How to Include Your Parents in Your Wedding Planning

Wedding planning can get overwhelming so take advantage of your loved ones around you. Often times your family, your parents will jump at the opportunity to be involved in the planning. Here are a few ideas for how to get your parents involved.

Ask them for help

It may seem obvious that you would ask your parents for help in the lead up to your big day, but we’re not talking about asking them to haggle with the caterer or begging them to tell your Uncle Seamus to go easy on the peach schnapps at the reception. They might be more than willing to help with those more unpleasant tasks, but consider asking them for meaningful help.

Give them a project

When you’re in the thick of wedding planning, you might feel that you have to do it all yourself, or that you should be able to do it all yourself. In reality, your parents likely want to help you reduce the stress and pressure you’re under but don’t always know where to start. A great way to make them feel included is to ask if they could take responsibility for a project. It might be something you could do together, but it doesn’t have to be. Many parents, when they show up on the day of your wedding, will have an extra sense of pride in having checked something off your to-do list for you in the months before.

Bring them along

There is a large spectrum of visits you might have to make in your wedding planning – to the florist, the cake maker, the venue, the caterer, the dress store, the tux store. The list is long, which is great for this little tip. Bringing any of your parents along to one of these will give them a special place in the planning process. Just remember, if you bring them along they’ll probably want to share their thoughts on your choices. If this is the case, choose a task that suits you best. If you don’t have a strong preference for the cake, consider bringing your parents along to that appointment, where more opinions might be helpful instead of difficult.

Share Romantic Stories

There is probably no more romantic time in your life than when you’re planning your wedding, so it’s a wonderful time to chat with your parents and grandparents about their romantic past. Ask your parents to tell you how they met or how they got engaged, you might be surprised at how romantic your parents were before you came along! And your parents will likely enjoy reliving their early days as a married couple.

SAY THANK YOU

In the months leading up to my wedding day, I was a big ball of emotions and found myself getting so sappy about finally leaving the nest – and my parents. I knew I wanted to thank them for raising me and taking care of me for so long, so I wrote them a little note and left it in their room before we left for the ceremony so they would see it when they returned home at the end of the night.

Weddings are such a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and these are just a few ways to bring you even closer – instead of farther apart – before your big day.

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