Vent - what’s up with weddings and unsolicited opinions?!

I am about 9 months into wedding planning and 1 month from the big day. I had read many posts about mother horror stories, bridesmaid zillas, annoying relatives, presumptuous friends … but I thought the people in my life were chill, we wouldn’t be dealing with that. 

But after 9 months … The OPINIONS. Holy oh my the amount of opinions were shocking and the opinions themselves were at times insane. 

I don’t mean Reddit, that’s where people ask for opinions; I’m talking about unsolicited advice from your cousin’s coworker’s neighbor after they watched too many wedding TikToks.

I don’t know what it is about weddings but people just do not seem to have filters - if they have an opinion about *anything* wedding related, they suddenly think it’s appropriate to advise you. And obviously that happens with regular life things too, but weddings seem to amplify it; people who usually have a filter suddenly feel entitled to voice their opinion on how you should handle your wedding. The opinions came from all directions and from people I was shocked about. And I’m not talking about people sharing a fond wedding memory or offering help when asked - love that. 

The opinions I’m talking about (and have heard in this process):

• “You should use my super expensive (or inexperienced) friend / relative as your {insert vendor}” (then asks you if you’ve booked them when you see them)
• “You should elope.” “Do not elope, you’ll regret it.”
• “You NEED a planner or you won’t survive”
• “If you have too many opinions, you’re a bridezilla.” “You don’t have any opinion on {insert topic I don’t care about}?!” … for example, our venue (which isn’t boujee but this makes it sound boujee) asked us how we wanted our napkins folded. Like … I don’t know, in half?! Truly unless it costs me money, I do not give a rat’s ass about how you fold our napkins.
• “You’re not doing {insert tradition that means nothing to us}?!??! How will the wedding happen?!???” … my personal faves that are (in my mind) minor that we aren’t doing and got pushback on: aisle runner, something blue / new / borrowed, groomsmen + bridesmaids walking separately during the processional, instrumental processional song … and then having the people who were shocked we weren’t doing those things proceed to suggest how we *could* do them or better yet explain why they were crucial.

And that doesn’t include *any* opinions about my appearance (I’m a bride), finances (oof the commentary we got on that), decor …

And I love my loved ones and sometimes they just want to help … but wow, at times is it not helpful. And I know “the opinions don’t matter, it’s your day” … sure, yes, but they still get *voiced*.

… Anyway. Not totally sure what the point of this was - I think it was 9 months of pent up planning shenanigans and I needed to vent anonymously on the internet 🤷‍♀️ anybody else in it / been there and want to share?? Any weird or most persistent unsolicited wedding advice?