It’s easy to see why so many people regard their respective wedding days as the most important day of their lives. In addition to being a celebration of your love for your partner – and their love for you – your wedding day marks the beginning of a whole new chapter of your life. Unfortunately, weddings – and wedding planning – can be breeding grounds for conflict and resentment. The more guests you include in your special day, the more mindful of potential conflict you’ll need to be. Anyone looking for effective ways to avoid conflict at an upcoming wedding would do well to heed the following pointers.
Make Joint Decisions
To say that a lot of planning goes into the average wedding would be an understatement. Between deciding on a venue, reception hall, catering and entertainment, most couples have quite a few choices to make in advance of their big day. In the interest of ensuring that both you and your partner are happy with said choices, you should make an earnest effort to make joint decisions throughout every step of the planning process. This approach to wedding planning will keep you both on the same page and dramatically reduce the likelihood of late-stage surprises.
Even if your partner is largely uninterested in wedding planning and gives you free license to make decisions without them, make sure to keep them abreast of what’s happening behind the scenes – and, if you’re paying for the wedding yourselves – how much money is being spent.
Identify Potential Guests Who May Prove Problematic
If you have any relatives or acquaintances with a propensity for creating conflict or facilitating uncomfortable situations, you may want to think twice about sending them an invite. For example, if someone you know has a penchant for saying wildly inappropriate things, getting into arguments or starting fights, their presence at your wedding may negatively impact other guests, as well as the occasion itself. So, rather than deal with the fallout of a problematic wedding guest after the fact, consider nipping things in the bud by not inviting them in the first place.
Be Mindful of Certain Guests When Making the Seating Chart
If any guests have outstanding beefs with other guests, you’ll need to be mindful of this when making seating charts for the ceremony and reception. Arguments between guests can put a damper on your big day and make everyone in attendance uncomfortable. As such, make a point of seating feuding guests far away from one another in the hope of limiting their contact with each other. Additionally, if two potential guests are incapable of being in the same room without having a heated argument, it may be best to simply invite neither of them.
Be Aware of Special Dietary Needs and Food Allergies
Once you have your guest list sorted out, you’ll need to confirm whether anyone in attendance will require special dietary considerations. For example, if any attendees have certain food allergies, you’ll need to take this into consideration when deciding the menu. While this is undeniably a day about you and your partner, providing guests with a good meal is the responsibility of the people hosting the wedding, and if your menu choices stand to sicken someone, you’ll need to get on top of this. Furthermore, depending on severity of a guest’s food allergies, it may not be safe to have certain foods at the wedding, period.
Don’t Get Carried Away with Destination Weddings
There’s nothing wrong with wanting your wedding day to be an event to remember. However, if you’re interested in a destination wedding, it’s imperative that you take your guests into consideration. For example, if you’re thinking of having the ceremony overseas, there are a number of questions you’ll need to ponder. How many guests will be willing to travel internationally? Is such a trip financially feasible for most guests? Will the ones who are able to make the trip be inconvenienced in any way? Fortunately, there are an abundance of fantastic wedding venues in the U.S., as evidenced by how many people opt to have their weddings in Annapolis, MD.
Few things are more disheartening than having your wedding day marred by conflict. Whether it’s guests having problems with other guests, people taking issue with the venue or any other source of conflict, such negativity can place a tremendous damper on what should be a joyous occasion. In the interest of keeping your nuptials free of conflict and resentment, put the advice outlined above to practical use.