Hannah Montana said it best, “Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days.”
While she may have been referring to the time you turned in your science homework to your math teacher, or submitted a paper with the title “This Class Sucks” to your professor, she was most definitely NOT referring to your wedding day.
Sadly, most people (myself included) have made more than their fair share of mistakes on their own wedding day.
Looking back at my wedding, there were so many things I wish I could have done differently (like not spending enough time with my mom). As we continue to grow and see more and more weddings occur and speak with more and more brides, we realize that there are some very common mistakes that couples can fall trap to - so read and learn from all of the past wedding brides who have gone before you and don’t make the same mistakes!
Not Hiring a Coordinator or Planner
If you don’t know the difference between a Coordinator and a Wedding Planner go visit our other blog post and then come back. But not hiring a coordinator can be one of the worst things you can do for your sanity levels leading up to and on the actual wedding day. Coordinators and Planners can help you navigate the new world of wedding planning and help you save time and potentially money!
For example, a couple had come to our company 4 months before they were supposed to get married and had only booked their venue that had promised catering. After only 2 weeks of working together their caterer bailed, they needed a sound permit extension that they were unaware of, plus - they needed to book all their other vendors! We were able to provide guidance and connections with the top vendors in Austin that they didn’t even know existed and their wedding was an absolute bash! Looking back, the bride and groom knew that they wouldn’t have even had their wedding had it not been for our staff helping them create a dream day.
2. Not having seating assignments
While it is more work overall, it is easier to have people sit in assigned tables or seats if you aren working with a large guest count and have little room for seats to be wasted as guests decide to not sit next to one another and opt in for another open table - leaving 1-2 seats per table completely open! If a client decides not to opt in for seating assignments, our team recommends having 1-2 extra tables for guests, which can cost you more money overall.
You definitely don’t need to assign actual seats to each guest, however at least having table assignments for guests allows them to effortlessly walk themselves into the reception hall and find their spot.
3. Not Creating a budget
“I’ve just been purchasing things as I see them” a bride said to us on a consult. While we all wish we could be at Kim K. level of wealth where we didn’t have to worry about how much money we were spending on our makeup or clothes, weddings are a whole different ball game. By not having a ballpark number you are unable to accurately choose vendors in your price range.
A $1,000 here and there may not sound like much, but if you don’t keep track of how you are spending your money, you can run into the issue of maxing out credit cards or not having enough cash flow for the items or services you really wanted in the first place.
4. Not getting a rain tent plan or creating a Plan B
The folktale is that you’re in for a lucky and prosperous marriage if it rains on your wedding day, however - on the actual day itself, when the sky has completely let loose, a bride rarely ever feels “lucky” or “prosperous” - especially if everything: the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception were all supposed to be outside and there isn’t any backup plan.
Tents can be pricey - but they are definitely worth it if you end up needing to use them. Like our mom says, “failing to plan is planning to fail”. Plan on signing at least a rain tent agreement with a local tenting company - this typically gives you a hard date that you need to give a final answer regarding your decision to have a tent on the wedding day and keeps a tent on hold if you need it. Don’t be the soaked bride - you’re wearing white after all and your big day is NOT a wet t-shirt contest.
5. Not prioritizing what you really want and cutting out the rest
When planning your wedding, it’s hard to get everything - the top choice venue, the best caterer with a seated meal of filet mignon, top shelf, full bar, cigar bar, s’mores bar, live band, crystal cut glassware, and the ten foot tall floral wall for your photo booth backdrop.
No one can turn water into wine - so prioritizing your top choices can be the most helpful thing you do to ensure you get the things you really care about and not worry about the rest. Prioritizing allows you to use your money on the top things first, and then working with more cost-efficient options for everything else.
Take some time with your fiance to write out your top 3-5 priorities and compare. If you need some help, check out our this of that quiz that can help kickstart your conversation!
Now, we always learn from our mistakes, but this is the time to not fall for these top 5 mistakes other brides have succumbed to! Take note and take heart bride - learn from your bride tribe and have the best wedding ever!