Wedding Don’ts: Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
Planning a wedding can feel like wading through a sea of tips. How to do this and how to DIY that. There is plenty of advice online and in real life on how to DO your wedding.
But what about what NOT to do?
Here are some definite don’ts to safeguard you from making a massive fail out of your big day.
Don’t leave your guests hanging.
You love these people enough to share one of the most meaningful moments of your life with them.
Don’t keep them waiting excessively for the ceremony to start. It can get awkward staring at an empty altar for too long. Set a realistic timeline for your day. (Incidentally, a Day-of-Coordinator will go a long way toward keeping things on schedule. Do yourself a favor and lock down a coordinator today.)
Don’t let your guests get hangry. (Not that I need to explain here, but hungry+angry=hangry.) Feed them. Don’t let too much time pass between the ceremony and the reception. Let the apps and drinks roll out while you and the bridal crew pose for the photographer. Scour your day's schedule for lag time and keep your folks happy with snacks.
Don’t leave people to fend for themselves when finding a hotel room. Are you planning a destination wedding? Maybe it’s not Mexico, but if your venue is out of town and the drive is long enough to be inconvenient, round up some options for people to book out ahead of time. And have the hotel hand out a timeline to folks when they check in, so everyone will know exactly where to be and when.
Don’t skimp on a little gift for your wedding party. Consider the effort your bride squad is making for you. A sweet token of appreciation can go a long way.
Don’t forget to greet EVERYONE who comes to your wedding. A quick kiss will do. People get that you’re busy, but come on, they made the trip…say hello.
Don’t drop the ball with invitations. Don’t assume that your fiance has his friends covered only to find out they know nothing of your wedding the month before.
Don’t put your wedding registry on the invite. Put it on your website and make sure the website is on the invite.
Don’t wait too long to send out your thank you cards. Emily Post still says you have a year, but we recommend knocking them out sooner rather than later, so it’s not hanging over your head. Make it a date night after the honeymoon and write them together.
Don’t blow it with your vendors.
This is your team. They make it so your wedding day dreams come true. Be nice to them.
Back to the point about getting hangry. Feed your vendors. Ask your caterer if they have special options to provide a hot meal for vendors on the job, that includes your photographer, band or dj, officiant, coordinator…
Don’t get into a fight with your vendors in front of your guests. Yikes. Keep it cool, bride. Get your wedding planner to deal with that.
Don’t rule out a wedding planner. As said above, they do all the things that you don’t want to do.
Don’t forget about your relationship.
The commitment you are making to each other is the most important aspect of your wedding.
Don’t forget that this is just the first day of a lifetime together.
Don’t stop dating each other. Keep a weekly date scheduled where you can remember why you are getting married in the first place.
Don’t assume anything. Keep the lines of communication open. It would be a shame for the two of you to arrive on your wedding day to think it’s not at all how one of you expected.
I hope this didn’t come across as too bossy, but rather more on the helpful/cheeky side. A wedding requires an enormous amount of organization. There are a million decisions to make. The biggest and overarching DON’T is don’t forget about your relationship and your people. Of course with so much going on in one day, oversights are bound to happen. With a little bit of forethought and planning, you will manage to be a considerate and cool bride. And hey, we’re here for you. Come to the Denton Bridal Show on January 21, 2023, meet your dream vendor team, and there is no way your wedding will be anything but a success.