On advice

I recently found out one of my cousins is getting married. As I listened to her plans for the wedding, I couldn't help but think of bits of advice about weddings and marriage that I've picked up over the years, and especially in the last two-and-a-half years since our wedding. I had already started drafting the email in my head with all of my favorite tips:

• Buy a comforter one size larger than your bed (a king of you have a queen size bed) to eliminate fighting over covers
• Have the reception or open house at least the day after the wedding if not a week later. We loved having the open house in Clint's home town the day after our wedding and the open house in my home town the next week. It meant I got to wear my dress three times and it let us spread out the celebration.
• The wedding day is an important day, but it goes by really fast. Savor the memories you can. And have everyone take lots of pictures.

Just as I was getting ready to dash off a lengthy email to this cousin, I started thinking about the situation. While these tidbits worked for us, maybe my cousin and her husband like fighting over covers. Or maybe they live in the same town so they can't really have more than one wedding reception.

Really, everyone is so different. And advice--especially advice based on experience--is so personal. Sometimes it is helpful, but sometimes it is just advice. And aren't there other ways to show interest and express well wishes? I think there is. I'm planning on sending a card wedding card this week. And I'll try to leave out the advice.