Let’s face it, planning a wedding is hard enough without worrying about all the unknowns - but what if you had a nifty little guide to help you avoid the biggest pitfalls?
Here it is Lovers, your guide to keeping your wedding plans on track and free of the biggest mistakes we see over and over… you’re welcome xo
1. Getting bogged down in social media
Once you’ve decided on a theme and/or colour palette, please - put down the Pinterest and stop looking at Instagram. You’ll only make yourself miserable second-guessing your choices, or worse, you’ll start throwing every idea you’ve ever had at your wedding and it will look like a hot mess!
With so much inspo around, it can be difficult to stay on track and not get swept away with what you could have. But trust that you’ve booked what you have because you love it, cross it off your list, and move right along.
2. Scrimping on the Wrong Things
This may come as a surprise, but it is common for couples to regret not spending enough on certain aspects of their wedding. As with any wedding, there will usually be sacrifices and cuts that have to be made, but don’t go scrimping on the wrong things.
Get your priorities sorted. If the photos are super important to you, spend what you need to get those right and be prepared to compromise on other elements.
Other areas we’d always advise not scrimping on are food, drinks, and entertainment. If you’ve ever been a wedding guest you know that being bored or hungry are two of the worst feelings at a wedding (or anywhere really).
3. UNDERESTIMATING THE COST OF A MARQUEE WEDDING
Just because the setting is your family home and the venue isn’t costing you anything, doesn’t mean you’re going to get away with a cheaper wedding. With ‘home’ weddings, people think we're just putting a marquee in a field, and it's going to be beautiful. They don't realize all the logistics that will be necessary - you'll need to rent bathrooms, kitchen facilities, lighting, fans or heaters, and generators.
Add to that every plate, cup, fork, spoon, table, and chair that’s needed for a sit-down dinner and suddenly your wedding costs every bit as much as a fully-inclusive venue would.
Pic by Jaylen Photo
4. MICROMANAGING YOUR VENDOR TEAM
Drawing a map for the bus driver is a great idea. Plotting out bathroom breaks and a second-by-second schedule for your planner, bar staff, and DJ? Not so much. No matter how much you love to be in control of things (we know the feeling!) it really is important that you trust your wedding vendors - they do this for a living and know exactly what they need to do to make your wedding perfect for you. Be clear about what you want by all means, but know that offering trust and creative license to your team produces a better end result for all involved.
5. NOT PLANNING A BUDGET
Talking budget sucks - we know it! It’s not fun at all, but it’s super-important for so many reasons. If you get excited and rush out booking all the ‘fun’ things like flowers, and a wedding gown, you may have overspent before you even get started. Then you’ll have amazing flowers, but crummy food for your guests.
To establish your budget, the first thing you need to do is write a guest list. Then know that for every person you invite you’re probably going to need (on average) about $500 per head. This will cover everything from your gown, to the food, to the venue, to the transport. So if you’re going to invite 100 guests you’ll need to have $50,000 available in total. I know, it’s mind-blowing. But I would much rather have some real talk at the beginning of the journey, then let you get to the pointy end of the process and find out you can’t afford something that was really important to you.
And if it makes you feel better? It may surprise you to know that even couples with a very healthy budget always end up having to compromise somewhere.
At Sparrow we love to help make your wedding planning journey so much easier! If you liked these tips and want someone by your side who will help you keep on top of every step, get in touch (Contact form here) and check our availability on your big day. We can’t wait to hear from you!
