Imagine this; you and your fiancé(e) are bound to celebrate your love and walk the aisle in a matter of weeks, months, if not days. From perfecting your vows to making sure all attendees feel included, it’s easy to feel pressured and stressed leading up to the big day.
Planning your wedding can be a handful, and if you’re not careful, your dream wedding can be a nightmare. Wherever you may be in your planning stage, it’s always best to ensure you’ve done the best possible. From miscalculating your budget to not having enough space for guests, here are five mistakes every bride should avoid.
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Mismanaging Your Budget
Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, from smaller courthouse ceremonies to grand destination ones. But regardless of when, where, and how you hold your wedding, you should expect to spend some dough.
Throughout this process, it’s worth remembering that budgeting every aspect of your wedding is like a balancing act. If you spend too much on a dress, you should spend less on destination and vice versa.
One of the best things to help you budget everything from the get-go is having a clear plan of what you want out of your big day. Read our blog on how to create the perfect wedding mood board and the different styles.
The common issue that brides and their spouse-to-be often face is overshooting their budget. Though your dress, venue, caterers, and other vendors may give you a direct flat rate, it’s best to also have money set aside for any smaller fees including dress alterations, venue damages, and more.
Knowing exactly how you’ll spend your wedding budget is a surefire way to keep things calm, cool, and collected on your big day.
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Not Knowing Enough About Your Wedding Venue
So you’re going to walk the aisle, but do you know anything about where you’re going to do so? Does it have a roof in case it starts pouring? How does it fare with the summer heat? Will all of your guests fit comfortably there?
These are the kinds of questions you should have answers to before booking a venue and sending out your beautiful invitations to everyone on your list. The only way to get answers is to your research.
If you plan on tying the knot in a more modern or secular destination, you might want to choose one that will hold great significance to you in the future. It’s best to have some kind of personal tie, besides religious, to the venue you choose. Additionally, it’ll make for a nice story.
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To know more about your wedding venue, you can easily search them up on sites like Yelp for reviews but you should definitely schedule a visit and scope out the place. By doing the latter, you’ll be able to get all your questions answered and build a nice relationship with the staff there, which will help you further down the road.
Not Communicating With Your Vendors
In addition to the venue, you have to remember that there are so many things that make your wedding day one to remember. You’ve got the decorations, the music, the food for your ceremony and of course the pictures and videos to remember the day with.
Behind every aspect of your wedding will be someone handling them, including florists, caterers and videographers, and photographers. Though these vendors may be experienced, having worked all different types of weddings, they’re not mind-readers.
Their work is at the whim of your desire. Keeping open communication on all parts of your wedding will ensure it won’t go sour.
For example, if you’re doing a religious ceremony with certain parts that aren’t supposed to be documented, let your photographer know ahead of time so they don’t spoil the moment.
Similarly, if you and your loved ones avoid meat due to dietary or religious reasons, let your caterers know so they bring food that everyone can enjoy.
During this entire process, you have to remember that your vendors are only trying to help you make your big day as memorable as possible. It’s easy to help them if you just vocalize your expectations and your standards.
Losing Control
Sometimes it’s difficult not to go all bridezilla when things don’t go your way, but screaming at the top of your lungs doesn’t mean you have control at all. Honestly, losing control can be one of the biggest obstacles to your dream wedding.
Whether you enlist a wedding planner or not, this is something all brides should be cautious of. If you’re planning everything without the help of a wedding planner, it’s easy for things to get mixed up and overwhelming. The best thing to do in this situation is stick to your plan.
If you do, however, have a wedding planner taking care of the details, you have to remember you’re the one calling the shots. It’s your day, not theirs. They’re the middleman between you and your vendors, which means you shouldn’t leave everything entirely up to them.
You have to have some say in all aspects of your wedding. If it’s your wedding, it’s your vision; and that vision should be executed cohesively.
Lacking a Reception Plan
So you’ve had your ceremony, it’s party time now. But it’s worth noting that while it’s fun to party the stress of the planning process away with your friends, family, and new partner in life, the celebration can’t drag on an entire night. Instead, you should have a clear schedule for the party.
Having a reception plan can keep things clear and running smoothly. It’ll avoid your first dance from interfering with dinner and it’ll keep loved ones from running their mouths with testimonials for too long.
For your reception, it’s necessary to know the difference between there never being a dull moment and it being too chaotic. At the same time, you want to make sure that your ceremony isn’t too calm to the point where it’s awkward.
It’s best to keep your guests entertained and engaged. That’s where a DJ, an open dance floor, and games (for the younger guests) can come into play. If you find some of your guests keeping to themselves or not engaging, pay them a visit and thank them for coming.
While it’s your big day, you want to have everyone feel important and loved as well.
Every wedding is going to be different, which means each bride is going to face a different set of challenges. Though you can’t foresee everything that could go wrong, sometimes it’s just best to know better and think positively.
We hope that these tips help smooth at least some bumps on this rocky road to the altar.
About CineStory
We are CineStory Films, a Wedding Videography and Wedding Photography company based in Los Angeles. Having Videographers and Photographers on our team, allows us to achieve great results consistently. Our approach is to get to know our couples on a personal level. Connecting with our clients allows us to tell their stories in a symbolic and unique way. The passion and experience we have, combined with our efficiency and professionalism, enables us to create timeless images and videos.