Wedding planning isn’t for the faint of heart. I pray that those big, daunting decisions don’t slow you down and you’re able to tackle them with ease, because it isn’t always a walk in the park. From a 2015 bride to any current and all future brides, this post is for you. Why does it have to be a right of passage to have terrible war stories from the days of planning your wedding? I’ve seen SO many other brides on their wedding days to know that it doesn’t actually have to be the awful ride that everyone talks about. That’s why I created this post, to teach and share and explain because I want the best for all of you! So here we go, the 5 Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes Brides Make (And How To Avoid Them!).
Past brides, I’d love to know what piece of advice would you give yourself if you were to do it all over again? Current and future brides; what piece of advice resonates with you the most? I’d love to hear!
Mistake #1 || Trying to do it all yourself.
Let’s be real. We think we can do it all, but as hard as we try we really can’t. Your friends and family would be happy to help you pull off your wedding if you let them! Christina let every single bridesmaid and her mother button up her wedding dress, and I absolutely LOVE this photo because of what it symbolizes. All the hands, working and helping her do something that she couldn’t otherwise do on her own. Don’t be afraid of trusting your friends with some tasks and divvying up the responsibilities to make the end goal attainable. Many hands make light work, so host a craft night with a bunch of friends and you’ll be able to knock projects out of the park quickly! I can’t even count the number of times I’ve walked into a wedding to find the Bride frantically running around trying to make last minute decorations. Your wedding day should be completely stress free and centered on the marriage of you to the man of your dreams. No centerpiece is worth ruining that!
Mistake #2 || Dieting to fit into the dress.
I cannot stress this enough. I’m all about making healthy choices for a healthy lifestyle, BUT. Do. Not. Diet. To. Fit. A. Dress. Your fiancé loves YOU. You as a person. I promise he doesn’t think of “you” as a thing that should fit into a candy mold. You are not a candy mold. You are already a beautiful, beautiful person. I’m well aware that personal insecurities come as a part of the female genetic code, I’ve had my share of them, but there are so many dress styles to fit different body types for a reason. I promise you that you’ll feel a million times better about yourself on your wedding day if you choose a dress to compliment your body, rather than trying to make your body fit a dress. Feel free to love yourself and love your body, your fiancé already does!
Mistake #3 || Not personalizing and making your wedding decorations unique.
The most memorable weddings that I’ve attended and photographed had decorations that complimented their own style and relationship. Kirk & Amber’s wedding I photographed in November used national parks and landmarks to decorate their reception hall because they both love to hike. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Your guests will adore and will be talking longer about something personal like that than the millionth copy of a centerpiece found on Pinterest, I promise! It’ll also be a LOT easier to decorate a venue when it’s based on your personal style rather than trying to copy someone else’s vision and make it fit into your own.
Mistake #4 || Not trusting the creatives you hire do do their jobs.
The vendors that you choose should fit the overall vision that you have for your wedding, and they’ll know exactly what to do to make your wedding the best it can be! Don’t overthink it, trust your vendors, and follow their guidance when planning your wedding. Let your florist help you plan how to use flowers to decorate and accent your venue, rather than try to force your decorations to fit the venue/dress/vision you have for your wedding. DJ’s are amazing at reading the crowd and making in the moment decisions to make sure that your crowd is having the best time and dancing the night away. I’ve been to weddings where the DJ kept the dance floor full the entire time I was there, and I’ve seen nearly dead receptions being revived to be the most amazing dance parties of all time! Giving up control and trusting your vendors will give you great peace of mind while you plan!
Mistake #5 || Underestimating how long things take.
Everything takes longer at a wedding. I’m not kidding! You just about have to double how long you think it’ll take to do something on a wedding day. My brides have access to the “ideal timeline” on the client lounge which helps plan out the day significantly, but the rule still applies for other things. If you think it’ll take two hours to fold and stuff invitations, plan on four. It’s always better to have fluff time to make sure that you’re never rushed than to be running yourself silly, adding additional unnecessary stress. Planning the day that you’ve always imagined ever since you were a little girl is stressful enough, do yourself a favor and give yourself a break and get things done as early as you can so you’re not stressed later.
