We recently had a wedding in the family – our first. While planning and executing such a grand and lovely event was thoroughly enjoyable, it was also a brilliant study on the way left and right-brain people approach a given task.

Our oldest daughter, the bride, is a visual-spatial thinker, full of ideas and vision; there’s a lot of that going on in our family.  The groom’s, a social, left -brain analytical thinker, prefers numbers, budgets and excel spreadsheets; there’s a lot of that going on in their family.  When it came time to plan the wedding, the right-brain, visual bride and bridesmaids immersed themselves in magazines, websites and social media, searching out ideas – visually. Pinterest became a family obsession, with everyone in the family searching out and sharing ideas. A few trips to stores, photographers, florists and wedding vendors, brought more options and ideas.

In the meantime, the groom, kept at his numbers and spreadsheets, not sure where the volume of ideas was leading. From time to time, the bride showered the groom with her vision – but he didn’t speak the same language. Her excitement was often met with requests for numbers, high-low bids and necessary documentation.

Fortunately the ‘visual’ bride knew the value of numbers and budgets, so she collected high-low bids and presented them with lots of pictures, so she could share ideas in her native tongue. Dad and Mom got the information they needed. The groom got what he needed and there was much shared dialogue and vision. Vendors were chosen, details worked out, shopping and planning became fun adventures and the wedding a success.

As I look through our family photos of the special event, it’s the smile on their faces that matters most. As they look at each other with such love and delight, my mother’s heart overflows. Then I look at the pictures and soak up every bit of the visual experience. I remember what it took to bring her vision to life and the fun we had along the way.

Bette Fetter Founder and CEO of Young Rembrandts and Author of Being Visual [email protected] Follow Bette on Twitter