Couples getting married today do their best to start the planning process on the right foot. However, many mistakes are made because they haven’t planned a wedding before. They won’t necessarily know the ins and outs of all the thousands of steps it takes to ensure that their wedding will go off without a hitch. In this 2-part series, we will cover the most common mistakes that couples make. Here are the first 4.
Mistake #1 - Not Hiring a Certified Wedding Planner First One of the biggest mistakes that engaged couples make in their wedding planning process is booking their wedding planner after the venue and other vendors. Hiring a Certified Wedding Planner should be the first step for every couple as they start to plan their big day. A Certified Wedding Planner can assist you in the venue search. There are many variables that can go into making sure you pick the right venue for your wedding day, such as:
Guest count and the space capacity at your venue; including not only space for your guests, but also your dance floor, bar, cake, food tables, band/DJ space, etc.
Services and amenities
Pricing of what’s included and what will cost you extra
Your Certified Wedding Planner will have all of these variables in mind when making venue suggestions for you. They will tell you upfront if the venue space will work for your guest count, style, and budget, or whether it is best to look elsewhere.
Mistake #2 - Not Determining Your Wedding Budget
Creating your wedding budget is one of the most important steps in wedding planning. While it may seem stressful and confusing, having an idea of what to spend on your wedding day is needed in order to start the wedding planning fun.
Your Certified Wedding Planner will assist you in the creation of your budget.
The earlier a newly-engaged couple can book a Certified Wedding Planner, the better their wedding budget will be.
Your Certified Wedding Planner is able to break down a couple’s overall wedding budget in relation to their guest count to offer guidance on what range they should stay in for each vendor and service.
Your Certified Wedding Planner will work with you in determining your top wedding priorities and give you advice on how to allocate your funds based on what is most important to you.
Mistake #3 - Hiring a Friend Instead of a Wedding Professional
Many couples think hiring a family member or friend is a good way to help save money, but an inexperienced friend can make mistakes on your wedding day that end up costing you in more ways than monetarily.
Your Certified Wedding Planner will help you create a dream team of wedding vendors that are within your budget.
Your Certified Wedding Planner will work directly with you in determining vendors that fit your style, personality & budget.
Your Certified Wedding Planner has already done the hard work and research for you.
CWP's have already vetted all the vendors on their vendor list by reading their reviews, interviewing them, and learning more about their services. Most importantly, they have also seen these vendors in action on a wedding day.
CWP's know that a professional will deliver the top-notch experience and service you will need for your wedding day that a friend or family member might not be able to reliably provide.
There are many other roles your friends and family can play on your wedding day other than working. You can ask them to do a reading during the ceremony, give toasts during the reception, or even hire them to help with your pre-wedding events such as your wedding shower.
Hiring a professional team of wedding vendors will allow your family and friends to actually enjoy the day and be guests at your wedding.
Mistake #4 - Not Booking Your Vendors in the Correct Order
The order in which you book your wedding vendors can greatly impact your wedding planning process. As we mentioned earlier, hiring your Certified Wedding Planner before anyone else is the best first step. However, if you are engaged now and have already started planning without hiring your planner, go ahead and add “hiring a Certified Wedding Planner” to your checklist now.
Your Certified Wedding Planner will provide you with a detailed checklist that includes when you should hire each of your wedding professionals.
Your Certified Wedding Planner knows which vendors in your area get booked up the quickest and can guide you on who to reach out to next.
Certain details may need to be solidified and other vendors may need to be booked before moving onto the next.
For example, you'll have a difficult time securing any vendors if you don't have a firm wedding date, which is why the ceremony and reception venues need to be booked early in the planning process. Your venue determines your date.
Another example would be securing your rentals. It can be challenging to complete a rental order before you've hired a caterer, because you wouldn’t be clear on their needs, nor on what the caterer already provides.
Your Certified Wedding Planner will work directly with you to ensure you are on track with the wedding planning process and securing your vendors in a timely manner, in the correct order.