Avoid the stressful Budget Busters

In a split-second you went from girlfriend to wedding planner with the resounding yes! Now what?? Top 5 biggest mistakes for which to be on guard.

1. Breaking The Budget

It’s easy to completely blow your budget on a lot of small details and forget about some of the larger items you’ll need. One of the biggest pre-wedding mistakes you can make is getting stars in your eyes over a lot of small, expensive touches that aren’t necessary and only serve to eat into your budget. Before you even consider the first invitation, make a budget and don’t stray from it.

2. Mangling The Marriage License

Planning location vs. wedding location? One of the biggest pre-wedding mistakes is being unaware of the laws governing marriage licenses in your state. These laws are different from one state to the next, with some states allowing the marriage license to be procured the day of the wedding and others requiring waiting periods of varying lengths. It’s important to know the requirements for your state so that you’re sure to be legal when you walk down the aisle.

3. Wedding Dress Delay

One of the most stressful pre-wedding mistakes for brides is mistakenly ordering the dress too close to the wedding day. If you’re having a couture wedding dress, make sure you know how long the designer needs to complete your dream dress and get your order placed as early as possible. Its best to place your wedding gown order at least six months prior to your wedding day. Even if you’re buying off the rack, you will probably have to have your dress altered to fit you correctly. Make sure there’s enough time for alterations to be completed and any problems to be fixed before your wedding day.

4. In-House In-Laws

Unless you want all of your in-laws crowded into your guest room and sleeping on your couch the night before the wedding, make sure you’ve booked hotel rooms for everyone well before they’ll be needed. This ensures that you’ll have places for everyone to stay, especially in areas where hotel availability might be an issue.  Don’t let one of your pre-wedding mistakes result in too few rooms for too many guests.

5. Underestimating Attendance

Don’t invite too many people to your wedding and assume only some will show up. On average, 80% of those invited to weddings end up attending, meaning that you need to have a bit of a buffer and ensure your venue is large enough to accommodate everyone you invite. As surely as you assume that 20% of your guest list won’t attend, your turnout will end up being 90% or more. Making pre-wedding mistakes in estimating the number of guests can result in would-be attendees having to be refused entrance.

Being a good host for your wedding guests.

Being a good host for your wedding guests

Being Inconsiderate??
Yes, it’s your wedding, and your special daaaay. But you need to take other people into consideration as well. After all, a good host puts others needs front and center. Think about what you are asking. Is what you need the wedding party to do fair? Have you been clear about your expectations about level of commitment? Will your guests be forced to stand around for over an hour while you take pictures? Will they be comfortable in the weather or have you thought to provide bottles of water, fans, and/or wraps and heaters? Do guests know what to expect? Are you planning your wedding for a holiday weekend when most of your in-town guests wish they could get out of town?

Keep these little things in mind and also that, while it’s a day for you and your new spouse, it’s also polite and expected to remember the guests with whom you’ve decided to celebrate this amazing occasion.