As a wedding planner, I communicate with so many people daily about the most important event in their lives. Most of the time its all smiles and excitement but sometimes I hear horror stories and it makes me sad that not everyone gets to have their dream wedding. A lot of horror stories could have easily been fixed by hiring professionals who know how to handle wedding day challenges because of couples not knowing what wedding planning mistakes to avoid. Most couples have never gotten married before so they need professional help! Want an outdoor wedding in June with a clear tent? That sounds fabulous but the reality is the flowers can’t be under a clear tent in June without dying! I’ve made that mistake before 🤦🏼♀️
Wedding planning is SO emotional especially since you’ve been dreaming about this day for years and years and know exactly how you want it. However wedding professionals are professionals for a reason, so listen to our advice! I know how important this is to you and I know how badly you want it to be everything you dreamed of but some things may not be feasible.
As the expert, when giving a suggestion or advice, I back EVERYTHING up with stories and lessons from previous clients that have helped me grow into the expert I am today. I’m not saying that I know everything about wedding planning because each wedding brings its own valuable lessons. However, I can confidently say that I know more about planning weddings than your friend’s aunt’s nephew’s second cousin who “does events” in her spare time “on the side for fun”. Having someone who isn’t a professional help you out with the wedding can be a very big mistake when planning your wedding!
I know, I know. This may seem a little harsh but it needs to be said so that you can have the day you have always dreamed of!
In my experience, these are the five most common wedding planning mistakes to avoid and how to navigate the planning process:
1. Not Establishing Your Realistic Budget
Now you’re probably thinking, “Ashley, I have my budget!” but I’m asking you to take a closer look – is this your realistic budget? Think about it like buying a house. You check out all the listings to see what you like, what you want, and most importantly, in the price range you’re comfortable with. Finding the options in your budget will help you make and stick to a realistic budget because wedding planning is exactly like that.
Example Time!
Some houses are $150,000 and some houses are $500,000 just like how some weddings are $50,000 and others are $150,000. Like with a house, you don’t want to see anything you can’t afford which helps you figure out what you can afford! And more often than not, you’re going to have to make renovations to the house to make it your dream home. It’s important to remember to include the cost of renovations in your house budget, right? So often I’ve had couples find a venue, fall in love with it, slap the contract and deposit down, and then realize they’ve blown through a huge chunk of their budget and now are in a bind when it comes to the remaining wedding expenses.
To avoid this potentially disastrous issue, settle your realistic wedding budget and divide it in half. That half is untouchable and you know why? That half is solely designated for the venue, catering, and beverages. If you follow this method and stick to vendors within your realistic budget, you’ll be able to come out of wedding planning with a big smile on your face and you won’t be burning through more cash. Keep in mind that little additions like silk ribbon on your bouquets cost extra, welcome bags, bridal luncheons, thank you notes, and guest favors will be extras to the budget you set which is why it’s important to include this in your realistic budget. And best case scenario – that half you set aside? If you don’t use all of it, there’s your extra wedding budget! Cha-ching!
2. Thinking your on-site coordinator is the same as a wedding planner
If your venue offers an on-site coordinator, that’s great! However, they are NOT the same as a wedding planner. Your on-site coordinator is an incentive to book the venue because your venue tries to sell you the total package by supplying you with a “wedding coordinator” to handle things on their end. That’s the problem though – it’s usually ONLY on their end. Your on-site coordinator won’t finalize payments with vendors, they won’t facilitate your rehearsal, and they definitely won’t be driving your fiance to the tux shop if he realizes his pants are too tight. An on-site coordinator is a representative of the property while a wedding planner is a representative of the couple. Your wedding planner will be there every step of the way for everything. This is probably one of the most common wedding planning mistakes to avoid that traps couples and that makes me sad.
It’s incredibly misleading, but you can save yourself a lot of pain by making sure you hire a legitimate wedding planner. You can also learn more about our wedding packages here!
3. “I can just DIY that and save SO much money!”
DIY doesn’t always mean cheaper. You’ve watched all the tutorials you’ve had to and think, “I can do that!” If you weren’t crafty before your wedding, you probably won’t be crafty now. And if you are crafty, sometimes DIY projects can take up A. LOT. OF. TIME. Valuable time that you can use for other tasks and to-dos instead of hot gluing beads on mirror trays for a month straight. If you can’t afford exactly what you want, you always have two options: you can find an alternative to that style within your budget or communicate your budget constraints to your decor team because being upfront from the beginning will make it easier for them to work with you and find what you love! This will save you so much time and protect yourself from disappointment.
4. Using up your vacation days before everything is planned
If someone hasn’t told you this yet, then let me: you will most likely be taking days off from work for wedding planning. This is another example of one of those wedding planning mistakes to avoid but many don’t realize it until too late!
That wedding photographer you absolutely love and can’t wait to speak to? Be prepared to meet up with her during the week because she’s shooting weddings Friday-Sunday. The caterer you can’t wait to try? He’s catering for weddings and events Friday-Sunday. The florist you cannot wait to discuss your vision with? Get ready to discuss it on a Wednesday because they probably have multiple weddings Friday-Sunday. Catching my drift?
Unfortunately, most of your wedding vendors will only have availability during the week. The best thing to do is schedule most of your vendor appointments in the same day so that way you don’t have to take off too many days. If you absolutely cannot during the week and your vendors do have availability over a weekend, be prepared to schedule it out months in advance. That’s not even an exaggeration!
5. Just because your friend does something well, doesn’t mean they should do it for your wedding
Your best friend’s boyfriend may be an amazing photographer with a professional camera, but is he a professional? Will he have backups of your photos in case something goes wrong? Will he spend weeks editing your shots and deliver them within a set timeline? Your aunt makes a mean chocolate ganache cake, but will she be cutting the slices herself? Will she be able to transport a wedding cake for 200 guests? Just because you know someone who can do something well, doesn’t mean they should do it at your wedding. If you’re going through the process of inviting these loved ones to your weddings, invite them as guests not vendors.
Wedding vendors are used to the wedding pressure and have back-up plans for almost every possible scenario. Celebrate your loved ones hobbies outside of your wedding. Trust us, this can also save relationships. And this way they get to celebrate you WITH you! That’s what it’s all about!
All of these mistakes are so painful because they can sour your planning experience and cause unnecessary tension about your happiest day ever. Have you already made a mistake or are you afraid you might make a mistake like the ones above? Contact us and let’s see if we can help you out because at A Beautiful Theme, our clients come first.
