You do you, and do your ‘I do’s’

Weddings are complicated and very stressful for many. So many questions – where do we go? Who do we invite? How much do we spend? Can’t we just elope? While all these questions are commonplace, many questions that should be asked are not and often what started as your dream is swiftly taken over by outside opinions (enter scary mother in law).

These opinions can be given weight by the notion that those who have already been married or a wedding planner MUST know better because hey, they’ve done this before right?! Wrong, there is nothing more upsetting than to see the choices that matter taken away, the joy of creating extinguished and the intention of the couple deprived because of the baseless weight of other opinions. In our experience the only opinions that matter is the couple whom are using this day – as the first day – of the most exciting and hopefully best part of their life.

Many believe that the wedding day – the testament of one’s bond with another – is now so often commercialised. To be honest they may be right. Couples find themselves confined to what décor will suit the latest style, what gowns are trending on the Gram and who’s eating what (hello naked, nude, boho, deconstructed grazing tables I’m looking at you!). There is often in many ways no room for self-assessment and people don’t attempt to look at the ‘style’ they want for their day, rather allowing ‘confidents’, ‘consultants’ and ‘wedding planners’ to make their mark here.
Style is not an objective truth and no person should advise a couple of what is and what is not acceptable. Let me ask you – what was the dress you wore when you first locked eyes? Do you still have it? What did it smell like and does he or she still remember? These types of questions ask harder questions, they seek to find the spark that lit the journey and these are the questions that should help form the ‘style’ for your day.

It was the great Elle Fitzgerald that once said. “style follows me, I do not follow others I make my own way in life, both in my career and what I choose to wear, there is nothing more personal and nothing more powerful that making your own statement rather then shouting with a crowd – ill walk the path less travelled, everyone will hear me then….”

Make your own way. Engaging a wedding planner or coordinator can be a great first step to ensuring the planning process is easy and fun and your most special of days runs seamlessly, but make sure you decide what you want. Make it “your day” – you are NOT a package, you are not a number – speak up, make your mark and make your day as unique as the circumstances of how you fell in love in the first place.