Wedding planner reveals 4 common mistakes couples must be quick to rethink to avoid jaw-dropping disaster

Your wedding day is a huge investment, not just of money but of time and effort. You want it to go smoothly but it might all backfire if you are doing any of these things.

Changing your mind too many times

Oakview+Terrace+Wedding+-+Bridal+Portraits-83We know it can be tough to commit to one idea, color or concept- there is so much beautiful inspiration, you would do all if it if you could. But you can’t. It’s one thing to think you want one thing and then change your mind, we can deal with that, it happens! Now if you change your mind multiple times, before, during and after meetings and consultations- this is where it gets tricky. Have you ever tried to navigate through an email feed that contains 27 communications trying to find the most recent requested changes? Having to update notes too many times can result in something being forgotten or overlooked, we’re human and it can get confusing. Another issue that stems from this that couples get upset over is that every time you change your mind, the price changes. This leads to having to update another quote and emailing that off, which takes more time. It also means you have less time to execute or place orders because nothing has been concretely decided.

Procrastinating until the last minute

Now, if you wait too long to make decisions (possibly because you keep changing your mind!) this will work against you. Of course we aren’t saying to rush into anything, this is your wedding, you want to think things out clearly and determine what you both want and what works within your budget. However, if you wait until a few weeks before to make choices about crucial elements like décor, entertainment, flowers, food/desserts you will be in for a shock. Vendors get booked fast for wedding dates by couples who know what they want. Certain décor items may already be rented if you wait too long to decide. Flowers must be ordered way in advance or you are looking at a significant increase in price and the possibility of the flowers you want not being available. To wait too long will cost you!

Not starting your seating chart early

Oakview+Terrace+Wedding+-+Reception-19You’re probably thinking “but why? I should just wait to get all my RSVP’s in…”, we guarantee that you will not get all of your RSVP’s in by the deadline date. In fact, we guarantee you will have to designate someone to call people to get their confirmation. If you know off the bat which guests will absolutely come, get those names on a tentative excel sheet and organized into a table. If they need to be swapped later that is fine but get their names, family members and plus 1’s on there. Waiting until you get all of the RSVP’s means you will be way too close to the wedding date trying to get this done and if you’ve chosen to do it yourself, you will not have as much time or energy as you think. Also, keep track of who you invite but don’t give a formal invite too, we’ve seen guests show up and NOT be on a seating chart because they were forgotten!

Micromanaging your wedding planner

We know you want your day to go perfect and we know your organizational skills are superb but so are ours! That’s why your hired us! The day of the wedding is when you relinquish control (cringe…yes we said it), and enjoy your day. Let us worry about making sure Uncle Joe doesn’t get his hands on a microphone, your limo shows up on time and that no one in the family takes it upon themselves to try to change the seating chart the day of because they don’t’ like it (yes, we’ve had that almost happen). Your planner is more than capable of handling those things and more while you spend time with your nearest and dearest and celebrate your beautiful day. Let us do what you’ve paid us to do!

If you choose not to hire a planner, here’s a Wedding Planning Check List PDF you can download to help keep you on track!

50 Wedding Themes for all engaged couple styles

 

1. Life’s a Beach

2. Sorrento (think lemons)

3. Mint to Be

4. Kate Spade

5. Enchanted Forest

6. Secret Garden Party

7. Black Tie (think Gatsby)

8. Roaring 20’s

9. Black Panther

10. Mediterranean

11. Pop-up

12. Welcome Aboard

13. My Sun & Stars/Moon of My Life (Game of Thrones)

14. Parisian

15. Vintage

16. Shabby Chic

17. Boho

18. Boho-Rustic

19. Rustic

20. Country

21. Tropical

22. Old Century

23. Disney

24. Vineyard/Winery

25. Safari

26. Old Hollywood (Vintage Glam)

27. Rustic Modern

28. Italian Romance

29. Masquerade

30. Star Wars

31. Sail Away

32. Go Green

33. Mexican Fiesta

34. Southern Garden

35. Scottish Themed

36. Geometric

37. Impressionist (water colors)

38. 60’s Mod Party

39. 50’s Retro

40. 80’s

41. 70’s Disco

42. Pumpkin Patch

43. Superhero

44. Fire & Ice

45. Winter is Coming

46. Outdoor Pool Party

47. Japanese Cherry blossom

48. Fantasy (think Unicorns)

49. Winter Wonderland

50. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (insert your culture)

Top 10 Must See Wedding Movies

Nothing beats a romantic-comedy about a wedding, a wedding disaster you name it. We’ve listed our top 10 wedding movies of all time. See how many you’ve yet to see and have the girls over and break out the wine!

