In last week’s blog post, we wrote about getting your parents involved in planning your wedding. One of the main reasons for doing this is to show appreciation for your parents, and avoid any arguments which might cause unnecessary stress during what should be a time of joy and celebration. Of course, your parents aren’t the only potential cause for concern, and such arguments don’t even have to involve you directly. We all know that families can be complex, and a certain amount of tension between family members is present in every family. You may find yourself wondering how such tensions might impact your wedding celebrations, and how you can manage them to avoid any unpleasant incidents. If you’re planning a wedding, it’s perfectly natural to be concerned about this.

In this week’s blog post, we’d like to offer some advice on handling your family in a way that reduces the chances that any regrettable bickering will break out on your wedding day. Whether your family are actively engaged in some kind of dispute, or simply prone to the occasional quarrel, we hope these tips will help you to ensure that your wedding goes off without a hitch, and that everyone enjoys the big day.

Make Your Feelings Known

Everyone understands that weddings should be happy and free of any conflict or discord. Your family members know this, and they’ll respect the fact that you deserve to have a wonderful time on your wedding day. Speak with each of your family members before the family wedding and make it clear how dearly you want for everything to go smoothly. Regardless of how much your family members wish to squabble with each other, their respect for you and your wishes should oblige good behaviour on your wedding day. A gentle reminder of this before the wedding can go a long way towards avoiding any mishaps.

Ask Someone You Trust to Act as a Chaperone

Your wedding day will be a busy one. You won’t have time to watch your family’s behaviour at all times, nor should you be expected to do so when you should be enjoying yourself. If you think that any trouble is likely to break out, consider asking a trusted friend or family member to keep an eye on everyone, and hopefully nip any arguments in the bud. Remember, the best way for them to do this is to distract potential troublemakers with conversation and having fun, rather than to intervene directly in a manner which could make things worse.

Be Mindful of Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is a fixture at most weddings, and for the most part it makes a positive contribution to the atmosphere of fun and celebration. However, as we all know, sometimes alcohol can be factor in family rows. It’s difficult to exercise any control over another person’s alcohol consumption, but as this your wedding you will have some measure of control over when alcohol will be served. This will give you some opportunity to pace everyone’s alcohol consumption throughout the day, hopefully ensuring that nobody overindulges. If someone does start to look like they’ve had too much, it might be time to ask someone to keep an eye on them in case any trouble starts.

Plan the Seating Arrangments Carefully

This advice is perhaps most relevant if you have family members who are especially likely to start arguing with one another. You’ll be planning the seating arrangements, so with a little thought and effort you can seat your guests in a way that’s calculated to avoid conflict. The premise is simple; you should seat people nearby those they get on well with, and any potential belligerants should be seated far away from each other. Doing so will hopefully help to avoid trouble altogether.

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