You should be on air on your wedding day!

I wanted to share in this blog entry something that is never far from my thoughts. We in the wedding world are selling everything a bride and groom could possibly need to make their wedding day perfect. However, we can’t sell them genuine happiness. I feel that with all of the exposure weddings have received in recent years, that something has been lost along the way. A wedding should be a happy experience, right from the start. So often, we find it taking a toll on even the nicest of families. Sure, there are stresses along the way. Those are inevidible. Just be sure to try to come up with solutions that work for all parties involved. Perhaps settling on a compromise. The first step in a hopefully, bump free planning process is for the Bride and Groom to figure out what they want. It is, after all, their wedding. Through the years, I’ve seen plenty of examples of mothers taking over and planning the wedding they wish they would have had. The best advice I can offer to a couple who really wants to be in control is to decide on an amount that they want to spend. Otherwise known here at Just Marry! as your spending parameters. Another nice, fancy word for budget. Once you’ve decided on that, then collect the funds from any of those kind souls who may be donating to your wedding and open a bank account. Be sure to use this account entirely for your wedding. This way, even if you have parents contributing, all of the decisions are ultimately yours. So, if you have champagne dreams on a beer budget, then when the money runs out, it’s all up to the two of you love birds to come up with additional financing. Keep the planning process friendly. It’s always sad as a planner to see feuding families. People, people, please pull it together for the Bride and Groom. After all, you’re going to be involved in each others lives until death do you part. At least that’s what we’re routing for when sending you down the aisle. How else to keep things happy and stress free? Well, hire a wedding planner, of course! Hiring a wedding planner seems like the most obvious way to keep things happy and carefree. Your wedding planner will help you find the perfect vendors for your needs and personality. And my best advice and what I would hope is an obvious, is to have fun and enjoy. Give your wedding planner, friends and family any last minute tasks such as welcome baskets and program printing and then let go. Don’t micromanage. Trust those that you’ve put in charge. The less on your plate, the better. The wedding is all about the Bride and Groom.

As you head into the wedding weekend, enjoy this time with your fiance. Have fun! Be sure to get plenty of sleep the night before your nuptials and eat a good breakfast on the day. Wake up with a positive, happy attitude. Let the professionals you are working with take care of things for you. Weddings are rarely issue free, but let any problems roll off of you. I am a crazy detailed perfectionist and it has often been said that I’m a bit high maintenance, but on my wedding day to my ex husband. I was on air. I was the happiest girl in the world. I was a tad bit in love with the idea of marriage. Nothing in the world could have affected me on my wedding day. After all, it was a happy occasion with friends and family. So much fun! I’m pretty sure that the reception hall could have collapsed around me and I would never have noticed. This is how a wedding day should be and even though that one didn’t take, it gave me the awesome experience of being a bride and of course, a wonderful son! Love you Griff!

So, my hope for each and every bride out there is that you wake up on your wedding day and let go! You’ve managed it to this point. Let it go on autopilot from this point on. What will happen, will happen. Just take it in stride and celebrate this wonderful day with your husband and everybody who loves you!!