Partner Planning – A Growing Trend in Wedding Preparations

My sister and her boyfriend recently got engaged and although I am thousands of miles away from her, I am kept abreast on the latest goings-on of the newly engaged couple through updates from my Mom and my sister herself!

According to my Mom, my sister and her fiance are both heavily involved in all aspects of the wedding preparations including browsing through bridal magazines together!

It was never like that with my Husband and I when we were preparing for our wedding, I suppose it was because we were planning it while thousands of miles away from each other (yes, you read it right, we had a long-distance relationship!). I did all the planning with my Mom, sister and close friends while the Hubby just yayed or nayed over the phone!
Darcy Miller, Editorial Director with Martha Stewart Wedding says:

Partner planning is fast becoming a growing trend in wedding planning Partner planning has grown in popularity in the past five years, with 40 percent of couples now making joint decisions about the wedding day. This is, in large part, because couples are marrying older and paying for the wedding themselves, so having a mutual say seems natural.

How does the couple divide their duties and responsibilities
for their big day?

Kathleen Murray, senior editor with the wedding planning Web site TheKnot.com says

Typically, the groom weighs in most heavily on the food especially the cake how the bar is stocked and the music, says  and, unlike women who sometimes get labeled “bridezilla” for their demanding, controlling behavior, men take the planning in stride, rarely getting overly emotional.

“Most men haven’t been envisioning their wedding day since they were little,” says Murray, adding that fact alone makes a groomzilla rare.

If conflict arises, experts suggests dividing some of the duties, that way both the bride and the groom are involved in planning, and each gets to customize certain aspects. And for couples to remember that they are planning the day for themselves, most importantly, and for their guests.