Even
the smartest, most on-top-of-things couple can make mistakes during
wedding planning. Here are the 10 things you should keep an eye on
before saying I do.
1. Blowing off your wedding budget.
It
costs a lot of money to throw a wedding. Many times, excited brides
start booking vendors and making purchases without having a real budget
and then are shocked to discover they've already spent all of their
money (or parents' money) and don't yet have half the things they need.
If you bounce checks or don't have the money to pay your deposits or
make your final payments on the wedding day, your wedding will not
happen. Trust us -- the band is not going to play all night if you don't
pay. Planning a wedding is serious business. Make a budget and keep
track of your expenditures so you won't be walking naked down the aisle.
Need help? Use our
wedding budgeter for an interactive tool that does it all for you.
2. Messing up the marriage license.
There
are so many rules surrounding marriage licenses. For instance, if you
get your license 61 days before your wedding in Pennsylvania, you won't
be able to legally marry on your wedding day because a license is valid
there for only 60 days. Go to obtain your license the day before your
wedding, and you may not get it in time because some states have a
three-day waiting period. A common mess-up for those marrying for a
second time is not bringing official divorce papers when you go to get
the certificate.
3. Ordering your wedding dress too late.
If your heart is set on a
couture wedding dress,
be sure to order by the six-month mark since your dress will be
custom-made and, many times, made overseas. In addition, most
off-the-rack wedding dresses will require alterations, so make certain
that you have enough time to get the gown fitted properly. You'll want
to leave plenty of time for shipping and for your fittings. The same
goes for the bridesmaid dresses.
4. Booking hotel rooms too late.
Brides
often leave blocking out hotel rooms for out-of-town wedding guests
until the last minute. If you're marrying during a busy time and you
don't investigate hotel availability in advance, you can end up with
literally not a single room for your guests to stay. Your wedding will
go on -- but no one will be able to attend. Reserve rooms as early as
possible. Begin your research up to a year in advance, and make sure
your block is booked at the eight-month mark. Be sure to include hotel
information in your save-the-date cards or invitations. This doesn't
mean you will have to pay for the rooms, you are just setting them aside
-- your guests can put down their credit cards when they call to book
their rooms.
5. Inviting too many wedding guests.
Make
sure your guest list and your reception site capacity match up
numbers-wise. You can't invite 400 people assuming only 250 will accept,
because if you end up with 300 acceptances, you may have to turn 50
guests away at the door. Most
wedding venues
can't just add 10 more tables -- fire laws limit the maximum number of
people allowed in any room at one time. Analyze your guest list from the
get-go, assume 80% will respond yes, and limit your guest list
accordingly.
6. Partaking in last-minute beauty treatments and crash diets.
Many
brides think that scheduling a facial the day before the wedding will
leave their skin looking angelic on their big days. Thinking of tanning
the day before your wedding? Think again: you may end up with blisters
instead of sun-kissed skin. Last-minute beauty treatments can lead to
breakouts, mistakes or, even worse, serious infections. Same goes for
crash dieting in the weeks leading up to the wedding -- after all those
gown fittings, your dress may not fit! Stick to a long-term beauty
regimen with lots of rest, a good diet, and safe over-the-counter beauty
products like sunless tanners. Save the heavy-duty beauty treatments
for at least two weeks before the big day or you could risk ruining all
the hard work you've done to make your wedding -- and your photos --
perfect (never mind putting your health and happiness at risk for the
most important day of your life)!
7. Underpaying invitation postage.
You'd
be surprised how many brides just stick a regular stamp on their
invites and drop the whole batch into a mailbox. All but a few
wedding invitations require
additional postage -- sometimes up to .55 cents. The postal service
will not take pity on you -- your invites will be returned,
rubber-stamped with that ugly "insufficient postage" sign, and it will
take at least three weeks (never mind the additional $$) to get those
invitations back out the door. Get one invitation weighed -- at the post
office -- before purchasing your stamps. Note: square invitations
require additional postage not only because of the weight but the shape
-- so don't try to figure this out by yourself.
8. Ignoring religious restrictions.
Inappropriate
attire for the church or temple, or skipping the pre-canae, may keep
your officiant from marrying you when the big day comes around. Take
your religious restrictions seriously. To avoid any day-of disasters, be
sure to meet with your officiant within one month of getting engaged.
Your house of worship may perform ceremonies only on specific days, so
settle on a date with your clergyman before you start to book vendors
and put down deposits. Be sure to ask him or her about religious rules,
such as: Do you need to complete a pre-cana course? Can you write your
own wedding vows? Do you need to cover your shoulders? Is secular music
permitted?
9. Trying to go it alone.
If you are a bride
lucky enough to have been offered help by friends or family members, by
all means take it! Too many brides try to do it all -- and this isn't a
good idea. Delegate and use all the resources that are available to you.
When people offer to assist -- like your mom, your future
mother-in-law, or your best friend -- find something for them to do,
like researching a vendor or addressing invitations. On that note, it's
important to keep in mind that these volunteers are not hired help -- be
sure that you accept their contributions graciously.
10. Forgetting to focus on what's important.
Keep in mind that you are getting married and starting a life together, not
just
planning a wedding. Brides, be good to your grooms. And grooms, be good
to your brides! Some tension between the two of you (and among members
of your family) is inevitable due to the sticky topics that weddings
stir up, but don't ever let things get out of control. Remember why you
decided to take this leap in the first place!
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