Four Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Part Four

This is Part Four in a series. To read Parts One - Three, click here.

It's time for the last mistake in this series. I hope these posts have been helpful for you!

Mistake #4: Not Hiring A Videographer

When I polled my married friends about their biggest wedding planning regret, this was the one that came up the most often. Probably because hiring a videographer is not something that most people do. Yes, it can be a costly addition to the wedding budget, but it is something that you will treasure always. They day flies by in such a blur, and it is such a gift to be able to watch a video of it on your anniversary, or whenever you feel like reliving the day. I love to watch the video of my wedding with Miguel. I barely remember the day because it was so hectic, and the video allows me to travel back in time to those oh so important moments.

How To Avoid This Mistake

This one is simple: hire a videographer! Are you unsure who to hire? Start with your photographer. Chances are they have a list of amazing videographers they would love to recommend. I know I do! This may seem like an unneeded added expense at first, but I can assure you it is one you will NOT regret! But you might just regret not hiring one.

Are you looking for an Orlando Wedding Photographer for your Central Florida wedding? Click here to contact us today.

The Four Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Part Three

This is Part Three in a series. To read Parts One & Two, click here.

Last week, we covered how to avoid doing too much DIY. This week, we'll discuss a mistake that is near and dear to my heart

Mistake #3: Skimping on the Photographer

One of my favorite things to do when I visit my grandmother is look at through all of her photo albums and at all the pictures on her walls. Her home is covered in them, and they tell the story of her life. The story of my mother's life. The story of our family. Photographs are SO SO SO important to pretty much everyone I know. This is why it is of the utmost importance that you hire a competent photographer with a style you LOVE to capture the biggest day of your life to date.

These images will last forever. They will be a tangible way for you to look back on your wedding day for years to come. You will show your wedding photos to your children and your grandchildren for the rest of your life. 

Why then would you trust the capturing of those photos to a rookie? Or even worse: the cell phone of your friends and family?

How To Avoid This Mistake

Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, hire an excellent wedding photographer! And even more important, make sure you love the photos you see on their website. Ask to see a full gallery so you know what to expect from every part of the day. The photos of this day are priceless. They are too important to trust to someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

Next week we'll deal with Mistake #4, so make sure to check back in!

Are you looking for an Orlando Wedding Photographer for your Central Florida wedding? Click here to contact us today.

The Four Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Part Two

This is Part Two in a series. To read Part One, click here.

Last week, we talked about how to handle it when family tries to have too much say. This week is more about when you try to put too much on your plate.

Mistake #2: Doing Too Much Yourself

Listen, I get it. Weddings are EXPENSIVE! Gorgeous florals? Expensive. Excellent photographer? Expensive. Dinner for 150 people? Expensive! Weddings are also a once-in-a-lifetime event, and taking on too much can make them so much more stressful than they need to be. 

My mother and I did the centerpieces for my wedding ourselves after getting the quote back from the florist and deciding that was way too much money. But you know what? We could have easily recovered that money from other parts of the day (We had FOUR different favors! FOR 200 GUESTS!) and had the expert do the flowers. And they would have been so much more beautiful than the hodgepodge of things we came up with.

When you leave the entirety of decorating up to you and your entourage, it makes for a VERY busy morning of. You should be relaxing and enjoying being pampered the morning of your wedding, not sweating your booty off trying to finish everything in time.

How To Avoid This Mistake

Hire the professionals. Start with a wedding planner. Trust me when I say that wedding planners are 100% WORTH IT. They save you so much headache and heartache, and they make your day flow like a dream. They also know what they are doing and how to keep you from making a huge mistake with your planning.  

Hire a florist for the centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and ceremony decor. Hire a calligrapher for the wedding invitations. Hire a DJ for the music. 

Need ideas of where to cut corners so you can hire the pros you need? Start with serving only wine and beer. People will still have a good time, I promise! Have your escort cards do double duty as favors, or forgo favors all together. Choose the cheaper dinner options. No one will really care that they didn't get filet mignon at your wedding. Just make sure they're fed!

Saving the money is usually not worth the added stress.

Next week we'll tackle Mistake #3, so be sure to come back!

Are you looking for an Orlando Wedding Photographer for your Central Florida wedding? Click here to contact us today.

The Four Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Part One

Recently I polled my married friends to ask them what their biggest regrets were when planning their wedding. If they could do it all over again, what would they do differently? I got a few surprising answers (one wished she hadn't worn a veil), but a lot of people put the same things. 

1) Letting family have too much say.

2) Doing too much themselves.

3) Not investing enough (or any at all) in their wedding photos.

4) Not hiring a videographer.

Notice that no one said they wished they'd spent more on their food, or that they'd had top shelf liquor, or that they'd hired a band instead of a DJ. Why is that? Because those things do not impact how you remember the day for the rest of your life. 

When the wedding day is over, when all is said and done, you will have your memories, your photographs, and your video. The flowers will die, the food will have been eaten, and the venue will move on to their next couple. 

Over the course of the next four weeks, I will break down these four biggest wedding mistakes and how to avoid them. First up: Letting Family Have Too Much Say.

Mistake #1: Letting Family Have Too Much Say

This is one a lot of people private messaged me about. Probably because they didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings if they saw the comment on my post. This is also mine and Miguel's biggest regret. When it comes time to plan your wedding, suddenly everyone has an opinion. My mom insisted we have the wedding 100% indoors (I always dreamed of an outdoor wedding in the Fall), my father wanted a top shelf liquor bar (Miguel and I were planning on beer and wine). Before I knew it, the wedding we had was the polar opposite of the wedding we wanted. This was a theme with my friends: they let their family take over. 

How to Avoid This Mistake

Give the people who are really important to you one specific task that is all theirs. Maybe your mother would really love to DIY the favors. Maybe your sister would have a ton of fun putting together a playlist for the DJ. Pick a relatively small task and make it theirs. This will help them to feel super involved with the planning while leaving you free to make the decisions on the things that really matter to you.

Stay tuned to read more about the number two mistake next week.

Are you looking for an Orlando Wedding Photographer for your Central Florida wedding? Click here to contact us today.