Bridology

When planning a wedding, it seems as if everyone you talk to has some bit of advice.  Everyone has ideas of how to make your wedding spectacular.  Your bridal party may have great ideas of how the make the process easier or more fun for them.  Your parents may have ideas on how to keep the cost reasonable.  Your in-laws may have ideas that involve family traditions.  The only problem is that you may not like any of their ideas.  Do you risk hurting their feelings and not include any of their ideas?  Or do you include them to the point that your wedding no longer feels like it is about you and your spouse?

First of all remember that your wedding is YOURS!  You and your spouse to be need to decide what is important to you about your special day.  If you want a relaxed tone at the reception, a black tie dinner is not the route to go.  If you want lots of dancing, perhaps choosing a DJ needs to be your top priority.  Once you have set a theme or decided what is most important, you can be more flexible with the rest.  Here are some ways to incorporate the ideas of others so you don’t have to hurt their feelings.

1.  Plan ahead so your bridal party will be comfortable.  A little preparation will ensure bottles of water and plenty of snacks during long photo sessions.  It is also important to make sure that each person has a printed agenda with driving directions if you aren’t providing transportation for them.
2. Try to include a meaningful family tradition from each side.  Talk to your family and the family of your spouse to be.  There may be a special song they would like at the reception or a candle lit in memory of a family member.  By including them on a few small decisions, they will feel like they are part of the planning without trying to take over big decisions.
3. Make sure your spouse to be gets their needs met, too.  It is easy to get lost in the hoopla and not consider what your partner wants.  You want this to be a day full of great memories for both of you.
4.  Most importantly, relax.  If you can focus on the pieces that are most important, the details will fall into place.  Flexibility may help the day flow smoothly.  As long as your top priorities go your way and you are happily married at the end of the day, your wedding be incredible.