j is for joyful

j is for joyful

j is for joyful because that’s how you should feel on your wedding day. this alphabet series is for my favorite things. you being as joyful is my utmost favorite thing about weddings since it’s my job and my mission to make sure you’re able to have the best day ever. i want everything to go as smooth and stress-free as it possibly can go. i want to keep events on time so there’s no rushing and all of your vendors have the time to do everything you paid them to do the best they can. i want your family and bridal party and friends to be joyful with you and celebrate your marriage. you being joyful is but table stakes from me.

there are many “j” words in wedding planning i can not help you avoid. i can only give you a heads up to do the best you can to ignore these:

jealousy
some sort of jealousy is going to pop up when you’re planning. from the start – when you’re first engaged – there’s likely going to be someone so jealous that you’re engaged, you’re happy and you and your partner have decided it’s time to make the lifelong commitment together. remember – that has nothing to do with you or your relationship, even though they might try to make it that way. people are likely to be jealous of you and probably your awesome engagement ring too. during your engagement, you may know someone else who is planning at the same time. there’s bound to be jealousy between the vendor selections, the budgets or the luck you or the other person has. don’t waste your time being jealous of other people’s weddings, spend your time and energy making yours a celebration about the two of YOU and nothing else.

judging
there are always going to be people who judge everything about your wedding – from your partner choice, to dress selection, menu, bridal shower gifts, yadda yadda. let ‘em judge. it’s not their day – it’s your day! it’s not their money – it’s your money! (or maybe your parents, but you know what i mean.) the people around you while planning will always have an opinion, they’ll always know someone who did it for cheaper, or did it bigger and better. don’t let them make you feel lazy or over the top, thrifty or excessive, conservative or untraditional… eleanor roosevelt said, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. don’t give it to them. let them be jealous. let them judge… let them be jerkfaces.

jerkfaces
somehow weddings bring out the worst in people. i hate to be negative but i’ve seen it time and time again. hopefully you and your partner are those lucky people who have supportive families and friends. however, it’s likely between the time the question is popped and the last dance at your reception, someone is going to morph into this random jerk to you. it may be out of the blue while you’re talking about things like napkin folds, or may be built up after four or five conversations about your dj playlist. my advice? forget about it. you’re focused on your wedding plans, that person is either jealous or just tired of hearing about your wedding and you’ll both get over it soon enough.

jackasses
yes i really just said “jackasses” on my blog. think about any wedding reception you’ve ever been to… there was a jackass there.  or otherwise known as ‘that guy” or “that girl.” when there’s an open bar it’s more likely, but you’re going to have some guy or some girl be the jackass of the night. they’ll get too drunk or they’ll show up in a dress too small or they might just dance too risque. you can’t worry about it in advance. you probably can’t stop it and you should definitely ignore it. think of it as excessive celebration of your marriage.

be joyful! forget the rest.

previous posts:
a is for art museums
b is for blogs
c is for cleveland
d is for details
e is for emails
f is for facebook
g is for guests
h is for hey! it’s may! giveaway
i is for invitations