The OurWeddingDay.com Blog

Sometimes throughout the stress of wedding planning, tempers can flair.  We've talked before about how seemingly everyone has advice on how  to "communicate better," but we also think that regularly taking the time to reflect on what we need to make us -- and our spouses -- happy can only be a good thing.

Over at the Telegraph, the advice on how to make relationships work by Dr David Burns, a cognitive therapist specialising in relationship management, is being shared:

Good communication involves: skillful listening (empathy), effective self-expression (assertiveness), and caring (respect). The acronym EAR will help you to remember these three components.

Check out the full article here.

Real OurWeddingDay.com brides, sharing their personal planning experiences.

Weddings are about rolling with the punches. You can try to stop the tides, but it’s an impossibility. It’s likely that something will go wrong on your wedding day. It’s even probable if not certain. It’s a wedding. It’s not perfection. Let go of the notion of perfection. It will help you so much in the long run. 

I mention his because this week several negative things have happened in the scheme of planning a wedding. One, for our engagement picture surprise we almost didn’t have a photographer. I stressed for a few minutes and then got on the phone, made some calls and ended up having 2 that I used and 15 say that they would and could do it. It turned out really well and I had a blast with the photographers we picked. One of them an old friend from college. You can scope out my picture on my normal blog.

The other was about my second dress. I really wanted a short dress. I found one I loved, but it has fallen through. I was disheartened briefly. I’m not going to lie, but I got home and found a video camera to solve our videography problem. And decided a second dress was less important than a video camera which can last us much longer and be much more useful. It was a win win. So, I didn’t mope long.

Here’s what I want you to avoid. A girl I know.. I will mention no names... just found out that her dress (her beautiful, less than market value dress, designer dress) that she just had altered can’t be bustled. She broke into sobs and a crying fit. I mean, I understand that it’s disappointing. However, there are many options open to her. Perhaps, another seamstress could fix it.

So, my lesson… before you give up hope…. Think outside of the box. It will help you out so much!

The engagement pictures? Oh yeah.. they were awesome and at Neyland Stadium (before you scratch your head… the University of TN football stadium that never lets ANYONE on the field). I arranged it for my boy as half of his wardrobe is UT. He was ecstatic. It made me smile. Nothing is impossible.

-Amy