1. You’re going to offend, feel guilty about, or disagree with at least one person during your wedding planning.
In fact, that number may be a little bit larger than you expect. I can’t tell you how many times I had someone say, “You’re not going to do that, are you? Wouldn’t you rather have this?” Just smile, be polite, and keep plugging on with whatever you and your fiancé would like on your day.
2. Don’t get looped into the “wedding” cost trap.
Have you ever noticed that anything with the word “wedding” in it is three times as expensive as the exact same item in the “party” category? Don’t get sucked into thinking that just because the word “wedding” is in it, you have to have it. BBC’s comedy Show, Man Stroke Woman, has a hilarious video depicting just what I’m talking about. Think outside the box (and the wedding category) to find cheaper alternatives that are just as beautiful for your wedding.
3. Make a checklist of the pictures you’d like to have taken.
Pinterest works really well for this. As a matter of fact, Pinterest was my wedding planner. You can actually just pin the photos you like and send the board to your photographer for reference at your wedding. Be specific with the family wedding photos, especially, and not just with your photographer, but with all involved members of the family, so everyone knows where they should be at the right time.
4. Skip the rituals that don’t really matter to you.
I went through the list of traditions and read up on the history before I decided to incorporate them into my wedding and reception. Here’s what one bride had to say about the history surrounding the garter toss. Make your own decisions about which traditions you’d like to uphold and which you’d like to leave to the history books. Instead of doing the garter toss at my wedding, I gave the bouquet and the garter to the two couples in the room who’ve been married the longest.
5. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best.
If you are planning to have your wedding at an outdoor venue, you want to be sure to have a guaranteed back-up plan should the weather be less than desirable. If it’s in a wooded area or by water, you may want to consider ways to keep bugs away, as the last thing you or your guests want is to leave the reception with bug bites all over. My recommendation is something like this mosquito magnet trap to keep your space, and your face, clear from itchy marks.
6. Delegate, delegate, delegate.
Let me just say from experience that putting together programs and/or favors the night before your wedding should not be a tradition to continue. I’ve made that mistake and so have many of my friends and family members. If you’re running tight on a deadline, don’t be afraid to ask for help. The sooner the better.
7. Splurge on the important things, but not everything.
There are some things that I wish I would have spent a little more money on, like the photography, for our wedding. But there are others things that maybe weren’t quite as important. I was astonished at the price per slice of wedding cake and for flowers and didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on things that weren’t going to last past one day. Instead I shopped around to get the best deal I could. I actually had a local lady who baked as a hobby make our cake. It was delicious and didn’t cost a fortune.
8. Take the day off before your wedding.
Everything flies by so quickly that you’ll wish you had more time just to visit with people, especially if you don’t see your relatives often. Take, at least, the day off before to hang out with your wedding party and family and enjoy just being together.
9. Have at least one other person in the know.
Typically, this person should be your wedding planner, but whoever you choose, make sure they are reliable and have a great memory. If you don’t want a wedding planner, ask a friend out of the wedding party to be your in-the-know person or even a relative who would be willing to do it. Before the wedding, make sure you go over every detail of your wedding day plan so both of you know what will be going on and if anything happens, your go-to person can pick up the slack.
10. The day goes by faster than you can possibly imagine.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given for my wedding day was to stop at least three times during the day to just take it all in. You will see so many people and experience so many emotions that it’s impossible to process it all. By stopping and looking around, I was able to see just how special it all was. Featured photo credit: Pic Jumbo Viktor Hanacek via picjumbo.com
