You put so much work into your wedding celebration. You want everything to be perfect. It's only natural. It is, after all, your wedding day. It's the one day of your life that you have looked forward to for most of your life. And your wedding celebration is the one day that you anticipate looking back on with fondness for the rest of your life.



So why would you want to do anything to ruin it?

You don't... but many brides do the one thing that could ruin their wedding festivities - and sometimes it does.

What is this one thing that they do to ruin their wedding celebration? Do they rip their thousand dollar wedding gown just before walking down the aisle? Do they stumble and fall into their wedding cake? Do they absentmindedly turn the heat up too much in the church or auditorium where the vows will be exchanged and cause all the flowers to wilt before the ceremony? No, the phenomenon we are talking about is much more insidious than any of those things. It's something that virtually every one of us are not only capable of doing but inclined to do.

Simply put, they give in to the pressures of their expectations for their wedding celebration and slip into a perfectionist mindset. They worry about every little detail and try to micromanage everything. They worry that Cousin Morgan won't put enough confetti on the reception tables or that Ashley will put on too much perfume.

Likewise, they worry that the florist with twenty years experience suddenly doesn't know how to use flowers and an attention to detail to create a warm, inviting space for the wedding celebration. In doing so they limit their ability to relax and enjoy the day for fear that something - anything, might ruin it. And if something does go wrong...

Protect Your Wedding Day

First, realize that something in your wedding celebration will be less than perfect. Your friends that volunteered to provide decoration for your reception are not professionals. They are your friends who are providing you with a service of love. Yes, someone will wear too much makeup or too much perfume. Someone will spill something on their dress. That's okay. A perfect wedding day is not about perfection. It's about celebrating with your friends - your very human friends. And it's those very foibles that create your unique community.

As for your wedding professionals: Relax. If you did your homework and shopped for value, which includes quality and experience as well as price, when you hired your wedding professionals then trust yourself and your judgment. Chances are because of their experience what they do will surpass your expectations.

Ultimately, remember this. Like a Broadway musical director, you have been putting together a large and intricate production. It is a huge task you are undertaking. But the Broadway director is a professional. Most brides, however, are not professional wedding planners. In fact, chances are this is your first time staging a wedding. Cut yourself some slack. Yes, something in your wedding celebration might go wrong but in the end you will be married to your best friend - and that's what's important.