Brides Share How Much Help They Received While Planning

8 recently married women share how their partners and families partook in the planning process.

Once two people get engaged, as if by magic, questions of “when” and “where” start becoming constants in their everyday lives. Beginning the planning process can be a tricky one, especially in the modern age as weddings have become grander and more expensive – but luckily, most couples have the support of each other, as well as family and friends.

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Photo: Regeti's Photography

Once two people get engaged, as if by magic, questions of “when” and “where” start becoming constants in their everyday lives. Beginning the planning process can be a tricky one, especially in the modern age as weddings have become grander and more expensive – but luckily, most couples have the support of each other, as well as family and friends. As with most big events, one person seems to shift into a leadership role – and though times and stereotypes have definitely changed, more often than not, this position is held by the bride.

Below, eight of our brides featured in Inside Weddings magazine and InsideWeddings.com divulge just how involved their partners and families were while organizing the nuptials. Read on, and see how your family compares!

Photo by Amanda Sudimack for Artisan Events; Planning & Design by Hope Weis Consulting

“My mom lives in Arizona – she has adopted five kids and also had another three foster kids during the wedding planning process (eight kids!), so she was pretty hands off. Alex’s family was slightly involved and Alex was very involved! He was excited to be a part of things that I talk about every day when working with other couples.” – Brittanie

“When wedding planning began, Walker stated, ‘This is your day! You do what makes your dreams come true. The only thing I really care about is marrying you, the food, and the music; all the rest is yours!’ He held true to that statement! He, of course, came to the final design meetings, and he was there for all the music and tastings with bells on. My family was very involved in the wedding planning process. Since they still live in Tennessee, a lot of planning was done over FaceTime and over the phone. Conversations lasted hours, looking at this napkin versus that napkin, this fork versus that fork.” – Lauren

“Jeremy tried to be involved, but it’s hard when you have an opinionated bride and mother of the bride. He had more of a say than most. My mother and I ran the show.” – Ali

“I told my groom from the beginning that he could be as involved or uninvolved as he wanted. He was very opinionated about some things, whereas others he just said ‘do whatever will make you happy.’ He was always my cheerleader, shoulder to cry on, voice of reason, and sidekick throughout the process whether he was at the meetings or not. I think his favorite parts of planning were the two food tastings we had! My family was my rock throughout the wedding planning process. My dad served as the voice of reason for my mom and me.” – Kiley

“It was very much a family affair because everyone was involved. Brian, my parents, and I flew to Napa Valley, California to taste different wines for our wedding. That was a fun trip because the wine we ended up serving tasted great and had sentimental value. Brian’s family was very much involved with the logistics of the wedding. His father redid their entire backyard in order to make room for our tent. He also built a tri-level stone patio for cocktail hour.” – Katrina

“My husband thought the planning process was fun – he was my ‘go to’ when I wasn’t sure what to pick between invitations, tablecloths, etc. I think his favorite part of planning, however, was getting to zap the laser gun at everything when we registered at Crate and Barrel – I had to remove some of those items later.” – Nina

Photo by Michael Svoboda Wedding Photography; Planning & Design by Thomas Bui Lifestyle

“As a licensed architect, John is very opinionated on design and, thankfully, we both have the same taste, so this just reinforced our decisions. Our families knew we were capable of planning everything ourselves, so they left it to us.” – Jennifer

“I have two moms and they were very involved in all aspects of wedding planning. They flew in for multiple site visits and were the most supportive parents I could imagine throughout the entire process. David was a great sport – there were certain things he was really interested in doing (i.e. website, social media, seating assignments, music) and he did a really good job assisting me with whatever else we needed to get done.” – Aarin

Read about some of the most unexpected parts of the wedding from real grooms, discover advice from recently married men, and find out about some of the most common wedding guest complaints.