.

We are renting a hospitality room for gathering and plan on having an evening cocktail hour and thought it would be fun to have it playing in the background. How do I handle this? Do I take out all photos of my mother?

Do I include pictures of my father and current stepmother? What about my younger sister, do I include pictures of her mom and our dad when she was little? I don't think anyone else much cares, they loved my mother, but I want everyone to feel welcome and enjoy the show. What does the etiquette manual advise for such a dilemma?