I have a beef dear readers. And no, it’s not with anyone here. Sharing the unfolding details of my NEPA wedding have been fabulous here. Elsewhere… There’s been issues.

I know I’m not alone with this. I’ve seen it discussed on the Wedding Bee forums and as Ariel at Offbeat Bride will remind you – YOUR WEDDING IS NOT A CONTEST. My wedding is not a contest. I want to throw an awesome party and get married in front of all my friends and family. BUT, I would be happy just getting hitched as long as it was to my fella.

So why are so many other people convinced that my wedding is a contest, and I am so clearly losing?

I’ve had a few recent instances of people telling my plans were not good enough. Um, excuse me? It’s not good enough that I’m marrying the love of my life and that we’ve found a nice place for the party? Just because there’s no windows in the reception hall, where we’ll be having our evening reception in OCTOBER. Or cause a single broken ceiling fan is going to make us look trashy? Really?

As Eric Cartman would say: “Get the fudge out.”

Here’s the deal. At the end of the day, it’s your wedding. You have to decide what’s right for you, and roll with it. Should you ask for advice from trusted friends/family? Sure. Should you listen to your mom or FMIL when they have an idea they want you to hear? You bet. But unsolicited negativity ain’t gonna cut it. I’ve been mad about this for days, but that’s not going to solve my problem either. So therefore, I present to you the NEPA Bride Creed:

I will…

• Have a wedding that I love, and remember that it’s all about the future hubs and me.
• Ask for advice and help when I need it.
• Listen to our parents advice. We don’t have to take it, but we should hear them out and try to use a few of the ideas we like, since they are kind enough to contribute to the wedding.
• Not go broke paying for this wedding.
• Not let anyone else go broke paying for this wedding.
• Make sure our guests have fun.
• Do some mad DIY-ing and add some personal touches to our day.

I will not…

• Stand for negativity.
• Let anyone else dictate the type of wedding I should have.
• Let stress pile up until I wig out.
• Be pressured into a huge, expensive wedding. (If you want to do that and can – kick ass! Go do it. But you should never, ever feel that you have to have anything in your wedding cause it’s expected of you)
• Wear a dress I can’t breathe in, shoes I can’t walk in, or any other ridiculous fashion contraption.
• DIY until my fingers bleed. We only start projects that really matter. And that we’ll actually finish.
• Do the chicken dance (SRSLY).

I hope I’m not the only one. Your wedding should be awesome. When the stress starts piling up, lets take a deep breathe and remember this post. And then tell everyone to Get. The. Fudge. Out.