Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast. As far back as a girl can remember, pretty dresses and weddings have been indelibly linked as part of her future. It would be safe to say that in every phase of a girls life she imagines some form of romance around the story of her future groom-to-be.  Television reality shows have contributed their share of fantasy and in turn have done what they can to turn it from dream to nightmare. Who had never heard the term “bridezilla” until recently and now it is so accepted part of our lexicon.

Does that mean that these shows are bad and should be avoided? Not at all, if you like them watch them, but learn from them. LuxeWeddings state that, “It’ll teach you what NOT to do on your big day. Yeah, that’s right, I said it – what NOT to do. If you watch carefully you’ll see why being a Bridezilla is well… CRAZY. You’ll see how different rational and irrational look from the outside. You’ll see true issues and know how to solve them.”

A wedding should build family ties, not risk destroying them as the brides of reality TV seem to do so often. Presumably the people who celebrate this very important day with you are people that you would prefer to have a good relationship with for the rest of your life. What better way to learn to appreciate your parents and future in-laws then to genuinely ask for their input and help with the planning.

We asked couples how involved do the wanted their parents to be in the wedding planning and were pleased to see that 78% of Tokii men and 75% of women wanted the families to join in.

A little in the department of good manners can go a long way, and that applies to how you treat your future partners as well. Remember there are two people whose new life begins this day and working together to make it special for both of you will be a skill that will serve you well your entire married life.

Robbin Montero of YourDreamWeddingandEvents, sums up neatly how one common area of conflict can be an opportunity to build your married future upon, “For most couples, budgets are a big part of their life together, so the wedding budget can be a great learning experience.” With the average cost of a wedding at $24,066, it is not uncommon for a couple to finance a portion of those costs.

Your wedding is the culmination of all your fantasies and can only be made richer by including the dreams of all the people who are part of making your life fantasy come true. Don’t wait until the speeches to pay attention to that part.

Check out these Wedding DiscoveryGames.  They can help you through all the different stages of getting married! Wedding and Stress, Wedding and Budgets, Wedding Planning, Wedding and Family, Wedding and Honeymoon. Enjoy!

In general, wedding songs are just horrible. From the sugary, played out strains of “Here Comes the Bride“, to the cheez-pop horror of “In Your Eyes” and “Just the Way You Are“, it’s enough to make any sane person swear off the institution of matrimony forever. Why is it that wedding songs are so terrible? I think it’s because they are fraudulent. Listen to the lyrics, filled with impossible love, cherubs, lightning and lots of depression talk. These aren’t the reasons people really get married.

Fortunately for us, Kate Micucci (with a little help from William H. Macy!) is here to save the collective day, and ensure happy marriages, grounded in realism, for years to come. Her new tune, “It’s time to get laid”, performed by herself and Macy, is the perfect song for newlyweds. It covers all the bases, from the tuxedos, to the getaway and the post-wedding room. It does so in a melodic, and amusing way. I suggest that this tune be performed at all weddings from here going forward.

Check out Tokii’s Wedding DiscoveryGames: Wedding and Stress,Wedding and Budgets,Wedding Planning,Wedding and Family,Wedding and Honeymoon