A wedding can end up feeling like a well ordered dance. Everyone has to do their part in the right order, one the right beat, and at exactly the right time to make it a success. This shows up in a big way for the wedding planner, in a small way for the bride and groom, and in an ongoing way for every single wedding professional who has to deal with brides.
Things are going to go wrong. It’s a given. But how you deal with someone, whether it’s the bride, or another vendor, who is doing things in a different way than expected, is what can make the difference between and happy bride, and a frazzled bride. Instead of assuming that what the bride is trying to do is wrong why not give her the benefit of the doubt? In his great article Frances Cole Jones recommends asking the question “Can you tell me why you’re doing it that way?” as a safe way to get the ball rolling. If what they are doing has to be done that way they can tell you why, and if not it makes them willing to listen to your reason for doing it differently. What do you think?