Remortgaged your house to afford the wedding of your dreams? Stop! Avoiding these wedding planning pitfalls in your process will ensure you get your happily ever after.

1. Not sticking to a budget

Planning a wedding spans a few months or more, so it can be difficult to keep track of every cent spent. Before you plan anything, draw up a realistic budget and do your best to stick to it. You’ll likely underestimate some costs (‘Fairy lights are how much?’), but this will help you make the right choice when it comes to your venue and the size of your guest list, which are often the two biggest expenses.

Add a ‘Miscellaneous’ column to your spreadsheet for unforeseen costs that may crop up. If you don’t end up using that money, treat yourself and your partner to a spa day on your honeymoon. You won’t regret that few thousand you cut from the decor column when you’re having the holiday of your life.

2. Starting too late

If you want to lose five kilos (who doesn’t?), start now. Don’t subsist on lettuce leaves and water for the month leading up to your big day – not only will you have to make major alterations to your dress at the eleventh hour, you’ll have no energy to enjoy the celebrations. Slow and steady wins the race.

Same goes for booking your venue and vendors. The best ones get snapped up a year in advance, so get in there as early as possible to ensure you bag the team of your dreams.

3. Having too many ideas

Mason jars! Polaroid guest book! Giant Jenga! Rustic, modern, country glam, city chic… The wealth of wedding inspo on the internet can clutter your brain and turn your day into a mishmash of random themes, colours and styles. Before you go down the rabbit hole, decide on a theme or colour scheme, then search for reference images based only on this.

When in doubt, KISS (keep it simple, stupid).

4. Sweating the small stuff

Your groom’s tie doesn’t match your shoes, the linen isn’t quite the shade of off-white you wanted or the doves don’t fly off on cue. It’s easy to get bogged down in the tiniest details, but every bride will tell you their day didn’t go exactly to plan – and it’s 99.9% likely yours won’t either. When the confetti hits the fan, take a deep breath, and ask yourself if this will matter tomorrow (hint: it won’t), then move on.

Always have a plan B for major disasters. Hire a tent in case your outdoor wedding gets rained out. Pack an emergency kit (wet wipes, deodorant, safety pins, needle and thread, tampons). Have a designated helper on the day (if not a coordinator) to deal with any MIA vendors. Back-up plans save lives.

5. Going DIY crazy

Yes, it guarantees your wedding will be one of a kind and keeps the costs down, but it also means you’ll be running around on the morning of, setting everything up instead of having pink bubbly for breakfast. Rather choose one or two things you really want to do to avoid overloading yourself. Don’t forget to ask for help. If you’ve made your own flower arrangements and bunting, nominate a reliable family member/friend to set them up for you on the day. Or get your bridal party together to handmake wedding favours. 

Image: Unsplash