When you first get engaged, you’re signing up for a journey filled with emotion and amazing moments, but also quite stressful situations. You get to exercise your event planner muscles and find a way to organize the biggest celebration of you and your partner’s life while maintaining your sanity!

The wedding journey itself is not stressful but the expectations you find yourself trying to meet can be outright dangerous. A lot of people will come your way with many weddings under their belt and a lot of opinions and they will try to tell you all of the things you should be doing. The things you have to have at your wedding and those things that you simply cannot leave out. As a Pittsburgh wedding photographer, I know how overwhelming this sudden influx of outsider’s opinions on your private affairs can be so I’ve decided to not tell you what you should do but I’ll let you in on a secret that will avoid so much anxiety and extra work: take the work “should” out of your vocabulary.

Here’s why.

No matter where you look, you’ll find some wedding guidelines you “should” stick to. All of the things you “should” include, the style you “should” have, even what you “should” be thinking. You start to think that these decisions have already been made for you, like you need to throw your bouquet, that you have to have an open bar, that you have to send save the date cards, or that you need to have your friend’s baby cousin as your flower girl, even if you’re not so keen on having kids at your wedding.

In reality, you can absolutely do whatever you want. If it’ll make you and your partner have an outstanding day, then so be it! It doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to your friends or family’s advice, but it’s just important that you remember that if spending the night before with your partner is going to make you feel better then by all means go for it! Traditions are there to make things easier, not more complicated.

Of course, getting all the help you need is important. Asking around for advice can be really helpful and listening to all of the “should’s” can be useful. But, while some guidance can be well received, feeling like you need to follow some kind of Pittsburgh wedding rule book is absolutely not.

So, remember that you’re planning the most memorable day of your life and the amazing moments and all of the activities featured are things that you love, not things that you think you “should” have.

 

Contact Amber Marie Photography to book your Pittsburgh Wedding Photography.