Biggest Mistakes I Made Planning my Own Wedding

Hire the Wedding Planner

Let’s just say, being a wedding planner didn’t make the process of planning my own wedding any easier. Always hire a wedding planner! Even if you feel you have everything under control, having someone to coordinate day-of tasks can make the stress melt away. This was my biggest mistake in planning my own wedding.

From the start, I knew where to find the latest trends, how to keep costs down, and what would look best. That part wasn’t an issue for me, but I underestimated the stress of the big day. As a type A planner, I managed everything myself, which meant I was the sole point of contact for questions. This created a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. I tried to mitigate this by crafting a detailed timeline and document with all the information, but that only led to more questions. This is why I strongly recommend hiring a wedding planner—they’re your go-to for any inquiries and can help manage everything on the day itself!

One of my biggest mistakes was assuming I would have time to chat with all my guests after dinner. I had planned to go from table to table to greet everyone, but due to unexpected circumstances, the wedding ran slightly behind schedule, and sunset photos ended up happening earlier than anticipated. This cut into the time I had set aside for mingling, and many guests started to leave before I could connect with them. I definitely didn’t get to speak to everyone. I recommend creating an activity to facilitate interactions, like a receiving line, a fun photo scavenger hunt, or to join in on the social hour to mingle with guests.

I had envisioned my wedding as a cocktail attire event, with the ladies in calf-length dresses and the men in dress pants and button-down shirts. Unfortunately, that was far from reality, as some guests arrived in jeans and even jean shorts. I thought I had communicated the dress code clearly, including multiple mentions on our website and a lot of word of mouth. If you have a dress code, I highly recommend including this information on your wedding invitation. I initially didn’t include it as I didn’t want to clutter the invite with details, but in hindsight, I wish I had made it more explicit.

I’m someone who really struggles with asking for help, and believe me, it came back to bite me! The week of the wedding was a whirlwind of last-minute sign-making, store runs, and rental pickups. The more you can delegate to the groom’s dad and the bride’s aunts, the better. Each day leading up to the wedding was packed with tasks that just me and one other bridesmaid tackled (shout-out to her) , except for a few items that needed a truck. I highly recommend dividing tasks among family and friends so you can truly enjoy the week—it’s your time, and everyone is eager to lend a hand!

I never realized how problematic it could be to skip an unplugged ceremony until now. We hire a professional photographer for a reason, and it’s frustrating when Aunt Sam pulls out her iPhone 10 in the aisle to snap a picture. To top it off, during a beautiful sunset moment, my great aunt decided to step in front of our photographer to take her own shots. I was in disbelief! Let’s eliminate those awkward situations and simply embrace an unplugged ceremony—it makes all the difference.

No matter the circumstance everything will turnout amazing! Our wedding weekend kicked off with a rough start when an accident left my fiancé’s truck totaled on Thursday afternoon, throwing our plans off balance. We had to redo all the tasks we completed that day on Friday, and I found myself short-handed, exhausted and stressed. Unfortunately, some of my rented décor was shattered in the car. The key for when plans go awry is to let it be. Everything will turnout in the end and not everything is going to be how you imagined. I altered my décor plans and even had some décor left over that wasn’t utilized.  My fiancé took care of what he could with the truck on Friday then pushed to stress and planning to the back of his mind until Monday. Despite that hiccup, our wedding was still beautiful and perfect! Most importantly, there was no injuries — that’s what truly mattered! My moto for the weekend was “it is, what it is”. If you let small hiccups get to you, you’re only inviting more issues. Plus, this is a time to cherish and enjoy!! It doesn’t last long and you want happy memories not sad ones!