Avoid these 6 wedding Planning Mistakes
Congratulations! You just got engaged. You are both very excited and very apprehensive. How do you plan a wedding? What if you make mistakes while planning your wedding? Will you be able to turn your wedding dream into your dream wedding? Are you up to the challenge? There are many details you need to take care of. You need to Choose:
- a date,
- a style,
- a location,
- a theme
- an officiant
- a wedding party
- various vendors
- gifts
- and possibly more
This can get overwhelming if you let it. So, don’t let it. Before you spend money buying bridal magazines, login, download and print the A-wedding Day Personalized Wedding Planning Guide – Book. It is FREE! it is our gift to introduce you to the A-wedding Day Magazine. Use the planner and you’ll have fun rather than stress on your journey from engagement to wedding because you will know what to do, when and how.
Following are 5 common mistakes and links to complete instructions as to how to avoid them.
1. Not setting a reasonable budget, or spending more than you planned 
The most often neglected aspect of planning a wedding is setting a workable budget. This can include family contributions in money or certain wedding needs. When I got married, my in-laws provided the wedding cake and desserts while my parents took care of the flowers and decorations. This was a great help! You do not want to start your married life in debt. So you need to decide what you can afford ahead of time and if need be, show some restraint so you don’t overspend. In fact, it is a good idea to plan on spending only 90% of your budget so you will have enough for incidentals such as tips, taxes etc.
For how to plan your wedding budget, go to Login, and click on Setting Your Wedding Budget.
2. Failing to plan for extra guests
You set your guest list and if necessary limit your invitees to the number your budget can handle. However, You need to consider allowing for a few extra guests. You may have invitees who are in relationships and want to bring someone else along with them.
For deciding who to invite to your wedding, go to and click on Wedding Guests.
You may also want to check Kids in your wedding ideas.
3. Hiring the first vendor you interview
Don’t! Do comparison shopping before hiring a vendor. The A-wedding Day planner provides you with complete worksheets with specific questions to ask. Just print them and take them to your interviews.
4. Not Securing help of others
You need to appoint helpers, attendants and a Wedding Party that includes a Best Man, a Maid or Matron of Honor, groomsmen, and Bridesmaids. Be sure to assign people to be responsible for taking care of all that needs to be taken from the wedding to either your or their homes, especially if you leave your wedding earlier than the guests on your way to the honeymoon. You may also need to assign seating ushers, drivers, people to return rented items, etc. Note that even if you do not leave for your honeymoon right away, you will be too excited and busy to think about collecting your gifts and other items. So, in either case appoint responsible people (maybe your parents), to attend to these chores.
5. Neglecting to take care of last minute details as the wedding day gets closer
A week or more before your wedding day gather all important items to bring to your ceremony and reception.
What to Bring to the Ceremony Site
Getting dressed at the ceremony location
- Bride: If you plan to get dressed at the ceremony location, prepare the gown or dress, veil,
undergarments, stockings, formal shoes, and comfy shoes by the door ready to be transported. - Groom: If you plan to get dressed at the ceremony location, prepare the tux/formal wear, shirt, cuff links,
tie, socks and shoes by the door ready to be transported.
Other items
- Hairdryer
• Iron
• Shoe polish that matches wedding party’s shoes
What to Bring to the Ceremony
- Your Marriage License and all other legal documents. Have duplicates brought by your Best Man or Maid
of Honor for ‘just in case’
• Ceremony Programs in a basket
• Decorations for the ceremony site such as pew bows
• A handkerchief
• Corsage pins
• A guest book and a pen set
• A flower basket with flowers or petals
• A ring bearer pillow
• A Unity Candle set including a pillar and 2 tapers. If you have children bring a taper candle for each as well.
• Your wedding rings
• A gift from the groom to his new wife
• A gift from the bride to her new husband
• Gifts from the bride and groom to the children if applicable
• Fee or honorarium for the Officiant, the soloist etc…
• Aisle runner – Optional
What to Bring to the Reception
• A special cards and gift envelopes holder
• Scotch Tape for Gift Table
• A guest book and a pen set either the same as used at the ceremony or new,
• Place Cards arranges in alphabetical order
• Cake knife and server set
• Toasting flutes
• Cake top
• Favors
• Comfy shoes for the bride and her ladies so they can enjoy themselves unburdened by high heeled
shoes
• A wedding gown carrying and preservation bag
• Going away clothes if you want to change before leaving the reception.
• An emergency kit*
What to take home from the Ceremony
• Hairdryer
• Iron
• Shoe polish that matches wedding parties shoes
• Your Marriage Certificate, and all other legal documents
• Leftover Ceremony Programs
• The guest book and a pen set
• The flower basket
• The ring bearer pillow
• Your Unity Candle set
• Other mementos
What to take home from Reception
• The packaged gifts
• The special holder containing the cards and gift envelopes
• The groom’s Tux if he changed into going away clothes
• Wedding Dress in the wedding gown carrying and preservation bag, if bride changed into a going away
outfit
• The guest book(s) and a pen set(s)
• Cake knife and server set
• Cake top and top Layer of the wedding cake to freeze until the first anniversary
• Toasting flutes
• Unopened bottles of alcohol, if provided, can usually be returned to the vendor for credit or refund.
• The left over favors,
• The left over Flowers and centerpieces
• The decorations
• Leftover food for home or to donate to a worthy charity
• All rented items to return unless renting company made arrangements to pick them up later
Print the sections of the FREE Wedding Planning Guide, Book and everything will be at your finger tips.
- Not having a plan B
Have a contingency plan for the possibility that do not go according to plan! For example: What will you do if your wedding must be cancelled or postponed because of mandatory shut-downs such as happened because of the Corona Virus?
One way to be be prepared for the unforeseen is to have a wedding insurance policy – It is not too expensive, but it will give you peace of mind.
About Wedding Insurance Policies
