Mistakes happen to everyone – it’s alright. But some big wedding mistakes don’t need to happen at all, if you simply think ahead. Here’s our short and sweet list of just seven major things you should avoid when planning your wedding.
Avoid – no coordinator on the day
If there’s something weird and it don’t look good, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters? We’re sorry to tell you, they’re busy ghostbusting. The wedding coordinator will definitely sort it out… but where is she or he?
You simply must have a problem-solver with you on your wedding day. It can’t be your mum, or the chief bridesmaid or the best man – it has to be either the venue’s wedding coordinator, or your own wedding planner. This may cost extra, depending on your original agreement and the package you pick. Before you sign any contracts and put down a deposit, it’s worth clarifying this point with the venue or your planner. Trust us – you need this for your own peace of mind, and it’s worth every penny.
Avoid – not asking about refunds and cancellations
An average bride takes almost two years to plan a wedding. What could happen during this time? Plenty of wanted and unwanted stuff. Obviously, whenever you book anything or put down a deposit, you’re doing it because you actually want this service at your wedding. But, life throws up all kinds of surprises, and that’s why you should always, always, ALWAYS ask about refunds and cancellations, and get the confirmation of the answer in writing.
Avoid – not having a Plan B for an outdoor wedding
You’ll be glad to know, most venues with an outdoor space are well prepared and practiced in the art of rescuing a wedding on a rainy day. But, should you still ask? Absolutely. This includes ALL outdoor weddings – even if you’re going to a sunny spot abroad where it never ever rains. Because, on some days, it does.
The story is completely different if you’re doing the wedding yourself, like in your parents’ garden, or a picnic in the park, or a rooftop party. You really need to consider what will happen if the skies open up and everything gets soggy. For example – plan A, picnic in the park. Plan B, in case of rain – we decamp to a specific restaurant, or we go to the groom’s parents’ house.
Photo from Maya & Manuel’s real wedding by Federica Nascimben –The Italian Wedding Event
Avoid – not getting wedding insurance
Think of anything you may have already paid for. Could you afford to pay for it again if something unfortunate happened? That’s a double spend kicking a hole in your budget right there.
If you’ve been a WOLie for a while, you will have seen us mention wedding insurance a few times. That’s because it’s good common sense. Even a wedding on a small budget is still a big spend, and you need to protect it in case something happens. Avoid this by taking out a wedding insurance policy with the likes of Irish Wedding Insurance – it’s easy and worth it.
Avoid – not checking if suppliers need to be fed
Some suppliers are just delivering stuff, but others are staying with you for several hours or even the whole day. Clarify their food situation with the venue or caterer first, and the supplier second. The venue and caterer first, because they’re the ones doing the meals. If it’s a buffet then it’s super easy to sort out some extra food. If it’s a served dinner, then you’ll need to ask whether extra meals can be prepared and served to suppliers and how much this will cost. You may find some venues already include this in the package for you at no extra charge, which is great. Others charge just a nominal fee.
The suppliers who may need feeding include: DJ or band, photographer, videographer, your wedding planner, kids’ nanny, any entertainer who will be around for hours and needing a break at some point.
Photo from Ruth & Toby’s real wedding by DKPHOTO
Avoid – last minute DIY
Oh, the stories we’ve heard about DIY… honestly, you’d never look at paper and scissors the same way again. Well, let us share the worst possible scenario you could fall into. It’s 2am the night before your wedding. You’re sitting at the kitchen table, crying your eyes out. In front of you is a mountain of ribbon, rhinestones, twine and glue. You’re making that thing that was supposed to be a key decor feature. And because you’re crying, stressed and alone, this problem has gotten so out of proportion in your mind, you’re ready to call off the whole wedding. And you can’t see the end of this slog. As far as big wedding mistakes go, this is madness.
Is this how you want to spend the night before your wedding? Nope.
Will you look like a radiant bride you wanted to be? With all that crying, probably not.
Avoid last minute DIY at any cost. If you see a fantastic idea on Pinterest, don’t do it – save it for your 1st anniversary party! If you started something and it’s still not finished – just leave it! You don’t need it. Nobody will notice.
Avoid – untested beauty and hair treatments
Most advice says ‘don’t do anything different up to a week before the wedding!’ It’s totally correct – but we’re going to stretch that a bit further and ask you to give it A MONTH. A month is enough time to let a very bad tan fade away, for eyebrows to grow back, and for a colouring genius to cover blue hair. Think of any mishap, it has happened – and the more time you have to recover, the better.
The list of beauty and hair treatments that could go wrong is as long as a broomstick, but here’s just a taster: facials, radical and drastic hair style changes, first-time acrylic nails, tattooed makeup, lip fillers. These are all big wedding mistakes when done just before the day. Get the picture? If you want to try something brand new, go ahead – just do it more than a month before the wedding.
Photo from Allida & Evan’s real wedding by DKPHOTO
Main photo from Julie & Scott’s real wedding by The Fennells
