Celebrate the launch of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 by sharing your dos and don’ts for throwing a big family wedding and you could win a £300 Love2Shop voucher. NOW CLOSED!

[ZaneMumsnet]

Weddings should be occasions of joy and happiness; however there are some times when they can be stressful and downright insufferable. From unreasonable demands from brides to issues over inviting (or not inviting) children, not to mention the sticky issue of wedding lists and seating plans, they can be a bit of a nightmare. To mark the return of the long awaited romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, we would like to hear the rules you’d put in place for successful big family weddings.

Written by Academy Award® nominee Nia Vardalos, who stars alongside the entire returning cast of favourites, the film reveals a Portokalos family secret that will bring the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 hits cinemas on March 25.

Check out the trailer below:

If you were coming up with a list of dos and don'ts for how to throw a big family wedding what would they be? Have you been to some terrible ones you’d like to share a story about? If you were going to have one, how would you make sure it all went without a hitch?

Whatever your ideas and stories are, we'd love to hear them.
Everyone who posts on this thread with their tips will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw,
MNHQ

Standard Insight Terms and Conditions apply

It's your day and not either set of parents. As such do not let anyone dictate to you as to who you should invite. Keep costs down as much as you can and use some of the money saved for other things such as a nice honeymoon or a deposit on a house etc.

Do not be forced by guilt into inviting elderly relatives that you have not had any contact with for years or in some cases never seen.Remember it is your Wedding invite the people you both want.

Work out your budget down to the last penny and stick to it. Nothing worse that starting married life in debt all because you wanted something that little bit more fancy.

its your wedding, do what you want to do and not what everyone else is telling you to do and dont feel obliged to invite distant relatives that you havent seen in years just because your parents say you should

Just do what the hell you want! its your day stop trying to please everyone cause you wont no matter how hard you try! Just smile and enjoy the ride

It's your day so it's your theme menu venue seating plan go small rather than large . When you look back it needs to be with pure love and joy not oh boy never again .

I've been to some great weddings which haven't cost the bride & groom a fortune. I was maid of honour at my friend's wedding in the Lake District, it was in a lovely hotel & there were a couple of hundred people there but instead of a sit down meal we had a barbecue on the patio. There were tables set up inside but it was such a lovely day everybody just sat outside anyway. It was much nicer than being such a formal affair. They had booked a friend as DJ & he did the gig as a wedding present for them. Everybody had booked a room for the night before so we had a meal together then & we all had breakfast together the morning after the wedding.
Another set of friends got married in Cancun so 17 of us booked a holiday so we could be there with them. I did the wedding video for them as their wedding present. It was so relaxed but beautiful too, a few hours before the wedding we were all swimming in the pool & having drinks in the swim up bar. It meant that the couple had their wedding & honeymoon all in one with their family & friends along with them.

My experience do not explain why you seat one person next to the other. Never tell the seating plan to ANYONE! NEVER!

Don't try to please everyone, it will never happen!

Don't let the parents get too involved.

Do what makes you and your partner happy, not what you think will make other family members happy. It's your day, not theirs.

Husbands - do prepare a speech and don't assume when it comes to the moment something will come to you, coz when you go blank, and struggle for something to say and the guests have to remind you to thank the bridesmaids at least, and you don't mention anything at all about your new bride, how much you love her, how pretty she looks, at least you won't spend the rest of your life together with your wife resenting you for not being arsed enough to prepare a speech or have to listen to other husbands at other weddings gush about their new brides and watch as tears well up in your wife's eyes that she never got to experience this and never will.
Also don't put disposable cameras on the table, the friends/family on your husbands side will just steal them and take them home.

Table plans should not be revealed until people sit down! Ever!

Love trivia cards for tables of people that do not know each other - they are great fun!

Its your wedding, don't let everyone else dictate who can or cant attend. Remember its only one day don't bankrupt yourself for it.

Just remember it's your and your partners wedding nobody else's so do what you want

Invite exactly who you want and not who you think you should invite.

You don't need to go expensive on the meal, do something simple like order fish and chips or pizza for everyone or if it's a summer wedding get everyone to bring a picnic and picnic mat.

Kids always make things more fun - invite them and keep them happy with crayons and colouring books.

Enjoy your day - hopefully it will only happen once!

Make sure you have the day you want, as you can not please everyone

Don't get me wrong - my wedding was AMAZING, but I wish I'd put my foot down a little more about the invitations. My Mum was hugely supportive and asked me who I wanted there and we invited close relations and best friends, but my Monster-In-Law invited people that neither my husband and I were familiar with (some who I certainly had never met and he didn't know either). These are people that we haven't seen since either!!

I think people get very hung up and anxious about money where weddings are concerned and it CAN be seriously expensive.

However, one of my best friends recently got married and she organised it herself in 3 weeks. It was a very intimate gathering, and one of the most happy, friendly and beautiful weddings I've ever attended (and I've attended LOTS). She organised the venue, the dress and the church and then she asked her closest friends to do the rest for her. My husband organised the music for the reception, which I helped him with, I organised the tables and the cake, our best friend organised the favours. It wasn't dirt cheap and looked nothing like a budget wedding (in fact it looked quite the opposite) - the bride could easily have been a celebrity .. but it was a 'means' wedding. I'm thrilled it all came together so perfectly for her.

I've already been putting ideas together in a file for my daughter ... and she's 7!! I might be barmy - but I'm also creative. BUT I know as a mother that I just want for her to be happy and if she wants my help I'm there - but if not I shall take a step back... so long as I get an invite!!

Weddings can and should be truly wonderful milestones in life and not a slingshot that leaves a wound!

LOVE should be the key!

Make sure you put in the invitations that you must have a reply or it will be taken as a refusal. We had so many people not answering and having to be chased up, do not go there. It is downright rude as far as I am concerned, as long as you have it in black and white on the invites you will have a number to work with.

Nice and simple, don't give in to others demands. It's your wedding, not theirs so tell them to sit down and shut up :P Don't let them say where they want to sit or what they do and don't like. If they're not happy, they can stay home!

My advice is be true to yourself and do what you and your partner want and invite who is important to you not people you hardly see to please parents etc. Don't be afraid to offend people by not inviting them if you have a budget as if they are true friends, they will understand. Having said that, when I got married it was important for me to share my big day with as many people as people and I have a close big family so we made a compromise and instead of having an expensive sit down meal (or wedding breakfast as they call it), we had a cold buffet at lunchtime and then a warm buffet at night. There was lots of choice and it seemed to go down well and meant we could invite more people to help share our day. Also we didn't have expensive table decorations and I hand-made the invites, which saved on cost but was also more personal.

Don't throw a big family wedding. We went to Greece and only 14 people came toour wedding. Far more affordable.

With so many people involved there are going to be many opinions and differences of opinion. I would say stay firm and remember it's YOUR day. Keep your own needs and wishes at the forefront or there is a danger you will end up with others running your day.

Elope! The family arguments aren't worth the big bill!

Do have the kind of wedding you want.
Don't Spread yourself too thin and leave yourself in debt
Don't Put wine on the table
Don't Have a free bar
Do Go abroad and get married, you get a honeymoon at the same time, and can have a big party when you get home

Don't spend more money that you can sensibly afford.

remember that its YOUR day. YOUR choices and if anyone has issues just ignore them !