Category Archive

Friends & Family Advice

Whether it’s your mom pressuring you to lose weight or not inviting family to your wedding or how to fire a bridesmaid… this is our archive of how to handle wedding planning drama with friends and family. Be sure to check out our archive of copy ‘n’ paste conflict resolution posts, too!

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I don’t know if someone got us a wedding gift… should I send a thank you card?

Now that the wedding is over, we have a list of 10 couples who came to the wedding, and did not give anything. It concerns me, because I am hoping that nothing got lost. I just don’t want to mess something up (etiquette wise). And I don’t want to ASK these people if they gave something, in case they didn’t. But the WORST would be not thanking them if they did give something but we just didn’t receive it. What do I do?

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How to get your wedding party involved (and not hate you afterwards)

We’ve talked many times about the challenges that can arise when your wedding attendants are helping you organize your wedding, but I’m not sure we’ve ever addressed how you can get help from your bridesmaids or other wedding party members. It’s a delicate dance, to be sure… you want help with your wedding, and ideally you want the people helping you not to hate you after it’s all done. You can totally do it. Here’s how.

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7 ways to keep “Momthulhu” from hijacking your wedding plans

Before the Bridethulhu, there was the Momthulhu: wrecker of peaceful wedding planning, stirrer of pots, and thwarter of offbeat ideas. Maybe you have one? Maybe your partner does?

If you have a wonderful-but-at-times-overbearing mother involved in your wedding planning, here are seven ways to keep your beloved Momthulhu appeased and contented:

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Honor the generations with a multi-generational ring photo

At Charmaine & Chris’ vintage diner and opera house wedding, Chramaine took a couple minutes to capture this multi-generational photo with her mother and grandmother…

fire a bridesmaid alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

How to fire a bridesmaid

Yes, firing a bridesmaid sounds shitty. Honestly, it usually feels pretty shitty. There are lots of different reasons that a bridesmaid just might not work out — some that are high drama (like a fight or a friendship ending) and some that aren’t quite as emotional (life situation changes, unexpected illness or injury). Regardless, it still sucks. Here’s how to make it suck less…

Henna and Halo alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Combine traditions and interests with a Henna & Halo party

The night before our interfaith wedding, we had a big party. My partner Shreyas’ mom wanted to have a henna party, where all the women get mehendi, but she wanted to have the guys come, too. Shreyas objected, saying mehendi was a “girl thing” and didn’t want to do it. We compromised by having a manly activity too, and thus the Henna & Halo party was born.