You may have a bride in your life who is getting closer to the wedding day and getting gradually more, shall we say, crazy. A cocktail of nerves, stress, worry, and everyday life makes every bride a little wacko before the big day. What you say to her in this final stretch can make her life a lot easier or a lot more stressful. Here is some advice on how to speak with a bride leading up to the wedding day.
Never tell a bride everything will be fine. Of course it will be fine, but the bride is going to stress about every tiny logistical detail no matter what you say. Trying to tell her it’s fine will just anger her because it feels like no one cares about the wedding as much as she does.
Don’t criticize any details of the wedding. If she is doing something unconventional, just smile and ask more questions about it. Don’t make any comments about how strange or different the feature is. You will make her worried about something she has worked hard to plan.
Understand who you are allowed to bring with you based on the invitation. Don’t ask the bride if you can bring a date or your kids. If the invitation is only addressed to you, you are only allowed to bring yourself. If it is addressed to you and your spouse only with no mention of your family, leave the kids at home. The guest count is one of the hardest parts of wedding planning and asking these questions will bring unnecessary stress.
Along the same lines, don’t ask the bride why so-and-so did not get invited. Either the invitation got lost in the mail or the bride was trimming her guest count. Harassing her about the guests in any way is going to upset her.
Keep complimenting her on her looks. If she spends a lot of money getting her hair cut and dyed or has been dieting and working out to look great, compliment her! Someone noticing the small stuff is going to calm her down, like her efforts are worthwhile.
Don’t ask the bride to change any details the month before the wedding. If she says she has hired a certain DJ and you have heard bad things about them, don’t say a word. Every detail is finalized and she can’t change anything. Asking her to will just stress her out.
Lastly, there are two things you should never, ever say to a bride. Don’t call her a bridezilla, no matter what she has said or done to her. You can have a talk with her if she is getting out of hand, but calling her a bridezilla is the same as calling her another B-word. And never say the wedding is “just a party.” It may be a party, but it is the biggest day of her life and a very important party that she put sweat, blood, tears, and a lot of money into. Planning a wedding and merging families together is very hard and stressful. Respect her work and call her party what it is – a beautiful wedding.
Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty
