Mothers, Mothers in Law

I got a nice tip from a recently married friend recently, in relation to The Mums coming together to get to know each other a little better.

The thing about us is, The Handsome One & I are like chalk and cheese. While this works as brilliantly for us as ying & yang, we can't forget that it means we've come from totally different households. I'm a bit mad, in more ways than one. My Handsome Man is cool calm and collected - all the time. He's so relaxed and chilled I just love it. He calms me down and I make him do fun things he would never otherwise have considered. We've discussed this "click" quite a lot and love it about each other.

The same difference goes for our families. While we both come from amazing homes, they are quite different. Thankfully all the important bits are the same - good, kind, fun, lovely to spend time in, full of excellent people who are generous with their time and attention at every moment... However! My folks and extended family can only be described as bonkers, while Handsome's clan are far more reserved! Our family makes a point of getting smashed at reunions and laughing themselves into oblivion, while Handsome's clan prefer sherry and tea - and cake. Oh I love the amount of cake that passes at their family gatherings. Must. Work. On. Baking. Skills. (Have zero).

Anyhoo they're kinda different. I was wondering how the mums would get along and a pal whose recent wedding was a roaring success told me how she handled it... She gave the mums a reason to chat to each other, so they started phoning each other regularly and became pals! The two good ladies got on like a house on fire - not surprisingly because their children were getting hitched. It worked well for her.

I'm trying the same tack. Both Mumsies are asking me about what colour t'other will be wearing on the big day, so I've suggested that they discuss it together - sure why not! I'm also inviting both to a portion (afternoon sober section) of the hen party next month. At least if they both feel they don't want to intrude they can decide together, but I've given my mum the task of arranging things with his mum. [Note: it is important to give each of your folks a to-do list when it comes to wedding planning, especially if you're organising most of it yourself - you need to make sure they feel involved in the run-up to it, it ensures they enjoy the day too - another good tip from the pal whose recent nuptials were an outstanding success...]

I'm really very lucky with the friends who've already gone through this, although they are small in number they are a fountain of good simple advice. In other news, I just bought those stamps...