Wedding 101

9 Ways Wedding Planning Will Strengthen Your Relationship

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Photo by Nessa K
Planning a wedding brings out the best and the worst in all of us. From the late nights putting together the seating chart to early morning appointments with florists, a lot of hours are logged planning the celebration. And while there's plenty of stress associated with the process, wedding planning can also be an unexpected way to strengthen you relationship with your partner. If you can make it through the highs and lows of the year leading up to your "I dos," you'll make it through anything. Here are 9 ways wedding planning will help make your relationship even more solid than it already is.

1. You'll learn how to make (and stick to) a budget.

While dating or living together, it can be common to "go dutch" on dinner or split the rent in two, but many couples don't find themselves actually managing a budget until they're planning their big day. Putting aside a set amount of money (whether it's large or small) and keeping track of how it's being spent can be a great way to work together and start to demonstrate to one another how responsible you are. Not a bad way to start off your life together.

2. You'll master the art of compromise.

You may be dreaming of an elegant black tie affair while he's leaning towards a laid-back beachfront bash. Planning a large-scale event like a wedding will test your ability to compromise. You'll quickly figure out how to pick your battles, learning when it's important to give in and when you should really stick to your guns. This skill will come in handy throughout your married life, so you'll be happy you learned it early on!

3. You'll have to share responsibility.

As soon as you dive into planning your nuptials, you'll quickly realize you can't plan a wedding by yourself. You and your partner will figure out how to work with each other to play up your strengths and minimize any weaknesses you may discover along the way. Putting one another in charge of different aspects of the wedding is a great exercise in trust. Watching your partner come through for you again and again will strengthen your faith in him/her, and will put you at ease when considering the bigger picture...like when it comes time to buy a house and raise children.

4. You'll figure out how to fight fair.

Disagreements are bound to happen during the planning process, and learning how to talk it out is key. Between buying your dress, picking out your venue, deciding on flowers, and selecting your photographers, there's plenty of room for you to have differing opinions. But when you have a hard deadline (your wedding day), you'll be forced to figure things out and effectively find resolution. As a result, when life gives you lemons, you'll be able to make lemonade together.

5. You'll determine how to make room for each other's family.

Everyone from your soon-to-be mother-in-law to your grandma is going to be excited about your big day. That's not a bad thing, but all the external excitement can get overwhelming from time to time. The wedding planning process will put a microscope on your relationships with your family (the one you were born with, the one you're starting, and the one you're being welcomed into), and will help you have the hard conversations of how to manage your mom, how your partner can better establish boundaries, and how to make room in your lives for both of your family's opinions.

6. You'll get to know each other.

You've probably been in a relationship for a while by the time you decided to get engaged, so you probably already know a thing or two about your partner. But while working on a major project together (like planning a wedding), some new things will undoubtedly be revealed. Who knew he cared so much about flowers? Who knew she had a knack for DIY? The months leading up to your big day should be a fun way to get to know each other again, so relish in these new aspects of your partner's personality to love.'

7. You'll figure out how to balance your time.

For most couples, planning a wedding isn't their full-time job. They're balancing that major to-do list with their day jobs, family commitments, and social obligations. While you and your beloved may want to just get through some planning tasks, remember to take time to be together that does NOT involved the wedding. Order some pizza and a bottle of wine, and just be together. You'll learn how important alone time is, and how amazing it feels to take the time to reconnect when life gets too busy.

8. You'll learn what it means to make something together.

Although you've spent a significant about of time together and shared some of life's biggest moments as a couple, many to-be-weds haven't had the opportunity to actually build something together before they get engaged. Watching an idea become a reality will be a significant reward for you and your partner. And, hopefully, it will encourage you to build many more things together (a house, a family, even a business!) once you tie the knot.

9. You'll become a united front.

When differences of opinion, budget or family disagreements come into play, remember that you and your partner are planning your big day TOGETHER. Be sure to protect what the two of you are working on, defend the compromises that you've made, and move forward confidently together. Being united will set the tone for a phenomenal wedding and for a strong marriage for years to come. 
Kimberly Watson
About The Author
Senior copy editor at Razorfish.
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