Disagreements with Mom....

I explained to her that people just out whatever monetray amount they choose towards the honeymoon as our gift, if they wish, they don't pay for the entire thing! I was just really fustrated with her..lol

How is having pictures of your loved ones by the guest book inappropriate? I can understand her concerns about everything else, but that makes no sense!

I believe she said "It's your guy's wedding day..not ours"

I thought the black bridesmaid dresses were ok? I don't want them chocolate brown b/c all the tables are chocolate brown, and I don't want champagne either, I went with black b/c they could wear them again..

...Hence why you're getting married on it! I say just ignore her. I love your ideas and, she's right, it is YOUR day!

I think every thing you mentioned is "appropriate"

the only thing i wasnt sure of was the black dresses, but if they have the champagne in them and the guys are in black i think it will be ok. and i like the different flowers that seems totally fine too.

my colors are green and brown & ivory, girls in knee length green dresses, guys in brown tux's.

i love the idea of the parents and grandparents wedding day pix. i think thats so cool and very sweet

and i registered for my honeymoon. www.honeymoonwishes.com i also registered at target and macys to give more of an option.

i think youre totally fine. show ur mom that website and tell her this is how things are now a days. :]

and if she doesnt like that tell her "its MY wedding and this is what I want!" lol its only your day once :] best of luck!

When I married my ex-husband my bridesmaids wore black-- honestly it looked really nice to me, but people did comment that it looked a bit like a Mafia family wedding in the pictures ;-) I still look at those pics and think it looked classy though and will stand by my choice on that... ;-)

Ignore the nay-sayers. ;-)

I think I may skip out on the photos on the guest book table, not b/c I think it's inappropriate now, but because we're gonna need a huge table! With the book and card mail box and flowersa and come votives..I think it'll look too crowded..But I'll stick to the guns on the rest!

You may not want to put your card box on the same table as your guest book. Usually the guest book is near the door and you would not want your gifts and card box near the door, so people can pop in and grab something.

I agree about the card box. Keep your presents away from a door or have someone in charge of watching them and then moving them into a locked room. The card box is an easy thing to grab, as well as openning it and taking out a few cards. We're going to ask two of our close friends to take care of this for us.

Bottom line is...its YOUR wedding....its YOUR memories...its YOUR dreams! Its what YOU want...not mom. I learned this the hard way with my first marriage...granted I was young but I wasnt stupid. I finally got so tired of the fighting with mom...and mom and mother in law fighting that I approached them both and said...Look, this is MY wedding. No matter what I do it wont make everyone happy...so Im going to make ME happy. If you choose to be there and enjoy it with me, fine...if not....then oh well..not my problem.

So I dont care if you chose to have hot pink dresses...if its what YOU want....then who's to say its wrong?? That said, I think the black dress will fit in just fine and look gorgeous!

OH this is the story of my life... my wedding has pretty much turned into my mothers second coming... and I am no where near kidding. Pretty much EVERY thing I have picked out she has either changed so it fits what she wants, totally dismissed the idea all together, or tormented me enough that I just change my mind all together. I mean its not that I dont LIKE what she chooses, because I DO but I just wish sometimes I could choose these things without 300 discussions about it... I feel YA!!!

My mom has done the same things...I think with her she just isn't used to the way things are done today. Even with Save the Dates, I heard "when I got married, nobody did those, they aren't necessary..." She just isn't up to date on things! She says a lot of my stuff isn't necessary too...just stick to what you want on most things, but make sure you keep her happy too!

My guest book table and gift table will be safe! No worries ladies! I have someone watching over them, and with the hall layout, they'll be a ways away from the door!

Oh my mom told me "I have been the maid of honor in FIVE weddings. I have signed FIVE marriage licenses. I know about weddings. And you have to have a wedding party dance!" I've never even heard about those, but her description didn't make it sound appealing at ALL. So instead of fighting her on on (because I was getting nowhere) I just silently remembered that the budget for the DJ comes out of my pocket, and if I tell him no wedding party dance, then he will listen to me.

If you could work the family wedding pictures into the table- I think that would be really cute and special! Also, with the black dresses and chocolate/champagne, my friend who is getting married next year wants to do the same thing! I really don't think it will be a problem at all- after all, I've never seen anyone at a wedding compare the table cloth to the bridesmaid dresses. Plus, they do match the groomsmen. Also, as far as registering for your honeymoon, you can always tell your mom that it doesn't force people to buy off of it- they can get you guys something else. Maybe you could do a little registry somewhere else like bed bath and beyond just in case people want to buy you something more traditional and that may please your mom. Good luck!

Children are an extension of their parents, and moms (at least my mom) see the wedding as a reflection on themselves, and therefore they have tons of opinions for how we should do things.

The problem is there is no longer a defined line for what is "appropriate" and that's hard for them to understand.

Anything I can possibly accommodate for her, I will. If I'm totally against it, I tell her no. And she's actually been great with this, because we're both giving a little and taking a little. Pick and choose your battles. Consider her opinions, and ask yourself if it REALLY is important to you. If not, let it go...if so, stand your ground! I think the compromise is the key to keeping a good relationship throughout all this. Even though you should be able to do everything your way, she's still your mom and you want her to be happy too (especially if she's helping financially!)

Your ideas sound great! It probably is a generational thing. Years ago weddings were more uniform, having colored paper for invitations was blasphemy. Lucky for you we are in a time of many options, yet your mom doesn't see it that way. I like the fact that you are showing concern for your attendants by selecting dresses that they could wear again. Something to consider is how the black will play against the chocolate brown. I love those colors but when photographed you might not get the look you want with both being such dark colors on the spectrum. When seeing your photos and videos unless you have many shots of your tablescape will you even be able to tell that your colors are chocolate brown and champagne/ivory? Get swatches of the dress material and lay it against your linen colors and photograph it. I love that you are registering for your honeymoon, and the inclusion of your parents and grandparents photos are great! Those are the things that truly makes a wedding speacial.