What NOT to do when planning your wedding

I spend plenty of time talking about what you should do and should ask when planning your wedding, but there is also a host of items you should avoid doing when planning as well. This is equally important and can save you time, money and sanity.


1) Don't lose sight of your budget - The most important element in planning is budget. Every decision should start and end with budget if you want to stay on track. As you plan items from catering to favors, always think about how the cost plays into your overall budget. Spending is easy, it's keeping in your cost guidelines that hard.

2) Don't view venues out of your budget - It's nice to dream, but if you visit wedding venues that are out of your budget reach you're doing more damage than good. Don't set yourself up for disappointment or a constant "if only I had..." attitude. There are plenty of beautiful venues in all sorts of budget ranges. If you spend all your time looking at what you wish you could have, you may miss out on the perfect venue that you know you could have. Not to mention, it is costing the venue rep their time as well. On that note, don't interview any vendor who is out of your price range - that's time you can spend finding one who is in your price range!

3) Don't get lost in bridal magazines - I love bridal magazines, but what a lot of them don't tell you is that most of them showcase weddings that are out of the average bride's price tag. Or they feature vendors in the industry who were able to get a great discount on a big wedding. They are a great inspiration, but trying to recreate what is pictured may result in you breaking #1 on this list.  These magazines are centered around advertising and getting you to spend more. Glance, look, indulge in eye candy but don't let them run your wedding or your budget.

4) Don't forget to ask your friends and co-workers for advice - You have a great resource on hand that's free so use it! Ask your friends what they enjoyed, what they would change and what registry items they actually use. You don't have to choose their photographer, but maybe they learned some great questions to ask while interviewing them. Even if you hated everything about their wedding, you should still pick their brains. You never know what piece of information or handy tip you can pull out!