Ah, the engagement and wedding planning life is a joyous experience. Even if you feel overwhelmed now, you’ll be able to look back and laugh at these conflicting periods. Behind every fancy engagement party, brunch celebration, and wedding appointment are whispered fights, disagreements, and aggravation. This period in your wedding planning can trigger larger conflicts when you ask the “wrong” questions or aren’t on the same page.
However, you can avoid and resolve these disagreements and conflicts with effective communication and respect. The wedding planning and engagement period are supposed to be full of love and excitement. To help curb these unnecessary arguments, here are the most common wedding conflicts and how you can avoid them.
Not Agreeing on a Budget
Money is one of the top arguments among engaged couples. Whoever is involved with the finances of the wedding should be in a meeting to set a strict wedding budget. However, it’s important to realize that wedding budgets can go in unexpected directions, so being flexible while planning is necessary. Negotiating and setting a budget will help you have a picture of what to expect at your wedding. However, having a budget for your wedding doesn’t mean it’s cheap. You can still have a glamorous wedding on a strict budget.
Create a Priority List
Creating a priority list is the best way to eliminate wedding budget stress. On this list, you two will declare which wedding expenses are the most important and will use most of the budget. For example, the venue, flowers, and cake could be priorities, meaning you will spend the most money on these key items over everything else.
Your Partner Isn’t Helping With the Planning
Wedding planning can be overwhelming, especially if you’re the only one expressing excitement or putting effort into making it happen. You and your partner should share a load of responsibilities to ensure the planning goes smoothly. Both partners should present in wedding meetings with your venue, suppliers, and wedding coordinators. If not, this could result in an argument due to stress. Communicate with your partner and be present during the planning period.
Contradicting Wedding Ideas
You might see your dream wedding differently than your partner does. Having contradicting wedding ideas is a common wedding conflict among engaged couples. If you prefer an extravagant church wedding with all the bells and whistles, but your partner would rather have an intimate one, there should be a way the two of you can agree. Compromise with one another to decide on the important elements of the wedding, such as decorations, the food and drink menu, and seating arrangements.
Incorporating Family Traditions
If your family holds strong cultural or religious beliefs, but your partner’s family doesn’t, it can be challenging to move on with the planning process until there’s a compromise. You and your partner should try to learn about the importance of these traditions and find a way to incorporate them into your big day seamlessly.
Awkward Family Drama
Every family has its issues—you’re not alone. To prevent arguments, upset faces, and thick tension from potentially putting a damper on your big day, plan accordingly. If you have a wedding coordinator, be transparent about any family drama so they can help minimize awkward situations.
To prevent issues, have separate conversations with the conflicting family members and let them know who’s attending the wedding. Tell them where they’re sitting so there won’t be surprises on the wedding day. Then, remind these family members that this is one of the biggest milestones in your life, and it would be the greatest gift if everyone could get along.
Inappropriate or Embarrassing Toasts
Wedding toasts can be tricky because you never know what someone will say. Having long, drawn-out, and embarrassing toasts is the best way to cut the fun short and make the atmosphere awkward and tense. To avoid a wedding day conflict, only allow a select few to give a toast and only allow five minutes per toast to prevent lengthy speeches. This way, you can keep the momentum going while avoiding a slurred and drawn-out speech from your uncle or cousins.
