& how to avoid these mistakes!

1. Not Booking a Wedding Coordinator

The first step of the planning process should be reaching out to professional wedding coordinators. Putting together your dream day is a huge task with complications that you may not even know to consider. Someone who has experience with many many weddings under their belt can help guide you along the process, give you recommendations for the vendors that are your best match & create a timeline to ensure everything goes smoothly. They will guide you away from these wedding mistakes & many more. Check out our services here, we love making dream weddings come true!

2. Having “Friendors”

Hiring your friends to be your vendors can sound like a great idea. But your cousin who happens to have an expensive camera is not going to take photos that are on par with those who do it for a living. Your brother may have a wealth of knowledge about music & an impressive record collection, but that does not make him a professional DJ. There is nothing worse than having conflict with a vendor because they are your friend or family member & they leave you high & dry. You damage the relationship & lose out on whatever service they promised you. Not to mention those close to you will want to celebrate with you, not be working. It is so important to have vendors that have detailed contracts so that expectations & expenses are crystal clear for all parties involved.

3. Getting Pressured by Family/Friends

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Do not forget that this is your day. Oftentimes we see couples feel pressured to adhere to certain traditions for traditions sake even when it doesn’t really fit them. If you don’t want to do a bouquet/garter toss – you don’t have to! If you don’t care about seeing your partner before your ceremony spend the morning with them! Personalize your ceremony & reception to fit who you are as a couple, not what everyone else expects. This also applies to your guest list. You don’t have to invite anyone that you don’t want there – simple as that. If family members have financially contributed to your day you can give them 5 (or however many you feel comfortable) invites. Or have them cover per guest that they want to invite. Be firm about what & who you want to include. People will understand that is your day, not theirs & you will be glad you set these boundaries.

4. Packing Guests into a Small Space

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is using a space that is too small. Sure you’re all one big family now but you don’t want your guests to feel like they’re in a packed elevator. People will want to comfortably space out & have room to dance when the floor opens up! Be sure to find out what your venues maximum capacity is & then decrease it by 10% in order for everyone to be comfortable. Max capacity is the absolute most amount of people allowed to be in the building so if you have that many guests it is already going to be packed. Don’t forget you will also have your photographer, videographer, caterers, planner & other vendors running around as well.

5. Skipping Video

I have never heard of a couple that regretted hiring a videographer for their wedding or elopement. Having a wedding video is about the closest you can get to actually reliving your day. You get to hear your partner’s voice reading their vows again, see the looks on your guests faces & watch your first kiss as a married couple. Do your research & choose the videographer that you think can tell your love story how you want it to be told. In ten, twenty, FIFTY years you’ll be so happy to have the footage to look back on.

6. Neglecting to Stick to your Budget

One of the most common mistakes is not sticking to your budget. Before you dive into planning you & your partner need to create a detailed budget. How much do you have to spend, what is important to you, how much do you want to spend on your dress? cake? flowers? These are all things that should be discussed prior to talking to vendors. Be sure to do your research to make sure that your budget is reasonable. It can be as easy as a quick “How much does an average wedding in (insert city) cost?”. This way you can get a better idea of the going rate for venues & vendors in the area you are tying the knot in. When shopping for your attire remember that you will also need shoes, accessories & alterations accounted for in the budget. Having this established ahead of time can save you a lot of stress & disappointment in the long run.

7. Not Having a Plan B

It’s like raaaaaain on your wedding day. Or snow. Or hail. Weather is no joke & can seriously throw a wrench in your outdoor wedding plans. Be sure to have a back-up plan so that even if the skies open up you can still get hitched! Anything can happen from when you start planning until the day of so even if you are having an indoor wedding, don’t make the mistake of not having a back-up plan. If you don’t have a planner to do so for you, check in with all of your vendors in the days before your ceremony to make sure everyone is good to go.

8. Open Seating at Reception

You may think that it will be easier for everyone to just sit wherever they please during dinner, everyone gets along fine so who cares who sits where, right? Wrong. Open seating almost always just leads to confusion, people that want to be together getting split up & one awkward open chair at the end of the table. Guests will take it upon themselves to move chairs around & things get very disorganized. No one likes to do it but take the time with your fiancé to sit down & create the optimal seating chart where people will feel most comfortable & everyone has a place to sit when it is time for speeches. Trust us, it’s better this way.

9. Missing Out On Photos

It can be devastating to realize that you didn’t get a photo with that one family member that you totally meant to after the day is already over. Before your wedding day write down a shot list of alllll the people that you’d like to get photos with. Look at some other couple’s galleries & take note of all of the poses that you like too! Check out this shot list for some inspiration.

10. Forgetting What’s Important

Mistakes can (and probably will) be made while planning such a significant day in your lives. It’s okay. I’m sure there has been some mistakes made in your relationship too, what is important is that you overcome them with your partner. Remember that this is supposed to be a joyous occasion celebrating the love that the two of you share. Be sure to actually spend time together on your wedding day. It can be as simple as going on a short walk or pulling your new husband or wife into a private room for 10 minutes where you can just talk. Bask in each other’s presence. When you look back on your big day, this alone time with them might be the highlight. Because that’s what the day is all about: marrying your person.