Wedding Guide | Page 15

B y J e s s y T u r n e r

Wedding Party

“ Guuuurl, of course I will be your bridesmaid!” The excitement unfurls as you’ ve just signed up for a five-night bachelorette party in Tulum.( That’ s another article.) $ 3,000 + later, you’ re in hair and makeup at 7 a. m.— maybe slightly hungover— and you, the bridesmaid, are questioning your life choices. But your bestie is getting married, and you are happy for her / him. Here’ s how not to ruin the day.

• Don’ t hold up hair and makeup with a bajillion changes. Sorry to say, the focus is not on you. I’ ve seen so many timelines go askew because the bridal party surprised the hair and makeup artist with unexpected hair extensions.

How

Not

Ruin to

a Wedding

A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND THE HAPPY COUPLE THEMSELVES

ONCE UPON A TIME, a woman may have been given away for two rugs and a goat. Thankfully today, at least in Western culture, weddings are a celebration of love and commitment between two consenting adults. As a wedding planner and a married woman, I see weddings as a sacred time— the unification of two lives, and often families. All sappiness aside, weddings are an energetically charged time. Between family dynamics, all the hopes and dreams levied on the day, not to mention the financial investment, weddings have the potential to bring out the worst in people, what I lovingly call“ bridal mania,” where even the most level-headed people teeter on the verge of becoming unhinged in the days and weeks before a wedding. Here are some tips and tricks on how not to ruin a wedding, featuring four groups: the wedding party, friends / family of the couple, parents of the couple, and the couple themselves.

• Stick to the timeline. Be where you are expected to be when you are supposed to be there. If there is planner, check in with them regarding the schedule. If not, the best people should have a sense of the day’ s flow.

• Don’ t stress out the couple. Help them alleviate any stress by taking care of all those little personal details. You get bonus points if you can put out the fire before they see the smoke.

• Keep your drinking in check— NOBODY likes a sloppy wedding party.

• The MOST important takeaway is that it’ s not about you. You’ ve already had your day, or it will come. Today is one of the most important days of your friend’ s life, and you agreed to be in the wedding party to support them.

Wedding Guests

“ Bob! Did you see that little Tommy is getting married? We got their‘ Save-the-Date’ today. It’ s in the Berkshires. How lovely!” Your longtime neighbor’ s son is getting married. They value your relationship so much that they invited you to their wedding— on the other side of the state( or country even). Their wedding is really a weekend-long commitment. Here are some tips and tricks on how to celebrate the couple.

• Today, almost every couple has a website. Take time to read it, then read it again. It should have all the information you need to plan your trip: nearby airports, hotel blocks, shuttle information etc.

Holiday 2025 2023 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 59