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Discover the top 5 wedding planning mistakes and expert tips on avoiding them. Ensure your wedding day is perfect and stress-free!
The once-in-a-lifetime event of your dreams is almost here! You’ve been dreaming about your wedding day for so many years, and now is the time to plan it.
It is so easy to get caught up in the wedding planning era of your life that it can consume you. There are so many wedding planning mistakes that can be made if not planned correctly. These wedding planning mistakes can lead to plenty of unnecessary stress and can be costly.
Read this post to find out the most common wedding planning mistakes and how to avoid them to ensure your dream wedding comes to fruition.
Wedding Mistake #1: Not Setting and Sticking to Your Budget
One of the easiest wedding planning mistakes to make is to overlook your budget. It is so easy to get carried away! You are trying to make this day as special and unique as possible for you and your partner that you forget that money does not grow on trees.
Take Pinterest, for example. How often do you find yourself getting caught in mindless scrolling and pinning of all things wedding planning? For me, this was a daily occurrence. There are so many creative ideas and items for weddings, I wanted them all!
Getting lost in the magic of it all can often lead to overspending and financial stress.
In order to avoid this wedding planning mistake, you and your partner should:
Plan and stick to your budget from the very beginning stages of wedding planning to avoid mistakes.
Keep track of all of your wedding expenses in a budgeting spreadsheet.
Create a list of priorities for your wedding: what aspects are most important to you? What are the parts worth spending or saving on?
Wedding Mistake #2: Planning Procrastination
Procrastination is never a good trait to emulate, ever! Especially not while you are trying to plan your wedding.
Planning a wedding involves so many crucial decisions. These decisions need to be research and carefully planned!
Failure to plan in a timely manner can cause so much stress. Not to mention the stress it can cause on your wallet!
The longer you wait to book a vendor, the more likely they are to upcharge as it gets closer to your date.
Procrastinating too long can also eliminate potential wedding vendors or wedding venues because you waited too long.
Here’s how to stay on track:
Create a timeline to plan your wedding. You can find wedding planning timelines on Pinterest for inspiration! There are so many to choose from.
Start making the calls as early as you can to book vendors. Don’t wait til the last minute!
Ask for help. Do you have a sister that’s been dreaming of helping you plan your wedding? Ask her. Maybe a friend who is in need of something to take up some of her time? Ask them! The worst they can say is no.
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Mistake #3: Going Overboard on the Guest List
In order to stay on budget, you really need to look at your guest list.
One thing to remember: this is your wedding. You do not have to please everyone!
If you do not want kids at your wedding, don’t have kids at your wedding!
Unless your parents or your partner’s parents are contributing financially, do not feel obligated to invite their extended family or their best friends if you are not close with them.
Overlooking your guest list can be a costly mistake. Remember, you are paying a lot of money, per guest.
In order to stay on track, you’ll need to set clear expectations of the guest list with your partner and your partner’s families on who is invited.
You’ll also need to be very explicit on your invitation about the guest list. For example, if you want to allow someone to bring a date, you need to clearly label the invitation “…and guest”.
If you do not want some people to bring dates, you need to mention that the invitation is for one. You can do this by indicating it on the RSVP return card or by putting it under the FAQ section of your wedding website.
Stay organized with your guest list and RSVPs by using a digital tool, such as the ones provided for you on wedding websites. I used The Knot, and I still have the app simply for the guest list so I don’t lose addresses!
Mistake #4: Not Having a Backup Plan
It likely won’t be dream weather on your wedding day, as much as you want it to be. That’s just not how life works.
My wedding was on July 9. When we booked that date, I was 100% under the impression that in July it’s typically dry and hot and therefore there was zero chance of it raining.
Guess again.
In the two weeks leading up to our wedding, it literally rained every single day. Every single day! There was not an ounce of sun to be had. It was the weirdest thing. This is not common at all for late June and early July in the Northeast.
With the forecast looking the same as it had been for two weeks, I had to come up with a backup plan.
We actually wanted to utilize the outdoor terrace for our ceremony. However, we had to adapt with the weather.
It ended up being dry for us until after we got into the reception (thank goodness!), but it was so very muggy and humid that it would have been absolutely miserable for us to be outside for that long.
Moral of the story is to make sure you have a backup plan.
Whether that be searching for a tent or finding a location inside your venue to have your ceremony, or carrying umbrellas down the aisle, you’ll want to have a plan.
Make sure that you also communicate with all of your wedding vendors if you need to use the backup plan. Your photographer and DJ are very important components of the ceremony – make sure they are aware of what is going to happen.
Wedding Mistake #5: Micromanaging Every Detail
You’ve been planning so long and working so hard to create your perfect wedding day. It is so easy to become frustrated when things don’t go your way.
However, you must not become a bridezilla or a groomzilla!
To avoid this, make sure you trust the process. Trust your vendors, trust the professionals, trust your wedding party, trust your family, and trust your guests.
Ask for help when you need it. Delegate wedding day tasks to your trusted wedding party members or close family.
Savor the moments. Your wedding day will be over in the blink of an eye! Focus on the memories and cherish them.
Remember when I said it was gross and rainy weather on my wedding day?
Well, during the reception, right about sunset, there was an amazingly huge rainbow right outside our venue. Our photographer snuck us out to snap a photo, and now we have the most amazing wedding photo!
Remember, this is your special day. You only get one wedding (hopefully!). This wedding is a celebration of the love you and your partner have. It should not be a source of anxiety!
Stay tuned for more common wedding mistakes!
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