The 3 biggest Wedding Mistakes

It's Easy to Make Mistakes

Weddings require the bride and groom to juggle many things at the same time. To create the perfect day to join your lives together forever, they can overlook certain aspects.

Read on to learn the top 3 biggest blunders engaged couples make!

Big Mistake #1: Not Sticking to Your Wedding Budget

Before you can make your magical wedding dream a reality, there needs to be a wedding budget. Wedding budgets are often looked over during the planning process, but you still need to work out the details of a budget before you begin.

The “how much are you going to spend?” question is part of every prospective bride’s narrative. And while you likely aren’t deciding by yourself, it is still one aspect of a wedding that can get out of hand very quickly. If you aren’t disciplined and aren’t paying attention, costs can skyrocket, and this kind of stress won’t end when the sun sets on your wedding day.

Set a Wedding Budget and Stick to It

Setting a budget isn’t necessarily a challenge for most people, but the “stick to it part” is another matter entirely.

If you find that you are continually upgrading elements of your wedding because it’s a once in a lifetime thing or it’s your dream, you may blow through the budget long before everything is completed.

It’s essential to come up with a figure that won’t put you and your new spouse in debt right from the start. Make an overall budget, and then allocate funds to different areas, so you can easily keep track of what you’ve been spending.

Open Communication All the Way

During the wedding planning process, one of the most significant points of contention between couples is often the wedding budget.

One thinks it should be a simpler wedding to save because you’ll still be just as married as anyone else. At the same time, the other person wants an opulent and extravagant event because this is their once in a lifetime day to celebrate their union.

There is no right or wrong answer, but it is wise to communicate openly throughout the process to avoid conflict and have the best wedding for both of you. This is also an excellent opportunity to practice how you will handle finances in your married life.

Give it a Trim, if Necessary

The “when in doubt, cut it out” principle probably won’t apply to most aspects of your wedding, but there should be some areas that can be trimmed without affecting the overall feel of the wedding. This is especially true if you encounter additional expenses that might take you over your budget.

Have a Slush Fund Built into the Budget

There is no doubt that you will encounter unexpected expenses while planning your wedding. It is inevitable, and it is also something you can expect in the beginning.

When you create your budget, have some extra built-in for incidentals because it’s never a good idea to try and budget down to the penny. A built-in slush fund will relieve stress, and if you don’t end up using it, you’ll have some extra once the wedding is over.

Big Mistake #2: Getting Too Emotional About Your Choices

Emotional attachment is a common thing in all areas of life. However, when you introduce this trait into your wedding plans, you’re in for a pile of stress and potential heartache.

As you plan the details of your wedding, you are going to make hundreds of choices about a wide range of different things. These include the right wedding photographer, the perfect DJ, your dream wedding dress, which limo should you and your husband choose, and what songs you would like for your first dance & your parent dances.

Some of these choices will be minor, and some will be major, but if you get too hung up on any of them, it’s going to cause a problem.

Showing Emotion vs. Being Emotional

Showing emotion is a good thing, even a great thing. It is with emotions that we create and maintain lasting relationships, and it will be crucial in your marriage.

However, there is a big difference between having emotion and “being emotional.” One is positive and empowering, while the other has the potential to be debilitating.

Dangers of Getting Hung Up on One Thing

When you become overly emotional about your choices and get hung up on one thing, you may create a domino effect that causes several other areas to suffer.

It is your wedding, and you deserve to get what you want, but it’s important to remember that it is about the entire day and not just one specific component. Giving too much attention to one area will only take focus and energy away from something else.

Be Mindful of Where You Attach Meaning

All of us have thousands of different thoughts every single day, and most just come and go without issue. But when you attach meaning to specific thoughts, you give them power that doesn’t end up serving you.

For example, the florist doesn’t have the exact flowers you wanted for your bouquet or your bridesmaids’ bouquet, and you become hyper-focused on that in a negative way, you aren’t helping yourself at all. Not only are you getting upset over something you have no control over, but also you are wasting time that can be spent more productively.

When things don’t go the way you want, spend your energy finding a solution instead of attaching to a thought that doesn’t serve you.

Big Mistake #3: Getting the Important Details Right

There is no question that your wedding is going to be about details, more details, and then even more details. There are so many different facets to a successful wedding day that need to come together– reason enough for why so many people associate weddings with stress.

A big mistake that many brides-to-be make is worrying about details that don’t matter and then not getting the necessary details right.

It can be tricky to maneuver, and a few wrong decisions could cost you not only the memories that you want but the experience you always dreamed about.

How to Know Which Details are Important

With so many different details to consider, how do you know which ones are important and which ones are less important?

There is no concrete answer to this question because every bride is different, and every wedding is different. What matters to you may not matter at all to someone else.

Some Details Worth Sweating Over

Of course, some details do make a difference, and you will want to get them right.

These include the visible details visible throughout your wedding ceremony and reception, and which may have an impact on your guests’ overall experience.

Some of the details you want to get right include:

• Hiring the right vendors (Photographers, Videographers, Hair and Make-Up, DJ & Limo)
• Invitations (name, date, time)
• Wedding Dress
• A solid realistic timeline
• Lighting in your reception venue
• Any menu restrictions for your guests
• A solid strategy for kids at the wedding
• Seating arrangements

Not Everything Will Go According to Plan

Regardless of which details make it onto your “getting it right” list, know that some things won’t go according to plan.

If you have a wedding planner in your corner, it will be easier to troubleshoot issues when they come about, but even if you don’t, having the right mental attitude and positive state of mind will make a world of difference.

That’s not to say you’re going to have a completely stress-free wedding because you probably won’t. But you can mitigate a lot of the potentially stressful situations before they get too serious, and being secure in the knowledge that not everything will go exactly how you want is a good step in that direction.