10 Rules for every Bride
There are many Bridal magazines and books that give rules for brides. If you read them all you would go stark staring mad. The only thing to really think about is what you and your intended want and believe is right for your wedding.
1) Fairy stories, romantic novels and sloppy magazines would have you believe that you are the star of your wedding. It is your intended's day too; include him in the preparations and decisions.
2) Weddings are expensive, just because you are the bride, it does not follow that you can, or should, always have exactly what you want and hang the expense. It really does not matter that you cannot afford to have diamond studded place card holders, no one will notice if they are paste. Stay within your means, you do not want to start married life with debts that will take years to pay off. A wedding is for one day, marriage is forever, more marriages fail because of financial troubles than anything else.
3) Wedding dresses are expensive; you will never wear the dress again even though you think you will. What is the point of paying out a fortune for a dress you will wear once? Consider hiring a dress, it is much cheaper than buying one. If you have an experienced dressmaker amongst your family and friends consider having one made, it will be much cheaper than buying ready made and you can make your dress unique by personalizing the trimmings, decorations, overlays or whatever.
4) However annoying your intended's relatives are smile sweetly. Even, if your prospective mother-in-law tries to take over the wedding, picks holes in your taste, and criticizes the guest list, do not answer back, smile sweetly and quietly get on with your preparations. Do not argue with your prospective in laws, to do so is to cause a conflict of your intended's loyalties between you and his family and that is not fair to him. In married life there is a time to speak and a time to smile and say nothing; it is time to begin learning that discretion is often the better part of valour in marriage.
5) If you are having young children as attendants sit and explain to them carefully what will happen at the wedding. Small children get very tired and bored easily so instructt the photographer to take all the post ceremony photographs which include the small children first, so that they can let off a bit of steam while the other pictures are being taken.
6) The Best man and the head bridesmaid, or Matron-of -Honour, are there to take the heat off you and the groom. The best man is usually in charge of paying anyone who needs to be paid on the day and tipping those who require to be tipped. Ensure that he has the money to do so. You may need the head bridesmaid to assist you many times during the Wedding Day. So it is important to pick someone that you feel very comfortable with. It is a bit difficult to negotiate bathrooms in a wedding gown. You will need her help to get out of your Wedding gown and into your traveling outfit too.
7) However nervous you are do eat some breakfast on the Wedding morning, you might not want to eat very much at the reception.
8) A sit down formal wedding meal can be ruinously expensive and can be quite divisive. A buffet style meal is friendlier and encourages people to mix better and talk to one another. A buffet is also cheaper and allows for more choice of food. If you have child guests if all they will eat are sausage rolls and potato crisps with a buffet it really does not matter. Ensure that someone gets you and the groom some food.
9) Try to speak to all your guests, even if it is only a feww words, and spend time with your new Husband during the reception.
10) The perfect wedding is a myth perpetuated by Bridal magazine writers; things will go wrong. Don't stress and remember that in time the hitches will form the basis of funny family stories that everyone, you included, will laugh at.
The golden rule is not to have Hen and Stag parties the night before the Wedding; getting married with a hangover is not pleasant.
These are not really rules but advice that you are free to take or reject. Forget what all the Bridal magazines say; every wedding is different and individual to the couple getting married, their personalities and those of their guests. Weddings are special and they are not all the same.
