The Real Wedding Crashers: Awkward Expectations by Crystal Marie Events

Photographer: My Touch Weddings

How to Overcome Two Common Uncomfortable Expectations Nearly Every Bride Faces During the Wedding Planning Process

Planning for your wedding can be so much fun. There’s a lot to look forward to, however, during the planning process, you can be caught off guard by unexpected comments from well-meaning friends or just plain awkward expectations.

In my book, “The Girlfriend’s Guide to a Crystal Clear Bride: Straight Talk Wedding Planning Advice from a Seasoned Planner,” I call these awkward moments the real wedding crashers because they can cause a bride so much stress and worry simply because she doesn’t know how to respond.

Here are two common awkward expectations I’ve taken straight out of my book and the advice I offer. The truth is...so many brides run into these scenarios and now - if you do - you’ll know exactly how to handle them like a pro.

The first uncomfortable expectation happens….

 

  • When you bump into a Childhood Friend You Didn’t (or Won’t) Invite to Your Wedding

 

Photographer: My Touch Weddings

Say, for example, you haven’t seen your childhood best friend in 10 years and you bump into her at the grocery store. You catch up for a brief minute and exchange Facebook names and Instagram handles. The next day, you receive an inbox message saying, “Congrats, I saw that you were engaged. I look forward to my invitation.” What do you do?

Well, if you are able to invite unlimited people to your wedding and you would like to stay in contact with this friend apart from Facebook, then by all means invite her.

If you don’t want to invite her, you have a couple of options. You could simply ignore the message, but the question will likely come back up and you’ll have to address it sooner or later. Plus, ignoring it is rude and that’s not the type of girl you are. You can graciously reply to the message and say that the count for the wedding has already been finalized. Mention that A LOT of pictures will be posted, so she will be able to see EVERYTHING. Make your message light-hearted, gracious, and apologetic, but stand firm.

The next awkward expectation happens..

 

  • When Co-Workers Want Invites, But You’re Not Inviting Them

Photographer: My Touch Weddings

 

Nothing is more awkward than having co-workers join in on all of the wedding talk and then mention how excited they are for your wedding. The problem is: You’re not planning on inviting them. How do you handle it?

You can handle this situation in the same manner you handle the childhood friend you don’t want to invite. Graciously mention that the invite list has already been finalized, and you just do not have it in your budget to extend anymore invitations.

If the invite list hasn’t been finalized and you know you’re not inviting them, you can say that it’s going to be a “close friends and family” affair. Reassure them by saying you will take lots of pictures, so they’ll get to relive the event as if they were there.

If you’ve been on your job a year or less, you likely barely know your co-workers, so extending an invitation isn’t necessary. If you do choose to invite your co-workers, limit the invites to your team members. If you feel like you won’t be able to let loose and enjoy your day, because you’re nervous about being the office gossip, then don’t invite them. Simple as that.

There you have it. There are two gracious ways to handle two common uncomfortable expectations about extending wedding invitations. Have you had to deal with either of these scenarios yet? Do you feel more at ease and like you can easily handle them with grace now?

FInd out more about Crystal Marie at crystalmarieevents.com and @crystalmarieevents on Instagram

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