Money | A Hot Issue
We have an entire wedding budget area to talk about the complexity of money. No matter what your money views, there is no "right or wrong." This very simple award-winning game is worth the emotional awareness you'll gain. A few big "a-ha" moments may greatly help in wedding planning. Learn more
We're Going to Be One Happy Family...Or Else!
A very unique book written by a nationally respected marriage and family therapist who has worked with couples and families for over 30 years. Learn why a mother bought 25 copies for EVERYONE in her family to get everyone on the same page during the most intense, public, family event. Learn more
Wedding Discounts for Marriage Prep
Engaged couples are by their nature extremely happy. But as you know, after the honeymoon, marriage is hard work. We offer many options for marriage prep at many price-points(and wedding discounts from vendors who want to help!) Encourage your adult child to visit our website.Learn more
Wedding Vendors
Weddings & Relationships
Marriage Prep
4 part weekly class. Interactive, anonomous, online and by phone.
Testimonials for our Trendsetting Wedding Advice
Hi Elizabeth,
I just wanted to tell you that I consider your book a 'must read' for anyone
planning a wedding. It is loaded with invaluable advice and I recommend it
to all of my brides and grooms.Â
Maria Brady
Professional Bridal Consultant
Choreographed Events
Sarasota, Florida 34236
941-350-9403
www.choreographedevents.com
Take Back Your Wedding has all the elements of an excellent inspirational tool. It will prove invaluable to me in guiding brides toward the path of wedding bliss. What a needed resource in an industry (tragically) more focused on beautiful centerpieces than effective communication. Thank you!
Samantha J. Allen
Lead Wedding Consultant
Vis a Vis Weddings, LLC
Columbus, OH
www.visavisweddings.com
"I thoroughly enjoyed Take Back Your Wedding. As a bridal consultant who has been in business for 14 years, I have seen several couples in the past who would have benefited from your wonderful advice. Now we have a wonderful tool for anyone who's getting married, and help them avoid these types of problems. I will definitely recommend it to clients and other wedding vendors."
Jean Neuhart
Weddings From The Heart
Professional Bridal Consultant
Dayton, Ohio
"Anyone involved in planning a wedding can benefit from this book. It addresses true-to-life issues that everyone deals with in one way or another during the planning process. It's about time someone talked about those issues, and gave practical solutions for dealing with them. I know I will refer to this book often when working with my brides and grooms!"
Kristen Samz, Consultant
A Current Affair Weddings and Events
www.acurrentaffairevents.com
Denver, Colorado
"I wish I had read this before my own wedding. I already have 3 brides in mind that this would be good for and will give them your brochure. What an honest, common sense look at the people-side of planning a wedding, stated so clearly. Some of your example dialogues had me laughing out loud because they were so true!
Thank you again for this great tool."
Sincerely,
Amanda Niemotka
Amanda Events Owner/ Professional Wedding Coordinator
I loved your book! There are so many brides who get overwhelmed with the planning & dealing with family issues. Many times, brides are embarrassed to ask some questions. It has been a welcomed comfort to the brides who I have given it to. We look forward to new publications from you.
Kelly L. Moore
President
Ambiance Event & Floral Design
of AEFD Inc. in Scranton, PA
A must-read for every engaged couple! Elizabeth and Dr. Doherty deliver compassionate and applicable advice for overcoming family-induced obstacles during an engagement. If you're planning a wedding, or planning to play a part in one this book is for you!"
Julie Morgan
Professional Bridal Consultant
As You Wish
www.AsYouWish-VA.com
Some reasons people took the The First Dance class:
"I watched a fallout with my sisters wedding and do not want to repeat what happened. We want to be respectful but find the middle ground."
"We can't get past figuring out a date. It's very stressful and complex so I'm hoping this helps."
"I am clueless about wedding planning so ANY advice I can get, any help at all, is wonderful."
"Learning about the people stress seemed intriguing."
What couples have learned:
"This starts as a framework to talk as a couple. Things you never think about."
"We had a revelation. We overcompensate for the other person and it just makes both of us enact our role more. For example, I am a worry wart and will stress about everything, which causes my finance to tell me to relax, that everything will work out fine. This just makes me feel he doesn't even get why things are stressful so it just ADDS more burden to me and I get even more stressed out."
"If we get lost in the planning, we won't be able to enjoy each other.  This stress exercise helps to name what's going on so we can move beyond the immediate situation."
"The starting point in all this is values!"
"If the other person can remind you of the BIG PICTURE, not brush off the exact situational stress, it will help. All the stress and worry is about the BIG VALUE, not the little details."
"For me it's knowing how to be helpful to the other person, as a couple, in the big things and finding support in each other because ultimate it is just a day but we'll be together in a relationship forever."
"It was helpful to know about emotional limits and knowing that family won't change."
"Basically I have to sit back and look at what I'm doing. I may be making it more difficult in how others are perceiving me. I need to have an open mind about things. [My fiancees] mom likes to make decisions. I sometimes wonder if it's how I come across? Is it something I'm doing? She could be getting frustrated and I need to figure out how to make it easier for me and what I could do."
"The thing that crosses my mind is the fragility of the in-law relationship. How [my fiance] knows his family for 30 years and I’m new. It's a good reminder - there is a gap in how well we know each other."
"I'm relating most to the couple principles because we don't have a date set yet and haven't involved the families. We're going to figure out the values - how we can come up with a product that reflects us."
from a groom who was dragged to class by his fiancee: "Knowing what’s a big deal ties in to wedding planning, figuring out from the list of values as a starting point."Â
"The family principles were very useful. I have a distorted view of family and watch her family to see what is a NORMAL family. I don't know anything about weddings. Something in this program has sparked my interesting - like the idea of mocking the other persons family.
"The emotional limits was good. I've played the 'it's your day' part. Is that the way it should be? Am I don't the wrong thing? It was an eye opener for me."
Elizabeth Doherty Thomas, is a co-founder of The First Dance, along with Marriage and Family therapist father Bill Doherty. The First Dance is a 2007 Modern Bride Trendsetter award winner for taking on the complex family dynamics of wedding planning. See what engaged couples and wedding professionals are saying about our book Take Back Your wedding. Our entire website is dedicated to offering advice on working through the people stresses of wedding planning as a couple, with your families, and how to strengthen your upcoming marriage through this enormous first task of married life.