Top 10 Most Common Wedding Planning Mistakes Most Couples Make...

Over the years, we've learned a thing or two about the most common mistakes couples make when planning their wedding. And when we say common, we mean common...they happen all the time, and on the daily.

So what are the top 10 most common wedding planning mistakes most couples make? Keep reading to dive in. In no specific order, this is what we've found over the years:

1. Hiring your vendors too soon or without proper research. Whether you went online and grabbed the first one you saw, or you took your best friend's recommendation, both are fine but you need to make sure they are right for you. That means, slow down, do your research, ask questions and in general, dig in before you sign that contract and commit to a vendor you might not be in love with later.

2. Hiring vendors outside your budget point. We drill the importance of a budget before you get started planning. But what if you have a budget and don't stick to it? That's where your wallet can end up taking a big hit. Once you've set your budget, it's important to make sure you operate within those allocations; otherwise, you will end up going over budget and costing yourself far more than you realized.  

3. Paying your vendor's full price upfront. Not only is this a "no-no" from a scam standpoint....never pay full price upfront for your wedding vendors. If anyone ever asks this, it's a huge red flag. There are multiple reasons not to pay a vendor upfront, the main one being to protect yourself. You don't want to pay someone upfront and find out they are no longer in business or even just stopped answering your emails prior to wedding day. Honoring the established payment plan secures you and the vendor on multiple levels.

4. Not responding to your planner or vendors in a timely fashion. This is a big one. When you don't respond to your planner or vendors in a timely fashion, you are literally the bottleneck to your own process. Vendors can't do their best work if you let that email or text go unanswered for days on end.

5. Not reading and/or understanding your own contracts. While you aren't expected to be able to read and understand every legal word in a contract, you should be able to follow the basics. What exact service are you getting for the price point paid. What happens if the vendor is unexpectedly unavailable on your wedding day due to illness or circumstances beyond their control? These are the types of things that should be outlined in a contract. Knowing what you signed up for is key to a smooth process.

6. Inviting more guests than you are prepared to accommodate or pay for. This happens more than you know. From the venue that can't accommodate the volume of people you want to host, to the couple that invited everyone and now can't afford the wedding day they envisioned, you've got to strategically think through your guest list. After all does the MET invite everyone they've ever met or done business with to their annual gala? Nope! They think through the guest list with great detail to ensure a successful event.

7. Not trying on your wedding day attire. Oh mercy me, this is another biggie. Ladies and gentlemen, hear me and hear me now.....if you plan to put a garment, accessory or clothing item on your body on wedding day, you need to try it on BEFORE wedding day. This includes alterations. Just because you had it altered, doesn't mean it fits after the first alteration. The biggest offenders are those other than the bride. The bride will go through 2-3 fittings before her dress is officially perfect, so we can't point fingers at her....this is typically passed along to others in the wedding party. If you are in someone's wedding, try all your items on before picking them up and leaving the store or after having your item altered.

8. Not talking to your photographer about THEIR timeline to meet YOUR needs. Your photographer will have a specific timeline for their services to meet your needs. You'll need to get that from them early on in the process and then pass it along to your planner. After that, a good planner will work in tandem with the photographer to ensure all timing is met to the best of everyone's ability.

9. Not allocating enough time for your portraits. This one is a little tricky depending on a variety of factors affecting your event or wedding day. Main thing is to think about how many portraits you want to try to capture and work with your photographer to ensure those items are accounted for in their timeline, prior to handing off to the planner. Then again, a good planner will take it from there and create an overall smooth process for you.

10. Don't let trends dictate your wedding day. Just because it's a trend does not mean you need to give it any energy, unless you want to. Your wedding day is about you and your fiance. Making it about you and the joining of your two families is the best trend ever....and can never be copied!

    
    

Do you feel like you are falling prey to these common mistakes? If so, don't feel bad. We all have at one time or another...how do you think we learned all these good tidbits? If you want personalized help to avoid these mistakes and more, reach out and Plan It With Me today!

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No time to read but still interested in this topic? Click to enjoy Episode 42 of Lifting the Veil where we learn about "The Top 10 Most Common Wedding Planning Mistakes".