How To Avoid These 10 Common Wedding Day Mistakes: #WeddingFail Details You Don't Want to Miss!
It's important to keep in mind that your wedding day is never going to be 100% perfect. There will be some hiccups, but at the end of the day, you are married to the love of your life and that's the perfect part. You had a day full of love with your family and friends!
With that in mind, almost every couple who has gotten married could name one thing that they would have changed whether it was a minor detail or big deal. Learn from other couples' experiences and how you can try to avoid these common mistakes. For my already married couples: what other small mistakes do you wish you could fix on your wedding day?
Listen to our wedding podcast episode to hear what we would've done differently on our wedding day.
1. Missing out on photos you really wanted to take
One of the earlier things you should do is start a shot list to send to your photographer. Have each of your parents take a look too so they can add to the list if they'd like. Your photo shot list should be organized by: Getting Ready, Ceremony and Reception. Think about who you want photos with. You can label as: "Bride with Bride Siblings," "Bride & Groom With All Siblings," "Bride with Grandpa," "Groom with Grandma," "Bride with Best Friends," and more.
This may sound so specific and direct, but this is what you need because you're going to have so much on your mind on the wedding day. Give this shot list to your photographer but also appoint a family member or friend to be the photo wrangler to get those people together for a photo!
2. Not eating enough
Make sure you eat a substantial, healthy breakfast before you get ready! Have a protein bar or water with electrolytes on the ride over to the reception. Ask your caterer to bring hor d'oeuvres to the bridal suite during the cocktail reception so you can take a breather and eat in peace before you chat with guests. Once you're with guests, it's going to be so hard to eat because you both will be super excited to see everyone. You don't want to get lightheaded on the wedding day so take bites of food and stay hydrated! Another thing you can ask your caterer to do is box up food for you both to eat after the wedding. You will absolutely get hungry late at night and wish you could've enjoyed the food that was served to your guests!
3. Running out of time
When you create the wedding day schedule, you might think that three hours of getting ready is enough. IT IS NOT! Start at least five hours earlier. The earlier you start, the better. Get your hair and makeup done first before your bridesmaids. When the photographer arrives, he/she can focus on photos of you and your dress while everyone else is getting ready. Do this first so your bridesmaids and groomsmen aren't waiting on you. It's better to sit around and enjoy the day getting ready with your bridal party than to run super late.
4. Not taking time to rest or breathe
Take a breather. Look around the room and savor the moment. The day is going to fly by so fast because you'll be so excited and feel so much love. It's important to sit up in the bridal suite for five minutes and just take that time to yourself. Have a sip of champagne, sit down, change your shoes. Then go back out there and have fun!
5. Saving or spending too much to not be comfortable in your attire
Don't spend too much on style over comfort, but also don't try to save money instead of being comfortable. Get your dress bustled so you don't have to worry about your dress all over the place when you're dancing! Get high heels that you can walk in all day even though the sparkly ones or the Jimmy Choo ones look way too cute to pass up but you can barely walk in it. Your comfort can make or break your wedding day so be comfortable in what you wear!
6. Not hiring a videographer
I've heard this time and time again. Just hire the videographer already! This is one vendor that you aren't going to regret hiring. They'll capture the real-time moments that you get to watch over again and show your future kids one day.
7. Getting too drunk
Lol, if this is your jam, then by all means, do yo thang! I have heard grooms who have gotten too drunk say that they regret it or brides who don't remember the rest of the wedding day. You paid all that money! Try your best to remember it and savor that day. Honestly, your adrenaline is so high, you most likely won't need anything else! My husband and I decided to stay mostly sober (with the exception of champagne toast and one beer) throughout our wedding day because we knew we could get drunk together with friends and family any other day.
8. Not interacting with every guest
Try to visit every table when guests are seated for dinner. If it means that the photographer is following you everywhere or you're running a bit late with the program, it's okay. It's important to hug and thank your guests for being there for you both and supporting your marriage!
9. Hiring a friend instead of a professional
Y'all...this one. If your acquaintance or not so close friend is a professional that you want to hire, that's a different story. But if you're hiring a friend because this is their hobby only, think twice before your hire your friend. Professionals charge for a reason: they are good at what they do and you will have a quality experience working with them.
10. Rushing on writing vows
Don't start this the week of your wedding because there is so much to do that week! Start earlier. Take your time thinking about what you want to tell your husband or wife. Be real: share your highs and lows. Make ACTUAL promises. Practice reading out loud. Your vows mean the world to your person. Make it meaningful and don't rush it.
Here's a bonus #WeddingFail that couples make: Thinking they can manage the wedding day by themselves. If there's one thing couples don't regret, it's hiring a professional wedding planner to manage their wedding day. Your stress is not worth the money being saved! Hire someone to help execute your vision. This is the greatest investment. You or your loved ones don't have to stress out. Let someone else who knows what they're doing take care of it all for you!
I hope these common mistakes helped you! As an event planner myself, I made a few of them because I ran out of time to plan ahead. It happens. Don't be so hard on yourself if it does. This is just a guide to help you think about those very minor details that can make a difference on your wedding day. Happy planning, my loves! If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out and if you liked reading through this, check out my wedding podcast episode for more details and information. :)
With love & confetti,
Ame
