Planning a wedding is a little like trying to juggle with one hand tied behind your back–it takes a lot of time and energy, and at times it seems like everything’s going to come crashing down. It can be done, of course–people have been doing it for years–so don’t despair when the planning starts to get complicated. Just make sure to look out for these common wedding planning mistakes.
Booking the Venue Before you finalize the Guest List
We know you want to have that perfect, picturesque wedding venue. You’ve had your eye on it for years now and you’re ready to pounce, and if you don’t book by next Saturday it’ll be full, and–but wait! Before you book, make sure it’s appropriate for your guest list. Trust us, it’s way harder to cut your guest list in half than to find a more appropriate venue. And it’s way pricier to rent a hall that’s double the size you need.
Granted, this is more a question of priorities. If you have to have that particular venue, you might be able to design the guest list around it. But we don’t recommend risking a decade of familial resentment just to land that gorgeous-but-tiny venue.
Bingeing on Pinterest
Pinterest is a blessing and a curse for a modern bride. On the one hand, it shows you all these amazing things that people just like you did all by themselves for their weddings! On the other hand, it shows you so many of these DIY projects that if you’re not careful, you’ll be hot-gluing flowers onto Styrofoam balls on the morning of your wedding, then ducking out right after the vows to put sugar rims on the mason jars for the cocktails. Your wedding’s a busy time–if you can’t rope in enough aunts, uncles, and friends to do your DIY wedding project, maybe it is better going DIFY (Do It for Yourself).
Making Every Single Thing Unique
We know that weddings can get kind of same-y, and we’re all about going against silly wedding traditions. But we also don’t recommend going down an entire list of “50 totally unique wedding ideas” and trying to score all 50. Definitely go for mismatched bridesmaids dresses, seashell bouquets, a donut tower instead of a cake, OR groomsmen in lederhosen–just don’t try to do them all at once.
Messing Up the Marriage License
Every state has different laws surrounding who can perform the wedding ceremony, when the license needs to be applied for, which people can pick up the license, and how it has to be filed. Remember the whole goal for this process is to be legally wed, so make sure your officiant is on his/her game so when s/he says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” it’s the truth.
Not Allowing Enough Time for Photos
Your photos will be the most powerful souvenir of the day. So don’t rush them. Keep in mind you’ll want pictures of the couple together, then the bridesmaids, then groomsmen, then family…each requiring its own setup, lighting and poses. This doesn’t even include specialty shots such as everyone waving around sparklers together or doing a choreographed group pose. There’s no way you can do it in under an hour. You’ve paid for the photographer’s services, so don’t let that money go to waste.
There are bound to be a few hiccups in even the most perfectly-planned wedding. But you can definitely avoid some of the more common mistakes. We’ll explore more pitfalls to avoid in future installments, but for now make sure to avoid these five.
