Blooming Of A Thousand Flowers

A wedding is one of the most joyous times in a woman's life. It is a sad fact, though, that not every person in her life may be as happy about her good news as she is. Sometimes, the bride will have to deal with a sister or friend whose jealousy gets in the way.

If the jealous individual is not someone to whom you are particularly close then the best thing to do might be nothing at all. A co-worker or distant friend can pretty easily be ignored, with the assumption that their jealousy will dissipate after your wedding. But when the person is a close relative, or a member of the bridal party, the situation cannot be so readily ignored.

It may be easier to handle jealousy if you remember that the other person thinks that you are really lucky, and simply wishes that she could be as happy as you. Sometimes that is the case. There are other times when a sister is just envious of all of the attention being paid to the bride. If you can figure out the cause of your sister or friend's jealousy, it might be easier to find a gracious way to improve the situation.

When you take time to consider it, you may realize that an older sister or friend does not resent your happiness, but rather feels stressed about not being married before her younger sister or pal. I can give you two personal examples of this. When I got married, my (older) cousin said to me, "Thanks a lot - now everyone's wondering what's wrong with me!". In a similar vein, when a friend of mine became engaged, her older sister called their parents and said, "I have good news and bad. The good news is that Tara is engaged- the bad news is that I am going to die an old maid!". Both of these women are now happily married with families, and their moments of self-pity are now just funny memories. So you can see that is some cases, mild jealousy will resolve on its own.

There are other, more extreme cases, however, where the envious friend or relative will take her bad feelings out on the bride. This can take the form of making snide remarks to try to spoil the bride's enjoyment of her wedding, or in full-fledge sabotage. If you find yourself in this predicament, you will have to take action, and fast!

If the jealous person is your sister, one good way to help alleviate it is to make her feel more included in the wedding planning process. It may sound counter-intuitive at first, but giving her a larger role may ease some of the tension. Ask her opinion on the flowers, the bridesmaid jewelry sets, the menu, and so on. And really listen to her advice. If she suggests pearl bridesmaid jewelry sets when you were imaging crystal jewelry, it may be worth it to go with her choice for the sake of family harmony. After all, she will be your sister long after your wedding day.

When the jealous person is a friend, you could try some of the same tactics as with a sister. Also keep in mind that she might not be jealous that you are getting married - the problem might be that she is jealous of all of the time you are giving to your fiance. Old friendships are worth holding on to, so if you think that your friend is just missing you, be sure to spend more time with her. Don't spend all of your outings talking about the wedding, either. Be sure to let her know that you are interested in her life, too.

If none of these tips work, the bride will have to consider whether the envious person is a true friend at all. Of course, this is not an option is she is your sister, but more casual acquaintances may be cut out of your life altogether if they are really ruining your wedding. Before taking such a drastic step, though, try to find a pleasant way to reduce jealousy, because even after you get married, you will still want to have good friends in your life.

Look to Bridget for advice on planning your wedding. Check out how we can help with your bridesmaids jewelry at SilverlandJewelry. make a wonderful gift from the bride to her attendants.