Don’t Make These Wedding Planning Mistakes!
A few weeks ago I posted a question on Insta stories asking what the worst wedding advice you’ve ever heard was, and your answers had me ROLLING. I swear, every time I think we’ve heard it all another new gem surfaces! There’s a lot of bad advice out there on the interwebs, babe. That’s why we strive to be open and honest with you – so you don’t let your Uncle’s friends’ cousin take your wedding pics with the “really nice camera on his new iPhone.”
So we’ve rounded up all your answers and a few other bad wedding advice we’ve heard over the years to help shove off all that bad advice and only leave you with the good good.
1. “Save Money by Having Your Friend…”
It’s awesome to have crafty friends, amirite?! I, unfortunately, am not one of those friends. So saving funds short and calling on those connections seems like a smart way to save money, right? But honestly (because I will always be transparent with you), almost every time I’ve seen this happen I hear couples say, “I wish I would have just hired someone to do it.” Any friend that is dear enough to provide a cake, catering, photography service for you is usually a friend close enough for you to want enjoying your wedding. There are so many moving pieces and details to a wedding day, your friends end up working start to finish and don’t ever get the chance to share and celebrate in your day.
There ARE ways to make the most of your budget without sacrificing the quality of your friendships.
2. “Just Ask Your Mom to Help!”
Again, I’m going to refer back to #1. I literally can not with this one because this is EXACTLY why we do what we do. Y’all know my story and how both Bekah and I made the mistake of coordinating our own weddings. I was doing hair and makeup alone as my bridal party helped decorate, and I have no photos of my mom zipping me into my wedding dress since she was trying to ensure everything ran smoothly. One of the biggest missed moments was that I have zero memories of our friends and family celebrating the two of us and enjoying the wedding, since all our most important people were helping to keep the day rolling.
Not to mention– you want your momma to be able to enjoy the day just as much as you! That just won’t be possible if she’s responsible for full set up, vendor check-ins, emergency issues, sending the processional down the aisle, directing the recessional, holding your bouquet and train during newlywed portraits, stepping away from the celebration an hour and a half before it ends to start cleaning, and….. I think this sums up best by saying, I would rather have y’all reach out to us and allow Whatever Is Lovely to support you in this way versus pulling your VIP from the spot she deserves.
3. “Save Money by Using Fake Flowers”
Believe it or not, silk florals compared to fresh are pretty dang close in pricing, so you aren’t actually “saving” any money. You can, however, resell silk flowers afterward to help recoup some of the cost, but truly the time, labor and storage to do so ends up more expensive than just maximizing the florals budget through your florist. Make the most impact on your wedding flowers budget by choosing blooms in season (peonies in October? you’ll be looking at $12/A STEM ♀️ ) and repurposing pieces between the ceremony and reception.
SEE MORE: How to Choose Your Wedding Flowers Online
4. “Save Money by Using All Greenery”
While this could have been true at one time, the rise in popularity of boho-style weddings with lush greenery has made those eucalyptus table runners and pampas grass bouquets just as expensive as their floral counterparts. While full greenery could be “cheaper” than some premium florals, it’s not necessarily the “cheapest” option. The biggest piece to this is that greenery doesn’t ‘fill in’ as heavy as a bloom does, so you have to purchase more stems of greenery to fill the space that a single bloom could. The grander, more lush your vision, the larger your floral budget needs to be to accommodate.
5. “Order the Flowers from Costco”
Dang it. I made that mistake too (from Sam’s Club ). What you might save in money, you’ll end up paying for in time and stress. The week of your wedding, you’ll be responsible for transporting the flowers from the store to your home, processing the flowers (which takes HOURS), and storing them in a cold room while they open (I stuck a window unit in a small 10×10 spare room to make sure the room got cool enough); and doing all this instead of going to Bachelorette parties, having your nails done, or shopping for honeymoon outfits. And don’t forget arranging everything the day before your wedding, having enough space in your fridge for the bouquets and bouts, and then transporting everything to the ceremony and wedding. That’s a lot of room for error when you’re trying to stuff 10 very large boxes of delicate flowers in your car with, 10 bouquets and 20 centerpieces in glass vases.
Let’s mention again that you’ll need to be able to store the flowers in a VERY cold area for a few days- like, refrigerator cold. IDK about you but my parents would be all
Trust us when we say it’s easier (and dare I say budget friendly) to find a great florist who can help you pick out the best blooms for your budget.
6. “Your Venue Coordinator Will Take Care of Everything”
This is a big misconception we hear All. The. Time! So much so, that we’re actually working on a blog post right now to help explain the differences between venue coordinators and wedding coordinators. TLDR; a venue coordinator is there to help with the logistics of using the venue – like where the DJ can set up his equipment and how to connect to the sound system.
A wedding coordinator is there to help you with the logistics of your entire wedding – like working with the DJ on timeline and of your toasts, first dance and cake cutting.
7. “Avoid the ‘Wedding Tax’ and Tell Your Vendors it’s Just a Normal Party”
No. Nope. Nuh Uh. I won’t say much on this bad advice besides– don’t do it ya’ll. ♀️ Weddings are not a normal party and the “wedding tax” is not a real thing. Not only are weddings are much more time and labor intensive, they carry higher insurance and liability requirements. Plus, a birthday or anniversary party can be redone every year, your wedding can not.
8. “The Details Don’t Matter”
Excuse me, what? While the most important part of your day is of course the two of you and the promises you’re making to each other…the details are what make y’all Y’ALL. The details of your wedding day are what tell your unique love story and make your wedding a day to remember forever. I’ve never once had a bride say, “I regret investing so much time in the details and moments of our day”. Nope, not once, not ever ♀️
9. “You Don’t Need a Wedding Videographer. Iphones Are So Great Now!”
Taylor, from Taylor D Weddings explained it best with this hilarious TikTok. While iPhones have definitely come a long way, there are still specific audio and equipment requirements that you’ll need to produce a quality recording. If you’re choosing to have cinema on your wedding day dream team, make sure you are maximizing your budget by investing in a quality videography team.
10. “Do Your Own Hair and Makeup”
There are so many people who are talented at hair & makeup! I am definitely not one of them folks, and made this mistake on my wedding day too. Here’s the thing, wedding day makeup is different than your everyday makeup or going out makeup. Professional artists use pro products and application techniques to ensure your makeup shows natural and smooth in photos and lasts all day long, while hairstylists know how to make your curls last 3 days in a tornado, and always have the perfect backcomb for teasing.
All that magic takes some SERIOUS time too, like 2 hours just for you, babe. That is a lot of time and energy that could be better spent laughing, drinking mimosas, and dancing the night away. Who wants to be tired at 9pm because they had to do their own hair and makeup?!
11. “You Don’t Need a Planner”
Okay, you don’t NEEEEED a wedding planner/coordinator. But then the question becomes how hard do you want to work on your wedding day? Don’t want to be bothered at all? Then you def need a planner No bride should be responsible for running out to purchase bags of ice or picking up morning brunch for your babes; your wedding day coordinator will manage all those details for you! There are pros and cons to consider when hiring a full/partial planner versus a day-of coordinator. but we will always recommend at minimum….hire that wedding day coordinator!
We’re not kidding when we say we’ve been there and we get it. We’ve literally made all the mistakes you could make, and have seen other couples do the same. Now we’re here to share our knowledge and expertise so we can protect your own experience when bringing your wedding dream day to life.
