Things not to do when planning a Wedding!

After speaking with a large number of our visitors, we've realised that one thing that is sorely lacking in the big wide world of the internet is any advice on what NOT to do when planning a wedding. And we don't mean avoid certain types of flowers, or don't go for fish because some people don't like it ... it's your wedding and you can choose anything you want!

These are some more.. common sense-based suggestions for how to have as easy a ride as possible when organising a wedding.

Don't take ALL the advice

It is impossible to take all of the advice that people want to give you for your wedding. Partly because a lot of it is conflicting (and we talked about this before when we touched on the wedding vows debate) and partly because... well, you know what you want. And good, practical advice is fine, but if you get anyone telling you what kind of flowers/food/music/outfits you should have and it directly contradicts what you want? Politely tell them where to go.

Don't expect your partner to change

We've all been guilty of this one in the past. Hoping or expecting a partner to change to better fit in with what you are doing. This can be heightened even more during the already-stressful wedding period, and I urge you to consider that if he or she was unable to give you an answer to a question about which flowers they prefer before you got engaged, then suddenly preparing a wedding won't suddenly make them an expert or necessarily even interested in them. And this applies to all manner of decisions - if your partner says "I don't mind", then they are probably not being awkward, but they just don't have an opinion.

Make it clear what you care about

On the flipside to the point I just made, if there are areas / items at the wedding that you don't have a strong opinion about but your partner does, tell them. Let them make that decision. It'll mean you don't have to pretend to understand or care about something you don't mind about, and it will mean that the wedding becomes a combination of both of your opinions. Which is what it ought to be, really.

Don't invite people you feel you have to invite

It's your wedding, right? So you can invite who you want, right? Right. But sometimes a family member will mention "Oh, it's a shame you didn't invite Aunty Ethel", or "Where's Mr Gray, your old dance teacher going to sit?" and you'll be filled with panic because you didn't invite them. It might be an oversight, it happens - but it might be that you chose to not invite them for a reason, and if that's the case? Stick to your guns!

Don't watch "Don't tell the bride"

Because as you watch it, you'll laugh at the stupid decisions the groom makes, while secretly worrying that your groom would do exactly the same...

Do you have any other helpful hints and tips? Let us know via Facebook or e-mail.