You see it all over social media – “what we regret about our wedding”, “mistakes we made that ruined our day”, or “whatever you do, don’t do this” testimonials from past couples. Sure, weddings are all about creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you and your guests, but, ultimately there are bound to be things that “go wrong” or are out of your control completely. But what if you could start your planning off with the best foot forward, eliminating some of those disappointing wedding day regrets? Let’s chat about the top five wedding planning mistakes you’re likely to make… and how to avoid them!
1. ANNOUNCING YOUR ENGAGEMENT TOO EARLY
Hold off on publicly announcing your engagement until the two of you have had a chance to reflect and revel in the moment. There’s always such a societal norm to share the news on social media, but once it’s out in the world you’ll never get those private, cherished moments back. Wedding planning talk will become all-consuming soon enough, why not take a week, or few, for just the two of you?
Celebrate the moment privately, basking in the feels and creating those core memories during the first few days following the engagement. Go to dinner, grab drinks, and just dream about what your lives together will look like. Following that, invite family and cherished friends to join in the celebration with you. Once you’ve had the chance to personally share the news with your closest loved ones, then post away!
2. NOT CREATING A BUDGET FOR YOURSELF
When you fail to plan, you plan to fail and this is especially true when it comes to wedding budgeting! Take time to sit down together and identify your top priorities and wants for the wedding day. Connect with a wedding planner, wedding budget specialist or do some research on budget allocations for those important items before even booking a single vendor. Establish a budgeting plan based on your priorities, breaking it down line by line for each vendor category.
This will provide you a visual of what is achievable within your budget. As you book vendors, update the budget and use it as a tracking system. The goal is to try your best to stick to the budget.
Establishing a realistic budget is the foundation for wedding planning, and is oftentimes overlooked until it’s too late. This is where a wedding planner comes in handy! A wedding planner can help allocate your wedding budget appropriately, and provide a tracking system to manage booked vendors and payments throughout the process to ensure you stay on track (not to mention the other long list of things they help you with throughout planning).
3. OVERREACHING YOUR GUEST LIST
The guest list can be a point of contention for both your budget and your families; save yourselves some heartache by keeping your list intimate and limiting who has a say in the invitations. The greater your guest list, the greater your budget and the greater the logistics, so keeping it intimate and managing it well is a win-win for you!
4. BOOKING YOUR VENDORS TOO EARLY AND QUICKLY
Don’t put so much trust in the ‘sense of urgency’ hype that’s going around on social media about booking vendors quickly and early. When you book a vendor too quickly, without taking time to research and make sure it’s the best fit for you and your budget, you can set yourself up for frustration and unmet expectations. Eliminate this possible stressor by taking time to do your research. Research vendors through their websites, portfolios, and social media to get a great feel for their services, working style, and personality before ever reaching out. Once you’ve inquired, take time to review their proposals and meet with the top who appear to be the best fit based on style, personality, and budget. Take time to reflect on how you connected during those meets and identify who is the best fit for your vision.
Worried about time constraints? Work with a wedding planner to set a roadmap for booking vendors and lean on them to simplify the overwhelming list of options. Or head over to the Wed KC’s list of trusted Kansas City vendors.
5. LETTING YOUR WEDDING PLANNING BECOME ALL-CONSUMING
A wedding, on average, takes over 500 hours or 12 months to plan. Imagine dedicating A whole year of your life to only wedding talk – no hobbies, no date nights, no friends, no tv shows, no rest. Sounds exhausting already, doesn’t it?! Release yourself from the expectation that your life must only be centered around the wedding during your engagement. Set clear boundaries for when you and your partner will discuss wedding details, and delegate tasks to your wedding planner or VIPs appropriately. If it’s not a dedicated wedding planning discussion, feel comfortable directing the conversation to hobbies or your current favorite show to binge. Not only will this better protect your mental health through your engagement, it will also help steer off the ‘wedding planning blues’ that come after the wedding is over.
Ultimately, to avoid these mistakes, we recommend you keep flexible through the planning process and ask for help when you need it. While there will always be uncontrollable bumps in the wedding planning road, setting out with a plan and intention will help you avoid these five wedding planning mistakes couples most commonly make.
Enjoy Five Wedding Planning Mistakes? Ready to start finding vendors for your wedding? Check out our collection of Kansas City Wedding Vendors.
