Planning your wedding should be one of the most joyous time of your life… and any pre-existing tension between family members should just be put on hold, right? As much as you would hope for families to put their differences aside or to get their act together during this short, sweet time in your life, it unfortunately doesn’t always happen. In fact, these events seem to trigger and heighten a lot of emotions and hangups in families. And it often is not even about you, but it does very much directly affect you. Something to remember in the midst of this chaos is that EVERYONE has family drama. EVERYONE. You are not alone! It wouldn’t be a wedding without the wedding drama. So the question is, how do you and your fiancé deal with the family drama while planning your wedding? Well, we have put together some insights and tips on how to handle these situations with ease and grace so that you can still enjoy the wedding planning process (and keep your sanity!).
- Prepare Yourself. It’s helpful to anticipate some of the family drama that may come up during the wedding planning, so you are not surprised if it does happen. Talk to your fiancé ahead of time about these potential issues that may arise and discuss how you are going to handle (and hopefully diffuse or prevent) them together.
- Be a United Front. No matter what, be a united front with your fiancé. Talk about everything and be on the same page before addressing any situations with family members. You two are joining your lives together, after all, so everything from here on out is a team decision!
- Be Open to Listening to Others. When conflict arises, do your best to hear the other person out in kindness. If a family member is asking for you to accommodate them in some way, keep an open mind and get creative if needed. Responding with “thank you for your input, we’ll definitely talk it over and take it into consideration” can diffuse some of the tension. It will also buy you some time to gather your thoughts and decide how you would like to proceed.
- Still Have Boundaries. On the same hand, don’t feel you need to accommodate everyone’s wishes. This can set a precedence and make it difficult for you to draw the line, if you only accommodate some guests and not others. It is still your day and you and your fiancé will have to decide what is best for you both.
- Find Your Sense of Humor. While some of your family may be driving you nutty, keep the mood light and find humor in the situation as much as possible. Don’t let others take the joy out of this happy time!
Photo Credit:
Corrie Lynn Photo