Wedding Planning Mistakes to Avoid

The wedding planning process is a long one. It’s filled with plenty of tasks, many people and vendors, a lot of money and well...lots of potential mistakes along the way, unfortunately. 

Quite often you’ll hear from couples “I never knew that”, and it’s proven that wedding planning is not only an exciting time for them but also a learning experience as well. From the assumptions couples make that get them into trouble financially to the things they never think about that can throw a big curveball in their plans, here are three common wedding planning mistakes to avoid. 

Not Establishing a Budget

This is the most common mistake a couple can make throughout the wedding planning process. If you haven’t discussed your wedding budget, how can you even start planning?! 

When we say discuss your wedding planning budget, we aren’t just talking about putting a number down on a piece of paper. We really want you to think about that number, is it realistic for you? Do your research and see what an average wedding costs for the number of guests you would like to have. Share your budget with your wedding planner so they can give you their professional opinion, and use any resources that may be directed your way. 

Too often couples rush straight into planning and start looking at venues. Before long, they find the venue of their dreams, sign the contract, and put down the deposit. Then, they try to plan everything else around the venue and realize they can’t afford much more. To avoid this awful situation, get your overall budget together before you start any planning. 

Be Prepared To Take Time Off From Work

What many couples don’t realize is the amount of time that goes into wedding planning. Many wedding vendors typically do not set up meetings on the weekends because they are working weddings, so more common than not, they like to schedule their meetings, walkthroughs, or tastings during the week. You are going to need to have weekday availability every once in a while when you are planning. Here’s another tip: once you solidify all of your wedding vendors, those weekday meetings do not just stop, you are most likely going to meet with your vendors more than once throughout the wedding planning process. 

The Timeline Matters

At the beginning of your planning process we encourage you to figure out a few of the details. It’s important to keep in mind some sort of a rough timeline throughout your entire process. By not doing so, you can end up paying vendors way more than what you need them for or end up owing them way more money than what you budgeted out in the beginning. 

These mistakes are all painful ones, and unfortunately, you only have one shot at this wedding planning thing so it’s not a “better luck next time” kind of thing. We know this process is exciting to jump into, but you should also be smart from the very beginning! 

Make sure to include some easy decisions like confetti and sparklers to add fun and excitement to your wedding or reception. Those are wedding planning items that will never be a mistake to include.