16 Mistakes You Do Not Want to Make When Planning Your Wedding (Part I)

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Before you start planning, there are few things that you should know; namely, what not to do when planning your wedding.  We’ll get straight to the point.  Here are 16 mistakes that you do not want to make before planning your wedding:

  1. Planning before setting a budget. This can be dangerous because a person’s eyes can sometimes be larger than his or her budget.  What does this mean, you might ask?  Well, it means seeing a dress that you love and deciding that it will be the one before having a look at the price tag, or seeing the perfect Disney-esque castle where you’ll finally be able to live out a childhood fantasy, without thinking twice about the cost.  Before you know the castle is the venue for you, decide on your budget.  This can be done by writing down every single cost that you can think of, and then working with friends and family (especially those who were recently married) to add additional costs you might have missed.  It will be a more realistic take on what you will be able to afford, and you’ll be able to set important costs such as the dress and the venue within those parameters, without feeling guilty that you’re going over budget.
  1. Not having a Plan B. If you’ve decided to have an outdoor wedding, a Plan B will basically be required, not just for the sake of the bride and groom and their family, but for the guests who have taken precious time out of their day and money to attend this event.  You’ll need to plan for tents and keep in mind that this will be an added “insurance” cost in order to cover all of your matrimonial bases.  For those with an outdoor wedding planned, consider meeting with a tent company six to nine months before the wedding to make sure that they will have tents available for you just in case.  We’ll leave with this strange scenario that sometimes seems to happen more often than not.  You take a glance at your umbrella before leaving the house, one of the few times you recall taking a look at it, and think, “No, I don’t need it today.  The skies are clear.”  And then, out of nowhere, mid-day it starts raining, and then pouring, with no sign earlier that morning that this would happen.  That’s when a person realizes that he or she should have brought their umbrella when they had the chance.  Don’t be the couple caught in the rain without your “umbrella.”  Plan accordingly, with a Plan B.
  1. Assuming that an outdoor wedding will be cheaper. Outdoor weddings aren’t necessarily less expensive than weddings at a particular venue.  Why?  Because you also have to consider things that a venue automatically accounts for, such as sound, bathrooms, a kitchen facility, generators, fans or heaters, and lighting.  When deciding what type of wedding you want to have, think about all of the expenses that you will be responsible for—and for outdoor weddings, it might be more than you initially thought.
  1. Packing guests into the venue. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than getting into an elevator that is full and having to literally breathe in the air that surrounds the person’s shoulder nearly crammed into your shoulder, or even face.  Such is the case with a wedding and wedding reception.  You want the guests to have room to enjoy themselves, and you, too.  Otherwise too many people in one place will make for long waits for food and an uncomfortable space for dancing.  Before booking a space, double check the maximum occupancy, and then reduce that by 10% in order to make sure that you don’t reach the max number of people, so that guests have room to breathe.
  1. Missing peak times to take pictures. Speak with the photographer about when the best times are to take photographs.  Learn what time the sun goes down, and then speak with the photographer to see when you’d like to start taking photos.  There is a time just before the setting of the sun that is perfect for taking photos, but you’ll need to make sure that you and the photographer are on the same page to get the most ideal photographs as possible.
  1. Not sharing enough details. Keep guests and professionals whose assistance you’ve enlisted from getting confused.  This means that you should be sure to provide instructions to venues along with itineraries for where people should be and at what time.  If you are having a destination wedding, also provide a sampling of things to do around the area so guests aren’t left to fend for themselves.  Sharing details also extends to transportation companies that you work with.  Share with drivers, for example, pertinent information, along with directions to certain areas where you expect them to be.
  1. A thin line exists between sharing the right amount of information and micromanaging, and you should be mindful of the difference.  For professionals you’ve hired who have been through this process before, trust them and their experience, even though it is understandable that you want to make sure that everything goes flawlessly.  They know what they’re doing.  Trust them to do their jobs, and you’ll have less to worry about and a better end result because you’ve provided your team with the trust to do their jobs well.
  1. Not recording the wedding. We suggest hiring a videographer so that you don’t miss the opportunity to look back on your wedding day.  The memories will be beautiful, no doubt, but to have the chance to see it unfold minute by minute is a gift that you won’t be able to get back if you don’t decide during the planning process to hire a videographer.  Find a videographer whose work you like, and have your wedding day recorded.  You’ll be glad that you did.

This is only the first half.  As this information is marinating, please check out our selection of wedding invitations, which we know that you’ll need once you’ve set a budget before planning.

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