wedding Q&A

You can enjoy your wedding planning. And the Bridechilla podcast is here to help. Rather than being worried or stressed out, you can find support and encouragement from brides and couples who have many of the same questions as you. On this episode, Aleisha shares voicemails from other Bridechillas planning their weddings. She addresses how to handle an unwanted tradition, giving your wedding guests guidance about their attire, and how to maintain the joy of planning even when you are around a bunch of Debbie-downers. 

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Give your guests some guidance

Bliss and her partner have worked together to determine the kind of wedding they both want. Though they have different personalities and backgrounds, they decided to have a small destination wedding. Bliss is particularly excited about her color palette. She wants to know how she can tell her wedding guests so they can match the color pallette. Aleisha shares ways to tactfully give your wedding guests guidance so that everyone’s expectations are aligned. 

As a guest, for me, I really appreciate some guidance of the tone and theme of what to wear

How to connect your friends at the wedding

Through the different phases of life, you meet people who have an impact. When planning your wedding, you want to include those people in your special day. However, not all of the people that you know may have met each other. How can you help your wedding party get to know each other quickly so that the wedding weekend isn’t awkward? By taking a few strategic steps, you can ease the discomfort and break the ice so that everyone has a great time and you have a special wedding with all of your friends. 

If you are considering the use of traditions in your wedding, I think it is very important to learn a little bit about the history and what they represent.

I truly believe that if these people are important in your life, and you in theirs, that when they come together they will be interested in learning about the other people in your life

Don’t feel bad about enjoying your wedding planning

Bridechilla Cami has started planning her wedding with her partner even though they aren’t officially engaged. They are looking forward to a multi-day wedding that will celebrate their families diverse cultures. However, because the engagement has been delayed, Cami feels like people judge her when she tries to discuss her wedding plans. How can she still feel excited about her wedding when everyone else doesn’t seem to be? Aleisha gives great advice for enjoying your wedding planning even when others want to rain on your parade. 

Show Highlights

• [0:40] Aleisha introduces the podcast which is a Q&A episode all about wedding planning

• [2:53] Bridechilla Mel asks about the tradition of the Father giving away the bride and how to compromise with her Father

• [5:48] Aleisha addresses Mel’s question and talks about the history of that specific tradition

• [9:18] Bliss and her partner are having a small intimate wedding with an understated color pallette and wants to know if she can provide a dress code for her guests?

• [12:13] How to tactfully give your attendees some direction for your wedding

• [15:59] Visit the bridechillastore.com to get the wedding planning guides published by Aleisha and Rich

• [16:33] How to help the bridal party get to know each other since none of them have already met

• [19:03] Plan strategic ways to help your bridesmaids get to know each other

• [22:57] Bridechilla Cami wants to know how to be excited about planning her wedding without feeling bad about not being officially engaged. 

• [25:55] If you feel unsupported in your planning, join the bridechilla community and receive encouragement and support.

• [28:49] How to get in touch with Aliesha via social media

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With thanks to our Bridechilla Partners

Listen to the episode

Should you hire a wedding planner?

Establishing your budget is the first step to planning your wedding. Many couples try to save money by doing much of the planning themselves instead of hiring a wedding planner or coordinator. Aleisha discusses the value of hiring a wedding planner and what to expect from a budget standpoint. She also gives ideas for how to avoid extra stress when not hiring a wedding planner. The key is finding the right vendors that can best help accomplish the vision you have for your wedding. 

Think about where you are getting married and don’t just assume that ‘wedding season’ is just summer

How can an off-season wedding save you money?

There are several options that can help Bridechilla’s save money that are discussed during this episode. One way is to have an “off-season” wedding. Depending on what area you live in, there might be certain peak times during the year where wedding venues and vendors charge more for their services. Looking for values in a time other than peak season can be a cost-saver. Some couples also choose to use artificial flowers instead of real flowers to save cost and have flowers that may not be in season. Listen to this podcast to hear other advice and tips from Aleisha. 

As long as there is a balance and there is teamwork and as long as you are enjoying yourself and you don’t feel obligated to do it, great! It doesn’t make you any less of a feminist or any less in support of equality if you like to clean a bathroom.

Communicating well with family and friends

Often the actions of family and friends during a wedding are well-meaning, but can be unintentionally stressful or off-putting. They may have desires or requests that could come as an unwelcome surprise to the couple. What is the best way to deal with overbearing family members? And how do you catch up with old friends who want to celebrate but who may not be invited to the wedding? How can you communicate effectively without being rude? Aleisha discusses this and much more on this episode of the Bridechilla podcast. 

I do think part of wedding planning for a lot of people is also preparing the nest, preparing the home

Preparing a home while planning a wedding

Bridechilla Ronnie’s fiancé has been very involved in the planning, which has lightened the load for her. However, Ronnie is having trouble knowing what to do with the extra time she has and has found herself doing more ordinary tasks around the house. This question leads into great encouragement for couples who are  not only planning their wedding, but also creating a new home and life together. It is perfectly natural to begin the process of preparing the home and dividing up tasks among each other. Part of the difficulty and fun of marriage is learning how to work together and that can start even in the wedding planning stage. 

Show Highlights

• [0:53] Aleisha talks about her move back to Australia from London and how it reminds her of the amount of stuff we accumulate 

• [3:25] Whether it be wedding items or just general stuff, you can buy and sell on online marketplaces and reduce waste

• [4:34] Is it worth it to hire a wedding planner and if so, how much can you expect to spend?

• [9:04] How to search for a vendor using trusted recommendations and without getting overwhelmed

• [10:39] The benefits of understanding your location and what time of year is considered wedding season

• [12:16] What is the best way to go about using artificial flowers at your wedding?

• [15:48] Bridechilla Hannah asks how to avoid obligation guests popping in on the wedding day while the bride and wedding party are getting ready.

• [18:40] Hannah also asks how to catch up with friends that she might not be inviting to her wedding

• [25:51] Ronnie asks how to handle the fact that her fiance is being very helpful in the wedding planning

• [30:00] Part of wedding planning is also preparing the home for your marriage

• [33:17] What do you do if you change venues and have to reduce your guest list?

• [39:32] Aleisha talks about her honeymoon experience in Bali

• [41:50] How to get in touch and have your wedding planning answered by Aleisha

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With thanks to our Bridechilla Partners