Category Archive

reality check

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Who the hell cares: important lessons from partners who aren’t as interested in wedding planning

One detail that’s been plaguing me ever since I bought my dress has been figuring out what I’m going to do with the length. So I go back and forth, back and forth, on this decision. The past six weeks or so, I was gung-ho about getting it shortened. Then, one night, I was telling my partner about how I was once again reconsidering. While I listed out the pros and cons of leaving my dress full-length, I could see his eyes begin to glaze over. “Mm-hmm,” he said as I talked, stifling a yawn. Which was when I realized: Who the hell cares?

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Newly-engaged secret: you don’t have to plan it all today!

We KNOW some of you just got engaged, and are now being bombarded with questions: When’s it happening? What setting are you picturing? What’s your theme? How can I help? Have you thought about decor? Can I get you in touch with my baker friend? Your friends and family are asking these questions because they’re excited for you, and want to give you the opportunity to share your own excitement.

When you get peppered with these questions your response, however, may not be excitement… it may be anxiety.

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Reality check: wedding planning isn’t SO bad

We have a tag archive here on Offbeat Bride called overcoming adversity, and it’s all about couples who’ve dealt with significant, serious challenges on the path to the altar. Now, I don’t mean challenges like, “My divorced parents don’t get along; how will I do the seating chart?” or “What if it rains?” Not to diminish the reality of these challenges, but they’re just on a different level than, say, “My mother is dying so we threw the wedding together in a month” or “my partner was attacked by a shark.”

In the name of perspective shifting and reality checks, let’s take a wander through some of our overcoming adversity posts… because there’s nothing like cancer, premature babies, peg legs, and tornadoes to help you get your seating chart woes in perspective.

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So you feel like you gave in: 3 ways to bounce back from wedding planning disappointments

You can rest assured that it’s going to happen at some point during your wedding planning process: that perfect venue for your vintage submarine-themed wedding is going to fall through. You battle with your in-laws to try to keep the guestlist under 100 people, and you find yourself putting stamps on 200 invitations. Your dreams of locally-sourced, delicately spiced catering is going to be replaced by your mother’s “beef or chicken” menu that reminds you of funeral food (true story!).