The pressure and expectations that our culture puts on soon to be newly-weds are immense.
You are bombarded by extravagant weddings in magazines. Wedding websites are filled with glamorous wedding photos. You may even have friends or family who have thrown lavish weddings that you feel like yours will be compared against. These pressures and expectations are real, but that doesn’t mean you have to let them get to you.
Avoid comparisons to other’s weddings
We want to remind you that your big day is your own unique experience. You shouldn’t compare it to others because no one else is exactly you. What really matters is that you are happy with your wedding and the people you care most about have a fun time. We hope this article will help you feel better and get more excited for your big day.
Focus on your better marriage
Studies show a smaller wedding budget correlates to a reduced risk of divorce. What is more important to you? One day or the rest of your lives together?
Don’t envy others for their wedding budget – They likely had to sacrifice something for it that is important to you
Priorities matter. Social media is everywhere. And one huge problem with social media is that most people tend to try to share only the parts of their life that they want to brag about. But in reality, everyone has to balance priorities. How much of your time and energy and money do you dedicate to your career, your love life, your friends, your family, your vacations, your home, your hobbies? Everyone balances those priorities differently. You may see the high school friend that travels the world, the couple that owns the beautiful home, the rich ladder-climbing corporate professional, the deeply in love couple, and the super fit workout machine. But what you don’t see is none of them have it all. Each of those people sacrificed something to get what is important to them. In life, you can’t have everything, but you can have the things that are most important to you. The same is true about weddings. The seventy-five thousand dollar blowout wedding you saw, might have been funded by a father who emotionally was not there because he was too career-oriented. It could be a couple that spends less time on dates and more time working. It could be a couple that is in credit card debt and won’t own a home anytime soon. If you decided not to break your bank on your wedding, then there is something else those funds are going to, and clearly, that is more important to you. Focus on being proud of yourself for that.
Focus on knowing what’s important to you so you can sacrifice minor ones, for major ones
It is imperative to constantly discuss with your partner about what your priorities and goals should be. If you actually take some time to discuss it and write it down, and keep coming back to it, you’ll be amazed at how much clearer your life will feel.
Here are some examples of what our top priorities are:
- Our relationship
- Time with family
- Exercising and staying healthy
- Being there for our daughter
- Making family memories
- Having a peaceful home
- Always learning and improving
- Have a positive impact on the world
I hope my little rant helps you refocus on what matters to you, and makes your wedding planning, the day of your wedding, and life afterwards more enjoyable. If you like my rant or have any other thoughts to add, please let me know in the comments.