My Best Friend’s Wedding

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As children, Julianne and Michael made a vow to marry one another if they were still single at 28. Four days before her birthday, Michael announces he’s getting married to 20 year old Kimberly. Suddenly realizing she’s in love with Michael, Julianne vows to halt the wedding no matter the cost- that is until she’s asked to be Maid of Honor…awkward much?

The Best Man

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Committed bachelor Harper, just wrote a soon to be best selling novel that is for the most part based on the lives and loves of his group of tight-knit friends. With his entire crew to be present, Harper is to be the best man in his friend Lance’s wedding. To his dismay, an advance copy of the book ends up in the hands of an ex flame and he struggles to keep it under wraps- til he can’t.

Runaway Bride

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Maggie Carpenter is no stranger to a wedding day since she’s left 3 men at the altar thus far. Ike Graham a reporter from the big city branded her “the runaway bride” and after his facts are questioned, he heads to her hometown to report on her upcoming fourth wedding- and to save his rep; til he falls for her.

The Wedding Planner

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The wedding of Internet tycoon Fran Donelly is the biggest and most ostentatious of Mary’s wedding planning career. After being rescued from a near-fatal collision with a runaway dumpster by Steve Edison and spending the most enchanting evening of their lives together, Mary thinks she’s finally found a reason to believe in love. Until she realizes that cupid and her career are about to collide head-on.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

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The entire Portokalos family worries about Toula who’s still unmarried at 30 years old. she works at the Greek family restaurant Dancing Zorba’s, owned by her parents, Gus and Maria. After taking a job at her aunt’s travel agency, she falls in love with Ian Miller, a handsome teacher who is tall, and definitely not Greek. Toula isn’t sure which will be more upsetting to her father, that Ian is a foreigner or that he’s a vegetarian.

Wedding Crashers

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Jeremy and John are divorce mediators who spend their free time crashing wedding receptions. So when Secretary of the Treasury William Cleary announces the wedding of his eldest daughter, they make it their mission to crash the high-profile event. But their game hits a bump in the road when John locks eyes with bridesmaid Claire taking them on a hilarious journey with a family that’s less than functional.

Monster In Law

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Charlotte meets and falls for Dr. Kevin Fields, it’s a whirlwind romance. When Kevin pops the question so soon after they start dating, Charlotte happily accepts. She soon realizes that Kevin’s mom, Viola is anything but thrilled to have a new family member. Viola, a newscaster, has just lost her job and is feeling rather possessive of Kevin, so Charlotte is sheer competition.

27 Dresses

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Forever bridesmaid Jane is the go-to gal whenever someone needs help with wedding plans since she can’t say no. So when Jane’s younger sister Tess hooks the man Jane is secretly in love with, Jane finds herself questioning her role as a wedding junkie for the first time. Meanwhile, a handsome reporter is on Jane’s unusual story.

Bride Wars

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As little girls, best friends Liv and Emma started planning every detail of their future weddings, including choosing the same venue: New York’s famed Plaza Hotel. But when a clerical error causes a dilemma in wedding dates, a war begins that reveals and unravels Liv and Kate discover their inner demons which may end their lifelong friendship.

Bridesmaids

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Annie is a single woman whose life is a hot mess, but when her lifelong best friend, Lillian, gets engaged, she has no choice but to serve as the maid of honor. Though loveless and almost broke, Annie, nevertheless, fights her way through the awkward and expensive rituals associated with her job as the bride’s go-to gal. That is, until things start to unravel and Annie takes everyone down with her.