Wedding Planning Tips | UKbride

The decision to let your nearest and dearest help you out with your wedding planning can either make or break your big day. Some brides have real difficulty delegating — but if that’s you don’t worry; that’s not to say you’re a bridezilla on a power trip! It’s just that everybody’s different, and equally many people enjoy letting friends and relatives get stuck into their pre-nuptial preparations.

There has never been — and probably never will be — a universal opinion about entrusting friends or family to plan the intricate details of a bride-to-be’s wedding, as our exclusive UKbride poll shows.

We asked our UKbride members how much they were prepared to delegate their wedding plans to friends and family. 22% of you said that it’s your big day so you want to organise everything yourself, whilst 7% said that you would agree to let friends and family help, but only because it would keep them happy and you didn’t want to offend them.

However, 10% of our brides are desperate for help and said that the more involved relations get the better! And, a staggering 61% told us that if a friend or relative offered to help, they’d be happy to let them.

There’s a bit of a stigma attached to monstrous mother-in-law’s and bolshie bridesmaids butting into wedding plans, but letting friends and family pitch into wedding preparations isn’t necessarily a bad thing. One of our top wedding planning tips; if you’re looking to tighten the purse strings a bit and lower your wedding budget, it can be a really nice idea to get people you know involved in the cake making, the entertainment, or any of the other planning processes! Plus delegation might just give you more that well-deserved time to relax and enjoy yourself in the run up to the big day!

Although they can at times be very trying, spare a thought for your mum and your mother-in-law. Remember, it is a huge occasion for them too; they feel like they are losing their daughter/son. If they get a bit carried away, bear in mind that they are probably doing it with the best intentions and just trying to make you happy! All doting mothers should remember, however, that what their daughter needs most is support and advice, not criticism on what colour scheme to choose, or what venue to hire — and tactfully pointing this out as soon as conflict arises can effectively diffuse it!

Avoiding family conflict during your wedding planning is all about getting the balance right. Whilst you might initially welcome assistance from friends or relatives, it is a very thin line which can be easily crossed! Be open to suggestions, but ultimately it’s your wedding so don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself!

We spoke to The Wedding Fairy, George Watts about how to deal with an over-controlling friend or family member, and he gave us his top wedding planning tips.

“Ah yes, the interfering family brigade!” George says knowingly. “It's time to get a grip, get in control and stand up for your rights, ladies! This is your big day and you should be able to rock it your way.”

George adds: “The best thing all round is to sit down with said ‘offender of interference’ and just tell them how you feel. This might seem like a daunting task, but most people will respond to a calm measured conversation between friends and will step back a bit.”

And finally: “If the offender has been married themselves, remind them how they felt when the Mother-in-Law was trying to take over! Explain how you want to do things and that you would appreciate their support and input so they also feel included.”

How have you solved conflict? Has your family's involvement been a blessing, rather than a curse? Let us know your wedding planning tips on our Forum!