Most of us have heard the idiom, “Stick to your guns.” We take it to mean “stand by what you believe. Do what you know to be right.” It reminds me of the title of the movie, “Annie, Get Your Gun” (although the story line of the movie is not very applicable to this post). The point is that to stick to your guns you first have to get your guns.
     When a woman announces she is going to be married, the world erupts in opinions. Almost everybody has an opinion about everything-or at least about something. Some keep their opinions to themselves unless asked while others (especially close friends and family members) are very vocal.
     If a bride is not careful, she may soon find her own ideas and wishes for her wedding supplanted by someone else’s. People can be quite insistent and usually sincerely mean well. The thing to remember is that it is your wedding. Yours and your betrothed’s. It’s not your friend’s wedding nor your mother’s/mother-in-law’s wedding. You do not have to create the wedding of their dreams. Be considerate, especially if they are helping pay for the wedding. Learn everything you can from their own experiences that pertain to yours, but don’t feel you have to create a wedding that fixes mistakes in anyone else’s or that fulfills their dreams.
     This being said, family and friends have some great ideas! There are many times they may have expertise in an area where you have been puzzled. They may also encourage you to aim higher in your planning and not to settle, when they see that you are. Take time by yourself and spouse-to-be to decide out what you truly want and to cast a vision for your event. (Get your gun.) Decide the theme and formality of the wedding and then choose those ideas that complement these. If someone tries to persuade you to change an aspect of the wedding that you are united on and feel strongly about, don’t feel the need to bow to the pressure simply to get them off your back. You can say no. There’s no shame or guilt in that. (Stick to your guns.) So, what do you say? Bride, get your gun and stick to it!

Kate