Top 10 Mistakes planning your wedding: and how to avoid them

Wedding planning consists of many big and little tasks. Overall you could categorize them as concept creation, budgeting, venue scouting, vendor booking, timeline, coordination. However, for most people they plan a wedding for the first time and have no idea where to start and how much work it actually can be. I often see couples make some mistakes, which if avoided the planning process would have been smoother, less stressful and more enjoyable. In this post I will share the top 10 mistakes I see couples make when planning their wedding.

Top 10 Mistakes while planning your wedding

1. Not set budget

Talking about the wedding budget may not be as much fun as cake tasting or choosing the decorations, but it is a very important part of the planning process – especially in the beginning. At the beginning of the wedding you should know the budget of your wedding, how much do want / can spend for your wedding day. Even if it is just a rough budget you want to stay in and it could be more eventually that is fine. But defining a budget is so important when it comes to looking for venues and vendors. Without knowing how much you want to spend it is also difficult to narrow down the vendors but also to create a concept. There are venues and vendors for every wedding budget, you just need to know your budget so you look for the right vendors for your wedding. Setting a budget does not necessarily mean that you have to spend that exact amount of money, it can be less, it can be more (if your finances allow that). But some couples have a set budget that they cannot exceed. Knowing that budget from the beginning is important to avoid surprises later on where you might face the situation that you cannot do flowers because you spent everything on the venue and catering (just an example). I always ask my clients to name 2-3 priorities for their wedding day, what is most important to them. This is where most of the budget will go then. The rest of the budget will be spend on the less important things. But knowing your priorities, what is important to you, what do you definitely want to have for your wedding is important so you are happy in the end and feel comfortable spending that much money on your wedding day.

photo (c) Kamerakinder

2. “hire” a friend instead of a professional vendor

That’s something I always say no to! When a couple even mentions something like “oh my cousin is takes really good videos…” I immediately say nope – not with me. Even if your budget is tight, there are ways to hire professionals to work on your wedding and not your family or friends. I cannot stress this point enough – do not hire amateurs for your wedding day, you will regret it later! First of all you would not want a good friend or family member working on your wedding day and not celebrate with you, do you? So don’t make them work. Additionally, what if that person gets sick or something happens to the equipment, then you end up with no person for that job, let’s say video. Whereas when you hire a professional, they are obliged to work on that day, so even if they get sick, they are required to send someone professional to your wedding. So please please hire professional vendors!!!

3. Underestimating shipping costs for invitations

Often things like shipping costs are not really considered when you create the budget plan for your wedding. But sending out invitations can be very pricey. Especially since invitations often have a special format, are heavier or might need “special care” when shipped. This all adds up to being more expensive then just sending a regular letter. So when you then send out 50 or 100 invitations, this can add up! So make sure your budget allows for “surprises” like that.

4. Not hiring a videographer

I have the feeling, that a few years ago, very few people had videographers at their wedding as wedding videos like we know them today did not exist yet. It was usually super long videos no one ever watched again. Whereas now wedding videos and trailers are so beautiful and in my opinion you should not miss out on this one. A video shows the wedding day so much differently then photos and you can relive the best moments. The 4-10 minute videos are easy to watch and rewatch, to send you friends and family and everyone will enjoy reliving that day.

5. Accommodation for guests

A big mistake I often see is not booking hotel rooms in advance for guests. During summer and especially on weekends, some regions are booked out way in advance. But you would not want to have your wedding guests drive super far to the wedding venue because they did not get any rooms nearby. I always recommend my couples to call hotels nearby as soon as they booked the venue and ask to block some rooms for your guests until a certain date. This way you make sure your guests have a comfortable weekend at your wedding and do not have to worry about getting a room.

6. Insist on a certain type of flower

Some brides insist on certain flowers for the wedding day, which is ok. Everyone has their favorite flower. But the problem here might be, that your favorite flower might not be in season on your wedding day. That does not mean that you cannot have that flower on your wedding day but it means that the flowers will be very very expensive as they might have to be imported. When your budget allows for that – great. If it doesn’t you might want to reconsider your flower choice. Together with your florist you can work on a beautiful flower concept that you like and that fits your budget.

7. Micromanaging your vendors

Your wedding is a special moment and you want to be perfect. I get it, really! Of course you want everything to your imagination and it can happen that you try to control every move of your vendors. Nevertheless, this can be very frustrating for your vendors. Especially because they are the professionals, they know what they are doing, they know what works and what doesn’t work – so stop trying to do their work. They know hat you want and they will do their work perfectly on your wedding day. So relax, let them do their work, everything will be beautiful on your wedding day. Trust your vendors :-)

8. Only have a plan A

I get it, you want the perfect weather on your wedding day, sunny and warm, not too hot and no rain please. If there is one thing I could change about my job it would be that I can influence the weather – but I can’t. Unfortunately. I often see couples only planning Plan A – nice weather scenario and not think about a plan B as they are so optimistic and do not want to see the chance of rain on their wedding day. Unfortunately weather is so unpredictable and you need a plan B – otherwise you might be disappointed and the wedding day might be a disaster when it rains and you have not plan B. I always work out a plan B that is as nice and beautiful as plan A so if plan B needs to happen that no one is disappointed.

9. Let other people influence you

When it comes to planning your wedding, many people have opinions on what YOUR wedding should look like, be like etc. The noise can get very loud. Your mothers, friends, maid of honor… all have opinions. this can get very confusing. Do not let other people influence you when planning your wedding. With hat said, it is YOUR wedding, choose the colors YOU like, choose the flowers YOU like, create a timeline YOU want. Therefore, everyone else’s opinion is not important here. It is your day so make it your day.

10. And most importantly….

Last but not least, do not forget what your wedding is about.. it is about you. Your love to one another. You are getting married, you are celebrating your love. Do not invite people you do not like, don’t let the planning stress overwhelm you, do not get into fights regarding the wedding.. just enjoy planning the “best day of your life” to celebrate your love.

The top 10 mistakes while planning your wedding: and how to avoid them