If you have decided to forego the expense of a wedding planner, then the details surrounding your wedding are down to you. There is much to think about, although as you have probably been planning your wedding since you were a little girl, you might already have everything in place – in your head, at least.
Still, mistakes can happen, so to ensure your hopes of a dream wedding aren’t dashed, you might want to consider this short list of don’ts when you’re in the planning stages of your wedding.
1. Don’t start planning without a budget in mind
You need to budget for everything, so make a list of those things that are going to put a dent in your bank balance. These might include such factors as the wedding venue, your bridesmaid dresses, and hired entertainment for the party after your wedding. Work out what you can reasonably afford, and then allocate a portion of your budget to each. After all, you don’t want to spend a fortune on such things as your dream wedding venue, only to realize you can’t afford to rent out the seats that are needed to accommodate your guests. Use our budgeting tips to help you.
2. Don’t blindly accept help from family and friends
To cut costs, you might be only too happy to hire friends and family for some of the duties that pertain to your wedding. And this is fine…providing they are up to the job! But if you later discover that they aren’t, you will regret hiring them in the first place. Your mother-in-law’s famed fish ball stew might not go down too well with your guests, for example, and your uncle’s so-called skills with a camera will prove false when the only thing you can see on your wedding snaps is his thumb obscuring you and your wedding guests. Before you accept (or ask for) any help, ask for some proof of their credentials first. If you’re in any doubt, you should hire the professionals for such things as catering and wedding photography, to reduce the risk of anything going wrong on your big day.
3. Don’t neglect the needs of your guests
The wedding is your big day, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about your guests. You want them to enjoy the wedding as much as you, so include their needs in your wedding planning. Their miserable faces might only ruin your wedding, otherwise! So, you should find out their dietary needs in advance, for example, so you can find ways to cater to everybody. And you might want to find ways to entertain your guests during the boring parts of your wedding day, such as the photo-shoot when everybody but your nearest family and friends will be standing around twiddling their thumbs. Think about your experiences as a wedding guest, be they good or bad, and let them give you inspiration on how best to serve the needs of the people coming to your wedding.
We hope your wedding day is all you want it to be, but don’t forget these planning essentials. And let us know if you have any other tips for our readers too, especially if you have recently planned your own wedding.
Take care, and thanks for reading.
