The most common bridal mistakes you *really* should avoid
You’re engaged! Big, huge, cake-smashing congratulations to you. Now, before you start the planning fun, let’s just put the brakes on (momentarily) and tell you what you’re about to do wrong. So that you won’t. Clever, right?
From over-thinking the little things to under-thinking the budget, we’ve rounded up the nine biggest and most common mistakes that (almost) every bride makes, so that you can ensure your wedding goes swimmingly.
Not being selfish enough Don’t make the mistake of thinking about the wedding people will expect you to have, or what the wedding will look like on Instagram. Think about what’s important to you, and what sort of wedding will suit you and your partner. If you’ve enjoyed more of your happy times together in festival fields than fancy restaurants, a more informal outdoor celebration might be a better choice than a formal sit-down dinner. And try not to think about your friends’ weddings and out-do them – it’s a wedding, not a competition, and having a ceremony that’s perfect for you will make you the real winner.
Under-budgeting There’s no two ways about it; weddings are incredibly expensive. When setting out your budget, allow at least an extra 10% on top for forgotten or unforeseen costs. Trust us, there will be something you didn’t think about, and finding an extra £500 to pay the DJ or £1000 for evening food that you forgot you ordered the week before your wedding will be almost impossible. And while we’re on the topic of budgeting, get yourself reacquainted with Excel, pronto, and get a budget spreadsheet going.
Choosing the dress before the venue Floor length lace when you’re having a marquee in a (potentially muddy) field? Not wise. A sexy satin slip dress for a formal, conservative church wedding? Perhaps not wise. Feel free to start trying on all shapes and sizes as soon as the ring is on your finger, but don’t commit to your dream dress until you’ve pictured it in your (booked) venue.
Ordering your dress a size too small Unless you regularly fluctuate by a dress size, and you know it won’t be a problem to drop a dress size between ordering your dress and your wedding day, you’re better off choosing a dress that suits you at your natural, normal size rather than trying to alter your body to achieve a desired look. Firstly, it’s important you look (and feel) like yourself on your wedding day (you don’t to look back on your wedding pictures and not recognise yourself!) and secondly, you’ll likely end up spending the two weeks before your wedding starving yourself. Way to ruin the count-down.
Not having a plan B Hopefully the weather will play ball. Hopefully your heel won’t break. Hopefully your wedding transport will be on-time. Hopefully everything on will run smoothly. But having a back-up in place for the most important elements of your day will set your mind at ease, lower the stress levels and also prevent any nasty surprises from ruining your wedding.
You overcomplicate things with favours, decorations etc Yes, if you’ve got the budget, the time (and the inclination), you really can go mad with wedding planning. Cute individual favours and unique personalised table decorations are lovely, but not an essential to your guests’ (and your) day. The chances are at least 50% of your guests will leave their favours behind (hello money-down-the-drain) and if you’re strapped for cash you’re better off swapping decoration money for extra table wine. We know which options your guests will appreciate more. Opting for a hairstyle that isn’t ‘you’ You’ve seen a million gorgeous, braiding up-dos on Instagram, and picked a flower embellished halo braid for your big day. But do you ever usually wear your hair up? Don’t opt for a style you would never usually wear. Again, it’s important you look and feel like yourself on your wedding day. You will likely feel slightly uncomfortable with a completely new style, and your wedding is not ideal timing for a bad hair day!
Leaving all the information to the invitation The chances are, at least one piece of information you put on your wedding invitation will change by the time you tie the knot. So set up a wedding website (the are several free options such as gettingmarried.co.uk) and include this on your invitation so you can inform your guests of any changes to timings, travel arrangements and gift list amendments.
You don’t spend enough time with your new spouse Yes, it’s important to spend time saying hello to everyone who’s made an effort to come to wish you well on your wedding day. And to dance like a madwoman with your friends to Beyoncé. But make a point of taking at least five minutes every hour or so with your other half away from everyone else to just enjoy the day together and talk about what’s happened so far. Otherwise you might end up in the wedding car at the end of the night asking each other how their day was…