Below is a list of the 12 Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes to Avoid that we've seen brides & grooms make time and time again.
One of the challenges of planning a wedding is that the bride and groom have probably never planned an event quite this big before. To make matters worse, there is so much conflicting advice out there and frankly, bad advice coming from the Wedding Magazines.
Let us help you to avoid these common wedding planning mistakes that we've seen couples make over and over.
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #1: Not Booking Your Photographer & DJ Early Enough
While the Bride & Groom Book their Wedding Date & Site 9-18 Months in advance, they procrastinate until 3-6 months before the Wedding Date to start booking the DJ & the Photographer! They discover that the Best DJs and Photographers are already booked for their date and they have to settle for 2nd or 3rd rate vendors.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #2: Not Getting Your Spending Priorities Straight
The Bride & Groom have a limited wedding budget (like most couples) and yet, they don’t prioritize what is important and what isn’t. The end result is that they spend far too much on Forgettable Non-Essentials and don’t have enough left-over to spend on Crucial Essentials that could Make or Break the Wedding!
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #3: Not Avoiding a DJ Disaster
In an effort to save money, the Bride & Groom hire a Cheap DJ. His prices are a few $100 less than Highly-Reputed, Experienced, Full-Time Wedding DJs and he seems like a “steal”. On their actual wedding day, the DJ shows up in Jeans & a T-shirt and forgets their Top-Priority Playlist and/or their Do-Not-Playlist!
Read How To Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #4: Hiring a Wedding "Dis-Coordinator"
The Bride & Groom have a family member friend who has been to a few weddings and offers to be a Wedding Coordinator at their wedding. However, because the friend is not a professional and doesn’t have adequate experience, she ends-up stepping on the toes of all of the True Professionals the Couple has hired. The end result is that the friend throws everyone off and ends-up “Dis-coordinating” the wedding instead of being a help!
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #5: Not Getting Real about Rain
The Bride & Groom plan for (and hope for) a beautiful day for their Outdoor Wedding Ceremony. It starts to Thunder or Lightning on the Wedding Day and yet, the Couple chooses to be Risky and hold the Ceremony outside Despite having a dry location as a back-up. The end result is Extra Nervousness & Everyone has to go running-for-cover when it starts raining in the middle of the Ceremony. The Ceremony ends up being Memorable for the Wrong Reasons.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #6: Not Hiring Pro's to Do Pro Jobs
In an effort to save money, the Bride & Groom hire their Friends & Family to perform such critical roles as a DJ or Photographer.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #7: Not Being Smart About the Tent
The Bride & Groom go Cheap on their Tent Rental. Or they plan a Tent Wedding Near the Ocean on the East Coast/Gulf Coast during Hurricane Season August-October. The Tent is too Small and the Bartender and DJ are actually placed Outside of the tent with no covering for their equipment/set-up. The end result is that when it starts raining later on, the DJ has to pack-up their equipment early and the bartender gets soaked. The Wedding Ends on a Soggy Note and No One is happy about the final result.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #8: Not Getting Real About The Heat
The Bride & Groom envision a beautiful Outdoor Tented Reception but don’t think about what a Heat Wave will feel like in an Outdoor Tent. The result is that their Reception feels Extremely Hot, Humid, Sticky, and Hardly Anyone Dances.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #9: Not Actually Owning Your Wedding Photos
The Bride & Groom hire a good photographer but they don’t get a DVD or USB Thumb Drive of all of the photos at the end. The result is that every time the Couple wants a Print Copy, they have to pay the photographer Again for Each and Every Print. Besides being Over-Priced, it also means having to bother the photographer over and over again for something the Couple should have received as part of their Wedding Photography Package in the first place!
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #10: Not Avoiding "Open Mic Night"
In an effort to make everyone feel welcome, the Bride & Groom open-up the Toasts to Anyone & Everyone who would like to say something at their Reception. The end result is that some of the Toasts are not well-prepared and Ramble-On Forever. Some of the toasts end up being Unexpectedly Quite Embarrassing! Later on, it cuts into your dancing.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #11: Not Getting a Real Dance Floor
At some Reception Sites, the Bride & Groom are told that the Carpeted or Concrete area in the middle of the Reception Hall is “fine for dancing and that they don’t need to rent a Real Dance Floor”. Or, they decide to let the Grassy-area in the middle of the Tent serve as the Dance Floor. The End Result of the Poor Advice or Poor Decision is that the dancing is Underwhelming later-on because Hardly Anyone wants to dance on Concrete, Carpeting, Dirt, or Grass!
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
Common Wedding Planning Mistake #12: Not Requesting Faster Dinner Service
The Bride & Groom have their Reception at a Wedding Site that Believes that the Main Purpose of your Wedding is their Cuisine. While the food is very good, the dinner service is Very Slow, takes 2+ hours and the Dancing Time gets cut short.
Read How to Avoid This Mistake HERE
