Not long ago, I went to my hometown to help my mother and my sister with the final planning for my sister's wedding. About five days before the wedding, we were running errands and my sister turned to me and said that she has resigned to the fact that she probably will be too preoccupied to enjoy her wedding day. I was absolutely blown away by this. She was going to marry the man that she loves with all of her heart and for the day that would begin the rest of her life, she had settled for endurance rather than joy.

When you have spent 18 months of intense planning to bring together all of the people that are important to you, it is incredibly easy to lose sight of what really matters. You get caught up in all of the minor details that most people feel are necessary, but when it comes down to it, if you leave the chapel, beach, your home or wherever you choose to "tie the knot", and you are married to the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, then your mission has been accomplished.

Usually when we plan weddings, we are receiving monetary assistance from our families. Many times there is an assumption that we have to please them and make them happy too. This is not the case at all. It is a day for you and your fiancé to share with your friends and family, so it should show your style, not your parents or your future in-laws. I have found through personal experience, that if you try to make everyone happy, you have the potential to create a tremendous amount of chaos and stress for yourself. This will only complicate matters , and usually ends up being a case of "too many cooks in the kitchen".