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Even the smartest, most
on-top-of-things couple can make mistakes during wedding planning. Here
are the 10 things you should keep an eye on before saying I do.
1. Blowing off your budget.
It costs a lot of money to throw a wedding. Excited brides start
booking vendors and making purchases without having a real budget and then are
shocked to discover they've already spent all of their money (or parents' money)
and don't yet have half the things they need. If you bounce checks or don't have
the money to pay your deposits or make your final payments on the wedding day,
your wedding will not happen. Trust us -- the band is not going to play all
night if you don't pay. Planning a wedding is serious business. Make a budget
and keep track of your expenditures so you won't be walking naked down the
aisle.
2. Messing up the marriage license.
There are so many rules surrounding marriage licenses that brides
are always botching up this one. For instance, if you get your license 61 days
before your wedding in Pennsylvania, you won't be able to legally marry on your
wedding day because a license is valid there for only 60 days. Go to obtain your
license the day before your wedding, and you may not get it in time because some
states have a three-day waiting period. A common mess-up for those marrying for
a second time is not bringing official divorce papers when you go to get the
certificate.
3. Ordering your wedding gown too late.
If your heart is set on a couture gown, be sure to order by the
six-month mark since your dress will be custom-made and, many times,
made overseas. In addition, most off-the-rack dresses will require
alterations, so make certain that you have enough time to get the gown
fitted properly. You'll want to leave plenty of time for shipping and
for your fittings. The same goes for the bridesmaid dresses.
4. Booking hotel rooms too late.
Brides often leave blocking out hotel rooms for out-of-town guests until
the last minute. If you're marrying during a busy time and you don't
investigate hotel availability in advance, you can end up with literally
not a single room for your guests to stay. Your wedding will go on --
but no one will be able attend. Reserve rooms as early as possible.
Begin your research up to year in advance, and make sure your block is
booked at the eight-month mark. Be sure to include hotel information in
your save-the-date cards or invitations. This doesn't mean you will have
to pay for the rooms, you are just setting them aside -- your guests can
put down their credit cards when they call to book their rooms.
5. Inviting too many guests.
Make sure your guest list and your reception site capacity match up
numbers-wise. You can't invite 400 people assuming only 250
will accept,
because if you end up with 300 acceptances, you may have to turn 50
guests away at the door. Most reception sites can't just add 10 more
tables -- fire laws limit the maximum number of people allowed in any
room at one time. Analyze your guest list from the get-go, assume 80%
will respond yes, and limit your guest list accordingly.
6. Partaking in last-minute beauty treatments and crash diets.
Many brides think that scheduling a facial the day before the wedding
will leave their skin looking angelic on their big days. Thinking of
tanning the day before your wedding? Think again: you may end up with
blisters instead of sun-kissed skin. Last-minute beauty treatments can
lead to breakouts, mistakes or, even worse, serious infections. Same
goes for crash dieting in the weeks leading up to the wedding -- after
all those gown fittings, your dress may not fit! Stick to a long-term
beauty regimen with lots of rest, a good diet, and safe over-the-counter
beauty products like sunless tanners. Save the heavy-duty beauty
treatments for at least two weeks before the big day or you could risk
ruining all the hard work you've done to make your wedding -- and your
photos -- perfect (never mind putting your health and happiness at risk
for the most important day of your life)!
7. Underpaying invitation postage.
You'd be surprised how many brides just stick a regular stamp on their
invites and drop the whole batch into a mailbox. All but a few wedding
invitations require additional postage -- sometimes up to .55 cents. The
postal service will not take pity on you -- your invites will be
returned, rubber-stamped with that ugly "insufficient postage" sign, and
it will take at least three weeks (never mind the additional $$) to get
those invitations back out the door. Get one invitation weighed -- at
the post office -- before purchasing your stamps. Note: square
invitations require additional postage not only because of the weight
but the shape -- so don't try to figure this out by yourself.
8. Ignoring religious restrictions.
Inappropriate attire for the church or temple, or skipping the pre-canae,
may keep your officiant from marrying you when the big day comes around.
Take your religious restrictions seriously. To avoid any day-of
disasters, be sure to meet with your officiant within one month of
getting engaged. Your house of worship may perform ceremonies only on
specific days, so settle on a date with your clergyman before you start
to book vendors and put down deposits. Be sure to ask him or her about
religious rules, such as: Do you need to complete a pre-cana course? Can
you write your own vows? Do you need to cover your shoulders? Is secular
music permitted?
9. Trying to go it alone.
If you are a bride lucky enough to have been offered help by friends
or family members, by all means take it! Too many brides try to do it all -- and
this isn't a good idea. Delegate and use all the resources that are available to
you. Our website offer lots of
help and information on different topics. When people offer to assist
-- like your mom, your future mother-in-law, or your best friend -- find
something for them to do, like researching a vendor or addressing
invitations. On that note, it's important to keep in mind that these
volunteers are not hired help -- be sure that you accept their
contributions graciously.
10. Forgetting to focus on what's important.
Keep in mind that you are getting married and starting a life together,
not just planning a wedding. Brides, be good to your grooms. And
grooms, be good to your brides! Some tension between the two of you (and
among members of your family) is inevitable due to the sticky topics
that weddings stir up, but don't ever let things get out of control.
Remember why you decided to take this leap in the first place!
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