Go big or go home? I think not.

Weddings are defiantly something to be respected and treasured. Your wedding is most likely the only time in your life you will ever have all of yours and your hunny’s cumulative friends and family under one roof, so why not really celebrate this fact and use it to your benefit? In an era of, go big or go home, I challenge you to go against the grain and go just the opposite. To you, I say three little words…. Keep it intimate. If you want a wedding and reception that’s classy, fun and yet feels organic, keeping it small is the way to achieve all three.   

I realize you have to invite dear Aunt Sally who hasn’t laid eyes on you since you were prepubescent, which was so long ago you still had what your mother so affectionately referred to as, “baby fat.” And yes, you were totally in the best sorority, EVER and love all 150 of your closest sisters, but news flash, you don’t have to invite them. So, having said that, who do you have to invite? Of course your parentals and immediate family are a must. But, make sure to invite Ms. Susie, the sweet lady who wiped your bottom and dried your tears when your own mother wasn’t available. Invite the girl friend you only talk to twice a year, but who if called you at 3AM and she asked you, you would gladly fly cross country to get to her just because she needed you. Ask the friend who's life is just as busy as yours, so when you are finally able to chat with her, you talk and laugh hysterically for hours on end feeling as if no time had passed since the last time you talked.

These are the sweet souls you want on your list. Invite the people who really matter in your life. Ask the ones who have shaped you into the woman your man loves. Invite the people who are currently helping mold you into the woman you want to be. Simply put, invite your people. These are the ones who challenge you to be a better person, who love you through thick and thin, know your faults and love you for them. I’m sure when you finally sit down to make this list; it’s short and sweet… It’s just as it should be.

Why is this little list so important? Because keeping it organic like this often it means everyone pretty much knows everyone and if they don’t, they feel as if they do. The stuffy formality of larger events is forgone and in return you get the completed puzzle effect. Everything and everyone fits together perfectly, just as it should.

Reward yourself with as much love and admiration as you possibly can on your wedding day. By surrounding yourself with those who truly love you, and whom you genuinely love, I promise you’ll have an evening like no other. Personally, I can’t imagine a better way to start a marriage than by engulfing yourself with all that truly matters and absolutely nothing don’t doesn’t. 

XOXO- Tanya