5 WEDDING PLANNING MISTAKES (AND HOW TO AVOID THEM)

Wedding planning is no small feat. Trust me, as a Wedding Planner I get it. There are so many details, so many considerations and so many costs to keep in mind, that while weddings are a joyous affair, the physical planning of one can be quite daunting.

There are five whopping mistakes that I see couples make time and time again. While I wish I could be there to ensure each and every one of them sidestep these mistakes, alas that's not always possible. But you can read them here! And so, here are Five Wedding Planning Mistakes and how you can avoid such boo-boos.

#1. NOT MATCHING YOUR EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR BUDGET
Everyone has a budget -- that magic number that you absolutely don't want to or can't surpass when it comes to pulling together your wedding. And that's OK. Even the most exuberant of weddings with skyscraper budgets have a cap number that they don't want to cross. But that having been said, having a strict budget is one thing. Wanting the world on that said budget is another. We've all heard the old adage "wanting champagne on a beer budget". There's a reason that it's a quote and not reality.

It's important when you're drafting your budget to take many things into consideration: your guest count, for example, will determine how big a bulk of your budget will be eaten (no pun intended) by your food and beverage costs. The style or formality of your venue will determine how costly or how cost efficient your celebration space will be. Your overall vision will determine whether you will need a variety of rentals like linens or stylish chairs or an exuberant amount of flowers or very little. Get the picture? Then you should go online and do some research. Get an idea of how much things cost. Now look at your budget. Is it realistic? If your budget doesn't match your expectations then you have to grit your teeth and be willing to compromise or sacrifice certain elements to make room for those wedding elements that are most important to you.

#2. NICKEL AND DIMING YOUR WEDDING PROFESSIONALS
This follows on the heels of the point above. Chatting with your desired wedding professional about how you can achieve the same look, feel, sound, etc at a lower cost or asking your wedding professional what compromises can be made to lower your costs are one thing. Expecting or trying to bargain with your wedding professionals to give you what you want for what you're willing to pay is another. If the wedding professional you want is out of your budget you have three options: increase your budget, compromise on what you want or find another wedding professional that does fit your budget. Wedding Professionals charge their rates for a reason: talent/skill, overhead costs, time, labour and quality/customer service are among them. Expecting to have all that and at what you're willing to pay is not only disrespectful but unrealistic. If you wouldn't go into a car dealership and expect them to give you a BMW for whatever you were willing to pay, you don't meet with a wedding professional and expect them to do the same. Focus on what your desired wedding professional can do for their rate and not merely the dollar signs.

#3. HAVING AN "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME" ATTITUDE
Yes, your family and friends are joining you to celebrate your marriage. No, that doesn't mean that it's necessarily all about you, what you want and again, all about you. At some point there's a line that has to be drawn. Now I'm not talking about having your wedding be a reflection of the two of you as a couple. I'm talking about the "It's my party and I'll do whatever I want no matter how it affects others" attitude. The wedding celebration is about you getting hitched, but how the celebration unfolds is about you and your guests. Just as you would do when hosting a dinner in your home, in a wedding you have an obligation to make your guests feel comfortable, give them a good time and overall show respect. Making your guests wait at the church because you want those extra photos is a no no. Making guests pay for their alcohol (or anything really) at the reception is a no no. Allowing your best friend to bring her baby but not allowing your other guests to bring children to the wedding is a no no. The list goes on and on. Make your wedding as much about pleasing your guests as it is about you and you'll have a wedding that everyone will remember...for all the right reasons.

#4. NOT HAVING BACK-UP PLANS
When planning a wedding you have to consider all the "what if's".  You have to have a back-up plan for pretty much anything. Having a backyard tented wedding? What if there is a severe thunderstorm? Hiring a DJ? What if his or her equipment breaks down? Hosting your reception on a long weekend? What if there's heavy traffic or a parade or special events happening throughout the city? Having pictures taken outdoors? What if it's raining? Getting around by your own vehicle? What if it breaks down? Always have a back-up plan and take the "what if" into consideration when you're planning all those nifty little wedding details. Check the contracts of your wedding professionals to ensure that they have a back-up plan should they be unable to perform their services on your wedding day. Leave nothing to chance. By having back-up plans you're safeguarding your wedding day from disasters and you'll walk down that aisle with a big chunk of piece of mind.

#5. HOSTING WHAT YOU (OR OTHERS) THINK A WEDDING SHOULD BE AND NOT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT.
I see this all the time. Couples read magazines and blogs or watch television programs and come to the conclusion that what they are seeing is how a wedding should unfold or should look like; or they allow outside influences like family to dictate how their wedding should be planned for fear of insult. There are five main things that you should really consider when you're planning your wedding: the overall experience for/comfort of your guests (i.e: the food, the entertainment, the etiquette, etc), your joint personalities reflected in your design, your budget, your religion and/or your culture (if that's important to you) and...wait for it...your marriage!!!  Dear Gawd, don't forget why you're there in the first place! Use media sources as inspiration, take the opinions of others as just that, opinions that you can implement or discard, and create a wedding day that you will always fondly remember, not a wedding day that you will, twenty years later, wish you had done differently.