Kicking ’em out: how can we word our “zero argument” drama-free wedding rule?
We are no strangers to family and guest drama at weddings. Hell, we’ve got whole archives for family advice, family drama, and conflict resolution. People are people and people can bring the dramaz. You’re totally on the right path by nipping it in the bud early and diplomatically addressing the issue on your wedding website. Wedding websites are the best place to explain anything you want explained: dress codes, ceremony rituals, accommodations, and of course, any specific drama rules that you’ll be putting in place. Let’s talk about how to word it.
The family altar: a low-maintenance yet highly-sweet family wedding ceremony
The “family altar” is a good way to involve your family if they have a hard time playing nicely together… or you want to give everyone an opportunity to shine without micromanaging… or if there are not enough short poems to satisfy everyone who will feel disappointed if they do not get a chance to talk at your wedding.
How to tell your family that your wedding will be adults-only
I want to send an email to our family members letting them know that the wedding will be adults only. While I still can’t control the way anybody interprets the message, doing it this way at least allows us to control the words that they see/hear. This was really difficult to write, but here’s what I’ve come up with…
Planning a wedding as a fatherless bride
Despite the joy and enthusiasm I felt about getting married, not having my dad there meant there was a shadow, which for me made wedding planning — especially some of the emotions and complexities — as if I were planning both a wedding and a funeral. Death and life. Beginnings and endings. Joy and grief. It was all wound up together in a giant ball of messy emotions.