11 Things You Wish You Had Known When You Were Planning Your Wedding

A thousand and one things can (and have) gone wrong at weddings. So, whether you want to walk down memory lane and see where you could’ve cut corners… or are soon to walk down the aisle and want to know where you can save money, time and efforts…. Let’s take a look.

1. Indecision

No bride wants to be overbearing to the point of being Bridezilla. But just as equally bad for your beautiful day is being as indecisive as a Libra. Vendors absolutely loathe vague details that are unhelpful. I remember the look of frustration on many vendors as I belted out my catchphrase: “You know what I mean?”

2. Reduce Stress When Possible

How many stress-reduction techniques do you know about? I wish I had known even just a few techniques on my big day. Try practicing these on for size:

• Write a poem or journal
• Deep breathing
• Light exercise (30 second jumping jacks)
• Accepting your limits

“Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.”
– Steve Maraboli

3. Buying Everything

Concentrate your money on only the most important things. One of the most valuable decisions I made was spending 60% of our budget on the venue large enough for our closest friends, family members, and their SOs. We definitely avoided exponential costs by not hiring limos, tux rentals or buying more expensive (albeit more elegant) flower arrangements.

4. Repressing

Fighting does not mean a divorce later down the road. Weddings are a lot of pressure. Fighting with your fiancé on this day is/was perfectly normal. Bottling in aggressive emotions only tempers the flame for a while – growing into fits of a more explosive rage later on.

5. Not Being Thorough

When my planner gave me a list of vendors to choose from, I—being in a rush—picked a few at random. They all came with qualifications and were top-notch, mind. However, a few of them and I didn’t just see completely eye-to-eye.

6. Not Planning For A Planner

Did you know that your venue can decide the majority of your wedding planning decisions? Some people seek out a planner after they’ve already booked a venue. That is bad.

7. Not Listing Everything

Make lists for literally everything. Lists get lost. Drafts may be rewritten. There is no shortage of lists that will help all aspects of your wedding. You may not remember every detail – Dropbox, Evernote and Google Drive are amazing Cloud storage services.

8. Not Having Patience

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” –Aristotle

Even though it was/is your big day, your wedding is not the only wedding your vendor(s) are scheduled to be at. In most cases, vendors serve their clientele on a first-come-first-serve basis.

9. Avoid Boring Rituals

I forgot to tell my guests was not to throw rice at me – a tradition I hate. We were not obligated to have rice thrown at us merely because other newlyweds did.

10. Not Enough Backups

Accidents can and do happen. Weddings are no exception. (You’ve heard wedding horror stories, right?) Having a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C prevents major meltdowns. Grab yourself a wedding emergency kit just in case you think you need it.

11. Comparisons

I’m guilty of comparing my wedding to my lifelong girlfriend’s wedding. Sad but true. She had a bigger budget than I did – and I felt a bit defeated on the inside, knowing that she could afford limos and I couldn’t. How petty is that? Comparing like this made me jealous and bitter towards her.

Conclusion

It’s your day. No one else’s. Sweating over the small stuff only creates grey clouds, instead of letting you cherish the happiness of two souls coming together in lifelong love.