SIX TIPS TO INVOLVE YOUR PARTNER IN THE WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS

Inspiring your partner to get involved in the wedding planning process may be a large task for some brides to be (or grooms-to-be!)! After all, a wedding day should reflect both the bride and groom, or both partners in the marriage. However wedding planning often falls under the umbrella of ‘bride’ territory. The key is to work with your partners’ strengths and offer for them to take control of tasks that they can enjoy.

Here are six tips to involve your partner in the wedding planning process:

1. Be open to their input

Some brides (or grooms!) may feel the wedding planning rests solely on their shoulders but there is no harm in asking your partner their opinions when it comes to important planning decisions. Asking open-ended questions that don’t just rely on a yes or no answer, will make them feel like their opinions have more weight and value. Try not to have your mind made up before you even ask questions as this shuts your partner out of the decision-making process. You may be pleasantly surprised by their ideas! Bring your partner along to a bridal and wedding expo too – sometimes an apparent lack of interest is due to lack of knowledge. Bringing them along to a bridal expo could be a great opportunity to open up their eyes to all the different options available for modern weddings these days! See our upcoming expos here.

2. Work to their strengths

Does your partner have an artistic flair or an eye for creative details? Perhaps they could be assigned the task to design or create the wedding invites. If they are an IT whizz perhaps, they could look at designing a virtual wedding invite, or even better – a wedding website design for your guests. Is your partner a handy man or handy woman? If your partner spends their weekends building things, designing home improvement projects or is a marvel at carpentry – why not get them involved in designing and constructing beautifully made, unique wedding furniture or décor’ displays? Modern weddings are all about celebrating a couple’s unique style therefore, this could be a perfect way to showcase your partners handy-man skills, create something unique and get them involved!

3. Overseeing the groomsmen / bridal party attendants

Set your partner the task of not only choosing his groomsmen or her bridal attendants but making sure to keep them on track for all their suit/dress fittings, rehearsals and extra duties. They have the bridal party for back up if they need some extra help coordinating things!

4. The music planner

Does your partner revel in a good music playlist? Do they have an affinity for playing musical instruments, bands or just an ear for a good tune? Why not get them involved in planning the music for your wedding? You could research bands, DJ’s, or create a unique playlist that reflects your journey as a couple! Five Thirty Eight have a great article on the ultimate wedding playlist for some good inspiration.

5. The budget guru

If crunching numbers is your partners forte’, then perhaps he is the best man (or she is the best woman) for taking control of the wedding budget. Organisation and a keen eye for detail are essential for this job, so if this sounds like your partner, keeping on track of the budget could be a great way to get them involved in the wedding planning process. For an easy to use budget template check out brideside.com to get your partner started.

6. Food!

Make sure you book a meal tasting evening at the venue or with the catering company you are going with and make sure your partner can come along to help select the meals and have their say on the selections. Similarly with the cake tasting and the alcoholic beverage choices (if not pre-set by the venue) – although we think everyone in the bridal party would be lining up to get involved with the food items anyway!

At the end of the day, wedding planning should include both the bride and groom or both partners, so the day is a perfect reflection of you as a couple. Of course, some of the tasks will seem dull and mundane but if you communicate effectively from the start and work out what job is best suited to who, you can enjoy the process!

Do you have a great way to get your partner involved in wedding planning? Help other wedding-planning couples out and share it with us on our Facebook page.