You’ve scoured Pinterest boards, and made your to-do lists. After months and months of hard work, you feel you’ve nailed the perfect wedding planning formula. But hold your horses, for even in the perfectly planned wedding, there are things that could go wrong. From the budget to the vendors, the food and décor to the guests and drinks, with the number of things you have to pay attention to, you may be overlooking some simple blunders that you may have to pay for dearly. Even if something doesn’t go wrong, and everything is planned to the T, it isn’t worth it if it leaves you and your fiancé gasping for breath on your big day.
Thus, to save you from a lot of stress and hopefully avoid wedding planning failures, we have compiled a list of 10 wedding planning mistakes to avoid. Learn from these mistakes that couples are most commonly known to commit.
Without further ado, let’s get started…
Not planning your Guest List well
Who are the most important people at the wedding, after your fiancé and you? It’s obviously the guests! Thus, it is of utmost importance that you handle your guest list well. It will dictate the size of your venue, and since venues have to be booked much in advance, your guest must be the first thing you plan. This is a decision that all close family members must be involved in. Depending on your budget, first make an estimate of the number of people you want at the venue. Then proceed to who you want to share your special day with. Do not try to squeeze in every single person you know, if it is an intimate affair. Also, while there are bound to be no-shows, your arrangements should be for all the people you’ve invited, and no less than that. Be sure not to send out Save-the-Dates too early though, the people you were good friends with when you got engaged, may not be very close by the time you get married.
Check out the wedding guest manager tool.
Seeking too much or too little involvement from the groom-to-be
Now we’re not suggesting that grooms are not supposed to help with wedding planning at all, but let’s face it, if you all you talk about, is the type of flowers you want at the reception, your fiancé is bound to express his annoyance. It makes more sense to keep aside a certain day of the week to discuss your wedding plans, rather than talking about it 24/7. Also, involve your fiancé in decisions he is most interested in contributing to. Not involving your fiancé at all is not healthy either. After all, it is his wedding too, and must reflect his taste as well.
Relying on friends, instead of professionals
Yes, you are on a budget. Yes, you have a friend who has your whole gang grooving to his beats. But is it really worth jeopardizing your wedding day, and asking him to play DJ, instead of hiring a professional? Remember, every friend who doesn’t leave home without a Flip isn’t a videographer. Leave amateurs to cover college fests, your wedding needs someone who knows their job inside out, if you want things to be perfect. To save a few bucks, it is foolhardy to leave important arrangements such as food, music, décor to family and friends. Don’t forget this Red Adair quote, “If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur!”
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Booking vendors on the basis of their charges
You’ve chosen top-notch vendors for everything, from the catering to the décor, to the wedding dress? That’s great! But if you’re trying to keep a strong hold on every one of their moves, and dictate every single detail, you aren’t really letting the pros do their job, are you? You have every right to explain to them your idea of the perfect wedding, but after that trust them with their job and let them work their magic.
Blowing the wedding budget
While wedding planning can be great fun, management of the budget is not. You want to splurge, while your budget screams, “Save!” Be sure to spend considerable amount of time on your budget and account for every single thing you will need. Setting aside$1500 for your wedding day look, and blowing away all of it on just the dress is not good budgeting. It is important to consider every single thing that goes into your look, from the accessories and jewelry to the shoes, hair and make-up. If you’re having an open bar, make sure it is accounted for. You could, of course, underestimate a few expenses if you start planning a little too early. If so, don’t panic. Cut down on a few expenses and make a few changes that won’t exactly have a big impact on your big day.
Check out our budget manager tool.
Discussing your wedding plans aloud
Now, this doesn’t include sharing your plans with your fiancé, bridesmaid and family. But if you go around telling each and every one of your co-workers and their mom about your big wedding surprise for your darling, then it won’t really be a surprise, will it? It’s difficult not to talk about your wedding; it’s the only thing on your mind currently. But if you want to stop people from copying your lehenga style or from stealing your favorite DJ, you have got to keep mum about your plans.
Ordering a dress that is two sizes smaller
Your intentions may be golden, and your determination, solid. But do you really want to end up with a dress that you have to struggle to get into? Any major changes before the final week in your wedding dress are best avoided. Crash-dieting will only take away the natural glow of your face. It is great to want to work on your body, tone up before D-day, but don’t subject yourself to unrealistic goals and expectations. Amid all the stress that you already have, this one’s quite unnecessary. Plan a fitness regime that isn’t too rigorous and you’re more likely to stick with it.
Skipping beauty trials
Make-up and hair trials are essential if you want to avoid any last minute beauty disasters. But apart from these, also make sure you do not fall prey to other treatments gone wrong, such as fake tans, sunbed visits, facials, eyebrow tints, etc. Such treatments are best avoided as the wedding inches closer, and if you do plan on them, make sure you’ve done a trial. Check if the effect and color are right for you, and if you need them at all.
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Stressing too much over frivolous details
After spending hours on deciding the perfect theme color, you realize two weeks before the wedding that you don’t like jewel tones anymore. So what do you do? Don’t fret, that’s what! Then proceed to do some damage control, in the best way you can. Remember, it’s okay for things to not turn out exactly the way you wanted them to. Or to chance upon your dream banquet, after you’ve already booked one. Go ahead and change whatever you want to, as long as it isn’t too late. But don’t stress over it. If it is indeed too late, let it go. Do not spoil the most awaited day of your life, just because the cake didn’t turn out the way you had imagined. Take a deep breath and enjoy your day, you deserve every bit of it!