by
Scott Surplice
10 Common Wedding Planning Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid
Let the wedding planning mistakes of past couples guide you onwards to a stress-free day
After being a witness to hundreds of weddings (as well as my own), I’ve begun to notice a pattern when it comes to common wedding day mistakes. Inevitably, little issues will crop up on the day and the best call to action is to roll with them as much as you can. However, there are a fair few that can be easily avoided with a little bit of foresight.
1. Not leaving enough time to spend with your guests
There are very few times in life that you’re going to have all your favourite faces in one spot. This is undoubtedly a special day for you and your partner but it’s also a special day for a lot of other people, too. If you’re having a large wedding, be sure to factor in time to get around to as many of your guests as you can. The best time for this is during cocktail hour. Schedule in extra time during the ceremony and reception to make sure this happens. The best way to do this is to have your ceremony a bit earlier. Some other options to consider are recovery breaky or pre-wedding-do or opting for a first look and pre-wedding snaps with your bridal party to free up more post-ceremony time.
2. Scheduling too much time for photos
An experienced wedding photographer doesn’t need to rip you away from your guests for two to three hours to capture some golden memories for you. Depending on the size of your bridal party amongst other factors, a good photographer will typically only need two 15-20-minute sessions to capture plenty of couple’s portraits. Typically, one of these will be shortly after the ceremony whilst your guests grab a drink, and the other will be around golden hour. It’s important to trust your photographer to get THE shots for you.
3. Hiring a cheap and inexperienced wedding photographer
This tip goes hand in hand with the previous two. Your wedding day isn’t the time to skimp on photography. The photos are the one thing you’ll have from the greatest day of your life to look back on. What you’re paying for is good quality equipment and maintenance, prep and scouting time, editing time and years of experience in making couples comfortable in front of the camera. An experienced photographer has worked in every condition imaginable and can adapt and change in the dynamic environment that are weddings. There have been too many horror stories lately with inexperienced or studio photographers not turning up on the day, of the client never receiving their photos. Given this is one day in your life, it’s all about quality over quantity and that’s what a good photographer will deliver. They’ll capture beautiful imagery within a short amount of time, leaving you more time to soak up the good stuff.
4. Hiring a photographer and videographer with differing styles
If you do this it’s likely your photographer and videographer are going to be butting heads all day, rather than the harmonious working relationship that it should be. Chat with your photographer about videographer recommendations, or if you have someone in mind, run it by them first.
5. Locking in a ceremony time before consulting the pros
In order to make the most of your precious time on the day and capture the best quality images possible, it’s best to consult your vendors who have been there hundreds of times before. Wedding photographers are able to take into consideration the venue, the time of year and the amount of daylight you need after the ceremony for everything that needs to happen on the wedding day, including the photos. Don’t forget, we want perfect images just the same as you do. As a guide, you can Google the time the sun sets on your wedding day e.g. 5:38pm. Then go back in time 2 hours (3:38pm), and your ceremony should start before this time. In this example 3 – 3:30pm would be perfect, but not any later.
6. Not leaving any wiggle room on your run sheet
Planning your day in five-minute increments never works. Just like in life, things happen and the more flexibility you allow for, the less stress you’ll encounter. Clients are shocked to hear that most weddings run behind schedule at some point, and this can have a huge impact on your photographer and catering staff. I have seen weddings run so over time that there almost wasn’t enough time for dancing. Chat to your photographer/venue/planner about about in some wiggle room to your run sheet so things can easily get back on track if unexpected things pop up i.e. you decided on the day that you’re going to be fashionably 15 mins late to the ceremony.
7. Inviting those borderline guests you’ll never see again
Picture yourself flicking through your wedding photos in twenty years’ time. Will you regret not inviting your second cousin you’ve only met twice? Or that friend you feel obliged to invite because they invited you to theirs. You’ll only regret it if your photos are filled with faces you hardly ever saw again. Keep it to your nearest and dearest.
8. Listening too much to others when it comes to the details
The one lesson you’ll learn rather quickly whilst preparing for your upcoming nuptials is that everyone has an opinion. All you need to do is watch an episode of Say Yes to The Dress to see how problematic this can become. Human beings vary and that’s what makes life so fun. Don’t be swayed on what you love and try to go with your gut as much as possible.
9. Not including your mum enough throughout the day
There is so much to think about in the lead-up to your day that some of the important things can quietly slip past. Dads are traditionally the ones to walk their children down the aisle but that doesn’t seem quite fair! A great way to include Mum can be to ask her to join you on the other arm. Another lovely way to incorporate your mum (or any other significant person) into your day is to have them sign as your witness.
10. Putting in some effort with your first dance
If you’re looking for immaculate dance floor vibes, it’s worth investing in your first dance. Whether you choose to do a couple of lessons or dedicate some time to practising in the lounge room, it’s going to set the tone for your dance floor so make it count! Setting the scene for your first dance is one of my top tips for having a dance floor to remember.
