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 budget
It costs a lot of money to put on a wedding. Many excited brides start
booking vendors and making purchases without having a real budget, and
then they're shocked to discover they've spent all of their money (or
their parents' money) and still don't have half the things they need. If
you bounce checks, don't have the money to pay your deposits, or make your
final payments past your vendors' deadlines, your wedding will not happen
as you have planned. The flowers won't be delivered, your cake will not be
decorated, and the band will not play all night — unless you pay up.
Planning a wedding is serious business. Make a budget and keep track of
your expenditures.
2. Ordering the wedding gown and/or bridesmaid dresses late If going for a traditional bridal gown, brides need to place
their orders six to eight months before their weddings. Most gowns are
made to order; if you wait too long before your wedding date to make your
selection, the gown simply may not be ready in time. Bridesmaid dresses
should also be decided upon during the same time period, but only after
the gown has been selected. You want to make sure your ladies have enough
time to get measured and find accessories.
3. Procrastinating on that prenuptial... It is a reality these days that people — even brides — have
assets they want to protect. (This is particularly prevalent now that
there are so many second marriages where a bride or groom may have
children to whom they want their assets to go in case of death.) Leaving
the discussion of a prenuptial agreement until the week before the wedding
is a sure-fire way to increase the stress level by ten thousand percent —
and endanger the impending marriage. So deal with this potentially sticky
issue months in advance.
4. Messing up the marriage license There are so many rules around marriage licenses that brides are
bound to make mistakes. Be sure to investigate time restrictions well in
advance of your wedding date. Get your license 31 days before in some
states — and you won't be able to legally marry on your wedding day
because it may be valid for only 30 days. Go for your license the day
before your wedding and you may not get it in time, because some states
have a 48-hour waiting period. Another common mess-up if you're remarrying
is not having official divorce papers in time to get the certificate.
5. Booking guest hotel rooms too late Brides often leave blocking out hotel rooms for out-of-town
guests until the last minute. If you're marrying in a city (particularly
one where conventions take place) or in a resort town and you don't
investigate hotel availability in advance, you can literally end up with
not a single room for any of your guests to stay in. Your wedding might go
on — but no one will be able attend. Reserve a room block as early as
possible, up to a year in advance.
6. Inviting too many guests Make sure your guest list and your reception site match
numbers-wise. You can't invite 400 people assuming only 250 will RSVP with
a yes — because if 300 happen to say yes, you may have to turn 50 away at
the door. Sites can't just add 10 more tables, as fire laws limit the
maximum number of people in any room at one time. To avoid this, assume
eighty percent will respond yes and limit your guest list accordingly.
7. Last-minute beauty blunders
Many brides think that scheduling chemical peels the week before their
weddings will leave their skin looking angelic on their big days. Others
think having their teeth bleached within days of their weddings will leave
those pearly whites sparkling. 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. Start a long-term beauty regimen months
before the big day and save the heavy-duty beauty treatments (chemical
peels, micro-dermabrasion, extracting facials, deep-tanning sessions,
teeth whitening, and so on) 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 photos — perfect. (Never mind putting your health and happiness at
risk for the most important day of your life.)
8. Underpaying postage on invites
You'd be surprised how many brides just stick a stamp on their invites and
drop them in a letterbox. All but a few wedding invitations require
additional postage. The postal service will not take pity on you — your
invites will be returned (and rubber-stamped with that ugly "insufficient
postage" message) — and it will take at least two weeks (never mind the
additional $$) to get them back out the door. Be sure to get one complete
invitation weighed at the post office before purchasing all your stamps.
9. Ignoring religious restrictions Think attending multiple sessions of Pre-Cana is for wimps or
that your rabbi didn't mean it when he said you needed to cover your arms
in the temple? Guess again. If you plan on marrying in a house of worship,
you need to abide by the rules. Wearing inappropriate attire or not
completing pre-wedding requirements is grounds for your officiant to stop
your wedding before it begins. As soon as you get engaged, be sure to
contact your house of worship to find out about any potential issues. Some
houses of worship won't let you marry on certain holy dates; make sure to
check your wedding date with your officiant before putting down any
deposits for your reception site or vendors.
10. Ignoring weather warnings Brides marrying outdoors often test fate and just wish for the
best when it comes to bad weather. Always have a backup plan — you may not
have a place to marry at all, or your guests (and you) may be in misery at
the hands of Mother Nature. Temperatures normally around the balmy
70-degree mark may unexpectedly turn into a boiling 100-degree debacle; be
sure to have outdoor air-conditioning. A hurricane, flashflood, or gale
force winds may visit on your wedding day; make sure you have an interior
alternative or a tent as a back-up location.
