So you’re engaged and now you are planning your wedding! Congratulations!

There is only one problem.

It seems that every aunt, parent, and friend has an opinion about YOUR wedding. You are about to drown in advice overload and are on the way to losing site of the wedding you have been dreaming of for years. Whatever is a couple to do?

We’ve got a few tips to help you stay on course and ignore all the noise.

Get your priorities straight.
As a couple, you need to have a long, serious conversation about wants, desires, expectations and budget. Talk it out until the two of you have come to an agreement on YOUR wedding. Then write it down. Once you have it on paper it becomes easier to stick to the plan.

Play it close to the vest.
The fewer details you share, the less likely people will be to give unsolicited advice. If you do ask for advice, be very specific in your question and ask someone who is likely to have experience in that area. Your vendors are often a good option because they have seen it all when it comes to weddings and they know what works and what doesn’t.

Be grateful but non-committal.
Even if you follow all the above advice you are still going to hear from Aunt Sally or that lady in your office that you have to do thus and so. The best way to handle this outpouring of meddlesome helpfulness is to be gracious. Thank them profusely and tell them that they have given you something to think about. Then forget it. If they are really persistent you can just tell them that you two discussed it and it just doesn’t mesh with your plan. (Now aren’t you glad you wrote that plan down)

Chances are good that planning your wedding is the single biggest task that you and your fiance have taken on as a couple. There will be many more to come as you journey down life’s road. Taking the steps needed to present a unified front while planning your wedding will lay the groundwork for all the decisions yet to come. It will also make sure you get the wedding you both want.