5 Big Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make When Planning Your Wedding

1. Booking The Wedding Venue Before You Have A Head Count

You got engaged, picked a date and then started looking at venues… you might need to pump the breaks just a little and wait to select that perfect wedding location until you have a comprehensive guest list. Many times couples can book a venue that is either too large or too small when they don’t have a good handle on how many people they will be inviting. You don’t want to pay a fee to change or cancel a venue and you don’t want to be stuck in a location that does not work for your wedding so take a few extra weeks and put together a guest list before you start looking at wedding venues.

2. Buying Wedding Decor Too Soon

With inspiration tools like Pinterest (we are just as addicted as you are) it seems easier than ever to find all of the wedding decor you need and want. Brides often end up with decorations that they don’t use, don’t want or over bought because they started buying items as soon as they were engaged. Avoid buying items as you go and instead opt for purchasing items at one time. A good rule of thumb is to wait to buy decor until you have signed your venue contract and you sit down with a list of what you want and need and a budget and then you can hit up Etsy.

3. Signing Vendor Contracts After The First Meeting

I know how exciting it can be when you meet with the florist of your dreams or taste just the right cake but you really need to step back and do your homework. After meeting with a vendor that you would like  to book let them know that you will contact them in the next 24 to book them. In those 24 hours start to do some research and read reviews, speak with references and price shop a little. By waiting to sign a vendor contract after you have dug in a little allows you to feel confidant in the vendor you are hiring. I highly suggest not signing any contract after meeting with the vendor the first time.

4. Having An Extra Large Wedding Party

You might feel the urge to ask all your friends and your cousins and even your second cousins to serve as bridesmaids but keep in mind the larger the wedding party the large the budget you will need. When you have a large wedding party you have to take into account that you will be purchasing more bouquets, more gifts and need more transportation. The smaller the bridal party the more you can manage those extra cost.

5. Trying To DIY Everything

Clearly we love DIY projects and we even have an entire section dedicated to rustic wedding DIY projects but we always suggest that you limit the number of projects you take on for your wedding. Trying to DIY every aspect of your wedding will not only spread you too thin but will ultimately end in frustration. If you love the DIY wedding look focus on two or three projects and do them well and then leave the rest to the professionals. See our post on What To DIY At Your Wedding And What To Leave To The Pros.