Poor Planning Mistakes That Will Derail Your Wedding Day
Wedding planning is tough, so let’s be real here. There are so many tasks to tick off, and the more you read the more you become overwhelmed and question what else you may be forgetting.
We see this time and time again in our wedding planning consultations and the truth is, you don’t know what you don’t know - so give yourself some grace.
No doubt, you’ve got all the big stuff covered, so if you’re now on the countdown to your wedding then this is a timely read! There are so many small tasks that get missed but make the biggest impact on your day - especially if they pop up and that’s the first time you’ve been presented with those problems.
So read on, bookmark or share with your wedding party so you can share the planning load! And let’s make wedding planning that little bit easier, so you can head into your day knowing you’ve got this!
Overlooking the Small Details
Often those small details are the ones that catch you off-guard. Typically, you won’t even think of these before or during the day because they are so minor – but they make an impact on your day. You don’t want to be sitting eating and looking around at all your loved ones and realise not one of those carefully selected candles you bought is lit and creating that ambiance you had dreamed about.
Small but mighty details that matter – so knowing firstly what they are, and then what needs to happen and who needs to be delegated that job is crucial.
Some of the most forgotten tasks are -
Lighting candles before guests arrive, and extinguishing candles at the end of the night.
Turning on/off seed lights or other battery operated décor items
Turning on/off the fairylights or festoons.
Background music for dinner and speeches.
Storing away any boxes and tubs for hire items – where are they, removing any rubbish and making sure they’re not just thrown somewhere to become a problem later.
Collecting cards and gifts at the end of the night.
Packaging up décor – checking off hire bookings with items and quantities so you are returning what you hired. Any personal items to be separated and returned.
Cleaning items, in particular hired items and then wrapping them up and putting back into their boxes. Locating any missing items or quantities.
Returning hired items when required and on time.
If you’ve hired a professional team to setup and style on the day and packdown they will look after some of these tasks, while a Wedding Coordinator will look after the remainder for you.
We highly recommend booking in these services - they’re so invaluable that you won’t need to even think about the logistics or happenings of your day - they’ll simply happen without you knowing it!
Unclear Order of the Day
Having a clear order of the service is all about making your guests feel comfortable and at ease during the day. Weddings have a fairly routine set of traditions or familiarities but for most of us we like clarity on what is expected of us – and when.
How long is there between the ceremony and us being seated? When we will eat? Answering some of these questions and giving some anticipation to guests means they can fully relax and be present without having any questions lingering, or discussing between themselves (vibe killer).
You’ll find they enjoy the day much more, and even stay for longer into the night if they know what’s coming!
We highly recommend doing this by -
Having your OOTD on your wedding website
Sending an email with the OOTD the week of
Displaying a printed OOTD at your wedding
Having the MC remind guests what’s to come & when
Wedding Vendor Miscommunication
You’re working with multiple vendors - which means sometimes relaying the same information multiple times via phone, email or in person. Sometimes you can loose track who you’ve spoken to & about what. This can lead to issues & mix-ups. E.g. you may have spoken to your venue about placing centerpiece florals down the aisle, but not mentioned this to your florist who may need to amend their design for both placements.
Some simple tips –
Template an email asking key questions with any other detail to each vendor.
Create a runsheet with all info and timings and send this out to all vendors so everyone is on the same page. Send 3-4 weeks beforehand not the week before. It shouldn’t be the first time they’ve seen this - it leaves very little time for them to review and respond should there be any issues.
This is also another great reason to work with a wedding stylist or planner - or better yet - a stylist who looks after all the design elements including florals and signage. While even supplying full moodboards to florists we worked with for our wedding, we were left disappointed. This marked our move into our own floral department and we never looked back! It has meant that we have full control over our own designs, and cohesion. Making sure our high expectations are delivered throughout our designs are so important and we have that control and confidence in our team.
Unrealistic Expectations
Your wedding day likely won’t be absolutely perfect. If you expect nothing but perfection and precision, you set yourself up to be very disappointed. There, we said it.
Having realistic expectations means planning for what you can and expecting there are things you can’t control or plan for - and that has to be OK.
Take it from my own wedding which included a storm which caused a fallen tree across the road preventing us getting to our Airbnb accommodation and having to find something else (at 6pm the night before my wedding), road closures, significant family issues, our poor caterer getting their truck stuck and ended with me sliding down a muddy bank in my wedding dress. And do you know what? I can completely see how even one of those things could derail our wedding, but they didn’t. They were certainly stressful and no ideal but we had the BEST day. Truly. It’s all about mindset, and ours focused squarely on being surrounded by the best people, having the best time and celebrating us and our little family. Mindset is everything.
You’re celebrating loving each other with those you love - not laying the foundation of your entire life’s luck.
Enjoy it - the mishaps, the fun, the laughs and love. It is ALL part of life and will be part of your day too.
