15 Common Wedding Planning Mistakes To Avoid
We want to make sure that your wedding experience is the best it can be. This includes your wedding day and the months leading up to that special moment. That is why we have created a blog to around the 15 most common wedding planning mistakes in the hope that you can avoid them!
1) You do not set a budget
Money is sometimes a touchy subject but sit down with your partner and have a frank and honest conversation about what is affordable. Make a realistic budget for each category e.g. flowers, venue, wedding invitations, and stick to it.
2) You ignore the hidden costs from suppliers
Never book a supplier without clearly outlining the overall budget. If you book a supplier without determining this you may find that the supplier is too expensive therefore you will either have to either sacrifice your deposit or be stricter in other areas.
3) Using the entire ‘fashion’ budget on the dress
Do not think that the price on the dress’ tag is all you will have to pay. Think about things like alterations, additions, removals, accessories, lingerie, shoes, cleaning etc. when considering a wedding dress. Be sure to get thorough, final quotes before making an ultimate decision. You do not want to have your heart set on the dress of your dreams to then find out further down the line that it will be out of your budget.
4) You include some traditions for the sake of it
Whatever the tradition – wearing white, tossing your bouquet, not seeing your partner before you get to the altar, being given away, cutting the cake together, having the best man or maid of honour – only include it if it feels right to you. It is YOUR big day after all and you do not need to impress anyone. 2020 is all about mixing and matching family traditions, or even creating new traditions that have a deeper meaning for you and speak to you both as a couple.
5) You order your wedding dress too late
Start your dress search at least nine months before your wedding. You’ll need to go shopping, try on a lot of different styles, finally find ‘The One’, order it into the store and then get it altered. This will all take much longer than you expect.
Why not check out our wedding dress suppliers?
6) Not researching flower seasons
Keep in mind that flowers are seasonal, with out-of-season flowers either being unavailable or extremely costly. Each flower will have their own time of year that they are at their peak. Once the date of your wedding has been confirmed, research flowers blooming at that time. This will help keep costs down and your flowers looking their best. Speak to a well recommended florist if you are unsure.
7) Sending Save the date cards to the wrong people
Another one of the common wedding planning mistakes is sending the save the date to early. Although you are understandably excited and most likely want to shout your news from the rooftops, think realistically when sending out your Save the Date cards and only send these once the very final guest list has been made. If you do not plan ahead, you may send a Save the Date card to someone who you end up not really wanting to invite to the big day.
8) Micromanaging your suppliers
It is required that you and your maid of honour outline everything that is required of your vendors, but try not to micromanage them. It can be easy to get carried away with wedding planning, but nobody wants to be labelled a bridezilla. Be flexible wherever possible, push when you need to, always be patient, and try to lean more towards being a help than a hindrance. Being understanding will always work in your favour.
9) Openly discussing your wedding plans
Throughout your wedding planning, your big day will be a new and exciting topic of discussion between friends. However, you need to know who you should be having these discussions with. Sometimes when talking too openly you invite others to share their unwelcome opinions, which may cause you to get overwhelmed and second guess yourself. Avoid this by only speaking to a select few trusted friends and family members about your plans, sticking to your guns on things you love and letting people know when they overstep their boundaries.
10) Not giving yourself enough time to get ready
We can all agree that being tight for time is the most stressful situation on any normal day, but your wedding day? Avoid the common wedding planning mistake of not allowing enough time to get ready. Make sure to give yourself more than enough time for hair and make-up. The more time the better. Fashionably late is acceptable, but any more than 30 minutes and you will cause damaging effects for the rest of the day.
11) Rushing photographs
Similarly to ensuring you have enough time to get ready, you need to also ensure you have enough time for photographs. These photographs will be a physical memory that you and your family will look back at for the rest of your life. The rush of adrenalin after the ceremony means often the first few photographs are a bit messy and unorganised, meaning you need enough time to settle into the photoshoot and get as many partner photos as possible.
12) Forgetting a videographer
Quite often the biggest regret we hear from couples is that they didn’t get a professional video of their wedding day. Photos are beautiful, but some moments – the speeches, the vows, the first dance, the bouquet toss – are most magical when captured on film. Is there somewhere you could find the money from in your budget? When the day goes by in a flash and memories fade, you’ll be wishing you could relive it on tape.
13) Hiring a friend instead of a professional
Finally, unless your friend is a trusted and experienced professional by trade, you should try not to use them for your big day. Your photographer is responsible for documenting your big day in the most personal way – You need someone who knows what they are doing. Professional photographers also often come with a second shooter to capture moments they are unable to and spare cameras in case of any technical difficulties. They are also well versed in the traditional check-list of wedding moments they need to capture, and are familiar with the typical wedding day timeline. Be sure to also tell your photographer about any people or moments of significant importance to you.
14) You forget the legal side of things
The most important part of your wedding day is that you walk away legally married. This won’t necessarily happen on the day if you’re having a celebrant-led ceremony as these are separate to the legal signing in England and Wales. Did you know that if you don’t register your church wedding within a week of the ceremony you could face a £1,000 fine?
15) You try to please everyone
Everyone has an opinion – and boy, will they let you know. The trick is to be kind but fair. A little “thanks, but no thanks” goes a long way. You will never make everyone happy so focus only on what you want, as a couple, and what makes you the happiest on the first day of the rest of your life together.
Common Wedding Mistakes You Can Avoid…
We hope you can learn from our blog and avoid the 15 most common wedding planning mistakes that couples make in the build up to their big day.
If you need any help in the process of planning your wedding, why not check out our suppliers?