Are you or someone you know getting married soon?

According to Wiarton Willie, spring will be here soon and with it will come the onset of the wedding season. Soon the shelves at your corner convenience store and at the major bookstores will be covered with magazines touting the latest wedding fashions and fads. If you cannot wait, then you can sit in front of the boob tube and watch TV programs like, “Say Yes to the Dress”. So if you are not getting married yourself, you are likely to know someone who is ‘tying the knot’ this year.

Those of us who are married often get asked for some sage advice so here is mine:

To the Groom
1. Make sure that you remember to put the toilet seat down after you go to the bathroom. If you do not, then there is a good chance you will be woken up in the middle of the night with a cold pail of water so you too can feel the joys of being cold and wet.
2. When you walk down the aisle, you set the stage for the mood of the whole wedding, so no matter how nervous you might be, smile - even if it is a fake smile. If you are stone cold serious, then your wedding will be too.
3. Chances are you will be asked to do one or two things in preparation for the big day. Rather than leave them for the last minute, do them right away. More pre-marriage fights have occurred because the groom has forgotten to complete the "simplest little task" so avoid the fight and as Nike says, 'Just Do It'.

To Everyone
1. Confirm all reservations and make sure that you bring the reservation numbers with you
2. Make sure that you get any foreign currency or traveler’s cheques well in advance as sometimes a bank will run out of their supply temporarily
3. If you are going to spend extra on a wedding, do it on the photography or the video rather than the flowers as the photos and video can be viewed many years afterward

On the Day of The Wedding
1. Extra place cards in the event you discover that a place card is missing or a name is misspelled.
2. Make sure that all speeches are written down because otherwise the speaker will have a tendency to ramble and that often causes a few yawns from your guests. It also prevents someone getting up and blanking out.

Emergency Kit
Make sure that someone is responsible for putting together an emergency kit. The kit should include all of the following and anything else that you can think of:
Band-Aids
Rolaids / Tums / Maalox
Lifesavers or other candy
Non-salted crackers
Extra nylons
Needle & thread in the color of the dresses
Gum
Hairbrush & Comb
Gel and Hairspray
Cover-up (for the last minute touchups)
Smelling salts
Safety pins
Stain Remover (Tide-to-go)
Last but not least The Rings

And remember, "Have Fun"

Although this post has nothing to do with Financial Planning, it does show that there is more to what we do than simply financial stuff.