All will agree that Wedding Planning is a very stressful time. You have so much to do with so little time. Meaningless issues can create unnecessary drama and one is inescapably inundated with unsolicited, but well-meant advice.
Maintaining your cool while pushing your manners to the limit is always a challenge. As a coping mechanism, The Emily Post Institute teaches etiquette professionals the Three C’s: Consideration, Communication and Compromise.
However, this concept must be taken just a few steps further. To ensure a positive planning experience, focus on “The Five C’s” of Wedding Planning”. Cooperation, Consideration, Communication, Compassion, and Compromise are all necessary to plan your wedding with ease and humility.
For the inevitable difficult situation, each tool will provide you with a valuable strategy to ensure you a memorable and courteous wedding planning experience.
COOPERATION is the cornerstone of planning your wedding or special event. By being gracious you can enlist others to become a very productive support team.
CONSIDERATION should be at the forefront of all your wedding related decisions. Realize that everyone around you has your best interest in mind. Be mindful of their input.
COMMUNICATION allows you to be open to new ideas. Allow others to voice their opinions, suggestions and concerns. Be considerate and always be grateful for their input. For example, comments like “That’s an interesting idea. Let me think about it,” are always a good way to take suggestions, even if the particular suggestion is something you may not be particularly fond of.
COMPASSION is something to extend to everyone involved in planning your wedding. Don’t just hear, but listen to each request, and think of each as an effort to give something to you, not to take something from you. Being compassionate allows you to more easily find a way to properly alter a request if need be, or incorporate it into your wedding plan if you so desire..
COMPRIMISE will become an immediate necessity following your engagement. While the wedding vision is yours, be attentive to the individual relationships with your family and friends. Consider their needs or requests. Granting a small compromise now could indeed furnish lifelong benefits.
Many acknowledge wedding planning to be the most confrontational time in ones’s life. Anticipate and take action against potential issues or problems. My father always said to be ‘proactive’ rather than ‘reactive.
Think ahead to the big picture. Marriage is between you, your spouse and your respective families. Your decisions, actions and behavior will be remembered by others for a lifetime. How graceful you handle these difficult situations will affect your future relationship with your in-laws, husband and family.
A gracious bride understands that in the best interest of family dynamics, often times it is in her best interest to take a step back, evaluate the situation and adapt to it.
A positive attitude is contagious. Be humble and maintain a gracious attitude while planning your wedding. A smile makes even the hardest of days, a little easier.
