Becky's Brides is a Birmingham, Alabama based wedding planning studio creating joyful weddings full of Southern hospitality. Thanks for stopping by.
Being is engaged is so fun! It’s the one time in your life all your favorite people come together for parties and celebrations in your honor. There are a lot of important discussions that have to be made prior to your wedding, but we’re here to help! During your engagement season, it’s important to discuss with your fiancé about the involvement of your families. Whether you have a huge family with 30 first cousins, or it’s just you and your mom and/or dad, there are topics that need to be covered so that you keep those closest to you on the same page! Here are four discussion starters for you, your fiancé and your families:
Budget- Money is never a fun topic to talk about, but it’s a necessary evil in wedding planning. This is something that needs to be discussed prior to kicking off your planning or booking any vendors. If both sets of parents are contributing to your big day, then they need to be involved in all the budget meetings. If it’s just your parents paying, the discussion can stay between you three! However the bills are being split, make sure to keep everyone who is paying in the budget loop!
Location- This topic is especially important if your families live far apart. If his parents live in New York and your parents live in California but you and your fiancé live in Alabama, planning a wedding can get complicated really fast! Sit down with your fiancé first and figure out which city means the most to you as a couple. Then, meet (or call) both sets of parents and get their opinions. Ultimately, it’s you and your fiancés final call!
Guest List- The guest list is another one of those hard but necessary conversations to have. It’s usually difficult to come up with a comfortable head count from both sides of your family. If your fiancé has a significantly larger family/guest count than your side, you may want to talk to them about supporting the cost of their guest list financially. Don’t be afraid to set a number prior to meeting with your families and then enforcing it if the guest count gets out of control!
Cultural Traditions- If you and your fiancé come from different cultural or religious backgrounds, it’s important to establish what traditions you’d each like to incorporate. It’s also imperative to include your parents in this discussion as well. You want your families to enjoy your big day, so it’s best you hear opinions from differing cultures or religions! It’s definitely not uncommon for there to be two ceremonies or different elements of cultures infused at a reception!
We love working with our brides and their families! It’s such a fun, exciting and important time in our brides lives so we always love to assist in making these tough topics a bit easier to discuss. Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to stay up to date with all of our tips, tricks and real weddings!