Wedding planning comes with plenty of unsolicited advice, and a lot of it is way off the mark. Here are 3 more of the biggest wedding myths that we’re happy to bust.
Image courtesy of Heartfelt Studio
It’s a given that everyone in your life – from your mother to your best friend to your neighbor down the block – will want to offer some words of advice for your walk down the aisle. Some of what they suggest might come in handy (like that invisible highlighter trick – iykyk). But trust us when we say not all of those insights will be useful. In fact, some of it might be flat out wrong!
We’ve already busted some pretty big wedding myths, and now we’re back to tackle a few others! Here are 3 more of the biggest wedding myths we’ll happily disprove.
MYTH #1: “You won’t get to eat at your wedding”
We’ll be honest with you – looking back, most brides feel like their wedding days were huge whirlwinds. There are places to be, schedules to keep, and trains to bustle. Is it easy pass up dinner while you’re greeting every table? Is it easy to miss cocktail hour while you’re busy taking pictures? Is it easy to skip on the cake while you tear up the dance floor with your bridal party? Of course it is. And if eating every single one of the delicious delicacies at your reception isn’t high on your list of priorities, it’s not that big of a problem.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. If the thought of missing out on that sushi station at cocktail hour is bumming you out, then DON’T miss it! There are ways to make sure you have enough time to take pictures, celebrate with your loved ones, and chow down. You may have to compromise (like opting for a “first look” instead of saving that moment for the ceremony), and you may need to outsource for help (like asking your bridal attendant to put together a plate for you), but you can absolutely find time to eat at your wedding. In fact, we HIGHLY recommend it!
Image courtesy of Michael John Photography
MYTH #2: “Your guests will know that the addressees on the envelope indicate exactly who is invited.”
Oh, honey. If only it were that easy. Common sense would dictate that if you’ve addressed an invitation to “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” then the invitation is for the married couple only and not their three kids, their oldest daughter’s new boyfriend, and the family dog. But unfortunately, names on an envelope don’t really mean anything to guests who want to bring plus ones (or twos or threes or fours) to your wedding.
One way to prevent this from happening is to include how many people you’ve invited on the RSVP. So if you plan to invite Mr. and Mrs. Smith but not the rest of their crew, you can have a line that says “2 seats have been reserved in your honor.” That way, it’s pretty clear that Smith kid and her boytoy should have a date night – just not at your reception hall.
If you don’t want be that deliberate, you can still indicate invited guests with solely the names on the envelope. Just be prepared when you get an RSVP that has a few extra people added on to the attendance.
Image courtesy of L. John Morelli Wedding + Event Films
MYTH #3: “You have to have an even number of bridal party members.”
Who’s going to stop you, the wedding police? BOLI – it’s your wedding day, your rules. We promise you it will not look “weird” if you have an odd-numbered bridal party.
Your bridal party is your bridal party because they are important people in your life, and you want them by your side as you start a new chapter. If your husband has seven friends and family members he wants as groomsmen but you only have four, there’s no reason to try and dig up three girls who you aren’t that close with just to follow some outdated and unrealistic “rule.” And what happens if, for whatever reason, one of the groomsmen has to drop out? If you also have seven on your side, are you supposed to kick someone out just so the numbers are even? That would probably be very hurtful for the ousted bridesmaid.
Bridal parties can walk down the aisle in different pairings or trios, and your photographer can arrange any number of people into an eye-pleasing silhouette. Choose your bridal party based on your relationships, not on the idea of “evenness.”