It's close to my first anniversary, so I thought what better way than to talk about my happiest moments and also my not so happy moments. I never understood what my brides went through, until I had to plan my own wedding. At first I thought... this is easy, just a breeze and I don't know what they're upset about (brides). It wasn't until I was knee deep in the shit (pardon my French) that I realized my sanity was on the brink of breaking.
So let's talk about some things I wish I could have done differently. Keep reading to find out more.
Day of Coordinator or Wedding Planner
One of my biggest regrets I have is not hiring a Wedding Planner or a Day of Coordinator. I kept going back and forth, trying to determine if I needed one or not. My problem was that I listened to my venue, they made it seem like they had my best interest at heart(this will be revealed in another blog post) but after I signed the contract and made the deposit....that changed shortly after.
A coordinator or wedding planner can assist with the rehearsal dinner, Keeping your best interest at heart and making sure all of the vendors are doing what you hired them to do.
Take it from me, if you can spare the extra money hire a wedding planner.
Invite Less People
My wedding was beautiful and over the top... JUST LIKE MY PERSONALITY !
However, If I could do it all over again I would invite less people. I have a big family, so it's only natural that I wanted to celebrate it with all of my favorite people.
There's only one problem with that... majority of my guest that I invited didn't show up! Some had Covid and others just didn't come. I appreciated all of the guest that were there, but if I had to do it again I would only invite 30-50 people and get hitched on an island running on black sand. Not only would I save money, but it would be more intimate and r0omatic.
Which leads me to my next regret.
Getting Alone Time With My Spouse
My husband was all over the place and so was I. We both were not used to that much attention. We had family and friends pulling us from every direction. Weather it was taking photos, telling us congratulations or other wedding related activities. It was 1 hour were I didn't see him or his grooms. I was so wrapped up in the day, that I forgot what it was about... the two of us. If you are planning a wedding, make sure you take at least 5 minutes out of each hour just to regroup and reconnect.
Not Sticking With My Budget
As I stated previously, I am over the top. I worked 2 jobs and so did my husband, just so we could pay for our wedding. We started out with a budget of $15,000 and it quickly almost doubled that amount. I tried my best to cut corners as much as I could. Hence, the reason why I needed a wedding planner. As the day got closer, I adopted the mindset that I had no budget, because I felt overwhelmed. I wish I hadn't. I was picking invitations that were expensive and candelabras that were the same height as me.
A Beauty and the Beast theme isn't cheap. If I had to do it again I would say no to a theme and just choose colors, use more greenery and less decorations.
Choosing Vendors Based On Price
Although, I spent to much money in regards to my budget. I cut corners in areas that I should have splurged and vice versa. One of the main things I wish I would have splurged on was my photographer and Florist. Both of the companies I used, I didn't like. It didn't come clear to me until the day of the wedding. My florist was rude to my maid of honor. She also ruined my bridal bouquet, she didn't bring the flowers for my cake, amongst other things.
My photographer, edited my photos using a dark filter which made my entire bridal party 3-5 shades darker than their natural skin tone. I had to ask my photographer to remove all the edits he did. He didn't want to do so until I told him that I didn't want to share my photos. So now I have over 300 photos that I can't use.
Doing your Own Hair or Makeup
My Hairstylist was perfect, but I wasn't. I did my makeup and my entire bridal party makeup. Don't get me wrong we were gorgeous, but as it got closer to show time I began to freak out. I had a melt down several times. I needed a person like Me on my wedding day. I opted to do my wedding makeup, because of lack of artist being able to color match me correctly, wanting airbrush, hygiene issues and so on. I wish I could have found some one, but I gave up after 7 makeup trials. Take it from me, I would strongly recommend not doing anything yourself on your wedding day and this is coming from someone who has done over 300 weddings. This day is about you so you deserve to be pampered. My Maid of Honor told me this numerous of times, I just wish I would have listened.
No matter how planned out your wedding will be, there will be one thing or two that may go wrong. The best advice I could give is to roll with it and remember what the day is about.
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