Overcoming Family Disagreements Before the Wedding Day
We’ll just say it outright. Avoiding conflicts during your wedding planning is universally impossible. There will be discord between you & your partner, between your families, and individual issues between you & the family members. To keep your peace, it’s crucial to navigate these situations with empathy, grace, and thoughtful advice. Below, find 3 of the most common wedding planning disagreements and ways out of them!
Wedding Planning Disagreement #1
Opinionated Mother or Future Mother-In-Law
Mothers, universally, love to give their opinions on topics. Oftentimes, without enough consideration of the situation or the feelings of their child. To your surprise, it’s quite common for mothers to interfere in wedding planning. It could be something related to a wedding dresses tradition or who to invite or what religious customs to include. Don’t worry, there are ways to deal with these conversations without being rude or straining the relationship.
What To Do:
Understand where they’re coming from! If your mother or MIL is divorced, she might be afraid of losing her child’s time & attention to another mom/ family. In these cases, just a few loving words and gentle assurance can help. Other times, you might need to be stern, but polite. It’s all about how you say it than what you say. Your masterstroke in this situation is finding details you’d want to get her opinion on! This way she’ll find less urge to give unsolicited opinions herself and feel important as well.
Wedding Planning Disagreement #2
Whiny Unmarried/ Divorced Sibling/ Friend
For someone who has been divorced or not married yet, seeing someone close tying the knot can be tough. It’s normal though and doesn’t mean they aren’t happy for you. It’s more tied to the concern for their own life. Nonetheless, handling this at the right time can serve you and them well throughout the experience.
What To Do:
Take a gentle approach in such situations. Say something like, “you look tensed, is everything okay?” or “I’m here if you need to talk about something.”. If not at once, they will eventually open up. This will basically show their emotions are important to you. Afterward, let them be a part of the wedding experience as much as they want. Alternatively, delegate them a task they’re happy about, so the positive sentiments eventually conquer the negative ones.
Wedding Planning Disagreement #3
You & Your SO Aren’t Seeing Eye to Eye
Whether the arguments are about finances, the other person being less invested in details you care about, like wedding dresses, cake frosting, etc., or appeasing both families - having fights with your betrothed will be common during wedding planning. Although it never feels good to fight with your partner, some experts suggest, when handled right, that this can bring you closer together.
What To Do:
Before you start planning the wedding, discuss key matters of money, delegating duties, family dynamics, and what details matter more to whom. During arguments, listen to understand and practice empathy while communicating. Remember - at all times - you’re in this together and wedding planning doesn’t supersede the lifetime of togetherness and your strong relationship. Lastly, focus on the big picture and curating a celebration you both can utterly enjoy!