Dear bride – are you tearing out your hair and setting fire to the checklist? Are wedding worries making you want to elope instead? Whatever’s bugging you now, please stop for a moment, take a breath and repeat this mantra: everything works out on the day.
One more time: everything works out on the day.
Yes, everything still works out on the day, even when things go wrong. Remember, your expectations are high, because you’re planning an event you want to be perfect in every detail. But you know what? No event is ever 100% perfect. Remember the 2017 Oscars? They read out the wrong Best Film on stage, in front of millions of viewers! And that was despite having two envelopes for every announcement. Did the Oscars collapse and get cancelled? Like heck it did, it’s going ahead next year as usual. Nobody cares anymore.
Photo from Katrina & Anthony’s real wedding by Stargaze Photography
Here’s a totally truthful list of 8 wedding worries you can kiss goodbye. We bet some of them will surprise you!
1. Everything decorated to the last inch. Pinterest has taught us that a wedding without details is practically invisible. It’s like a book with only blank pages.
Why you shouldn’t worry: because this is nonsense. The more details you pack into your day, the less the guests will notice them, because they’ll be overwhelmed.
2. Everything matchy-matchy. You’ve shopped ’til you drop for the perfect shade of dusty pink or Cadbury purple. Maybe you’ve already spent a small fortune returning all the stuff that was the wrong colour.
Why you shouldn’t worry: do you know who’ll notice that the ushers’ boutonnieres don’t match the bows on the chairs? Bridesmaids pink dresses don’t match the flowers? Exactly no one.
3. Getting your dress dirty on the day. Your dress is white. Wine is red. Food is fried. Kids love getting chocolate on their hands, and then touching the nearest pure thing they see. What can you do, white gets dirty.
Why you shouldn’t worry: it’s just a fact of life. You can take a few precautions, like drink only champagne or prosecco during the day, so spills are invisible. There are also a few emergency things you can do to pretty much any stain. But why worry? Your day will still be fabulous.
4. DIY not getting done. There are too many reasons why DIY goes from dream to nightmare real fast. First, you may have planned too much. Second, you’re not getting enough help. Each one will cause you to fret and frazzle until you’re ready to chuck everything in the bin.
Why you shouldn’t worry: unless you tell the guests about all the things you’ve made by hand, most of them won’t even notice. Do yourself a favour and just don’t DIY. If you absolutely must, then choose just one or two things that are meaningful to you and that’s enough. ‘The wedding would have been better if it had more DIY in it’ said no guest ever.
Photo from Niamh & Jason’s real wedding by Emma Russell Photography
5. People not showing up. You’ve told the venue you have 80 guests coming. Now it’s two weeks before the wedding and you’re hearing rumours about an aunt who’s ill, or a cousin who may not get time off work. Wedding worries kick into overdrive, and you start wondering who else won’t show up on the day. Will you have a whole table empty? Who’ll eat all that extra food? Is it because they don’t like you?
Why you shouldn’t worry: it happens at every event! There isn’t a single wedding venue in the country that hasn’t dealt with a few no-shows. It’s no biggie, they’ll just rearrange the tables slightly if needed. Also, please don’t ever think people aren’t coming because they don’t like you or don’t care about your wedding. If they RSVP with a yes, but don’t come to the wedding (and offer no word of explanation) then it reflects badly on their manners, not on you.
6. Running out of food. You’ve gone for a buffet, or food station, or hog roast option. You asked every caterer for advice, and you listened to it. But you still can’t shake the feeling of impending disaster… somehow, you’ll run out of food! The guests will be wandering around hungry and drunk!
Why you shouldn’t worry: because the pros know exactly what they’re doing, so you can lay these wedding worries to rest. As long as you give them the right guest numbers, they’ll calculate exactly how much food to prepare. You simply have to trust their experience.
We left the biggest for last…
Photo from Louise & Brendan’s real wedding by Jialin Long Photography
7. Your guests being bored to tears. What will they do with themselves while you have your photos taken? Will the non-religious people manage a whole hour in church? What if you look up during the speeches, and half the room is mid-snooze?
Why you shouldn’t worry: your guests aren’t coming to be entertained. They’re coming to witness one of life’s happiest events and that’s all that matters. If you’ve ever been a wedding guest yourself, you know how nice it is to kick off your shoes and relax for a bit between the ceremony and the reception. You chat, you sip a cocktail… it’s simply a lovely day. Your guests will feel exactly the same and remember: they’re there because they love you.
Ok, take that deep breath again. Everything always works out on the day, we promise. In the end, only one thing really matters: that you say ‘I do’ surrounded by people who wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Main photo from Lisa & John’s real wedding by Kathy Silke Photography
