5 Things I Would Have Done Differently For My Wedding
My wedding will always hold a very special place in my heart. I was married on June 4th of 2016, one of the hottest days of the year where I am from. It was the day I chose to spend the rest of my life with a man I never knew that I would ever, actually meet. We met completely unexpectedly, but I can go into that another time. Like every girl who dreams about their wedding, I had everything pretty much planned out to a "T" on my secret Pinterest board... Funny to look back and see that it was nothing like I had originally planned (due to budget, our budget, and more budget).
There were so many things that I loved and put my heart into for my wedding. I did plan the majority of it, with some very last-minute help from my mother. However, there are some details I would have done completely differently looking back. Here are my five things I would have done differently for my wedding.
1. The Guest List
The guest list I had finalized ended up being a few close friends and family, on top of an enormous list of people I didn't really know too well. Some of them I barely remember being at my wedding at all! There are some people I would have most definitely cut, a small number of people my grandparents were allowed to invite, and some people that I wish I had invited. Remember Brides; this day is about you, and you need to make sure you are surrounded by the people who love you and care about you the most.
2. The Venue
The venue I ended up choosing was nothing like I had first imagined. A big part of why it was picked was our budget; it was one of the least expensive options we had. This venue included all tables, chairs, catering, table coverings that matched my colors. It seemed like a dream that everything was included! I wanted a morning wedding (which helped with the price of food) and the Chef agreed to the menu I had requested. The only thing that really got on my nerves was the customer service I received. The banquet manager was more interested in listening to what my Grandmother wanted for the wedding than she did me. As much as I had emailed her on my own, she still leaned towards what my elders were wanting. It was extremely frustrating. On top of that, they tacked on extra costs for them not preparing the proper amounts of beverages for the number of people I had said would be attending the wedding. It might seem like nit-picking everything that had gone wrong, but as the bride who spent almost two years trying to perfect her wedding, the details mean a lot. Especially since we paid for nearly all of it ourselves. I definitely should have been more firm with what I wanted, and bolted at the first sign of the banquet manager not honoring my requests.
3. The Florist
I won't even go into the full details about how awful my florist was on the day of my wedding, I will save that for another rant post. Worst customer service. Worse than Comcast. He'd been our family florist for over 30 years and he almost ruined my wedding day for me. Find a florist who listens to you, and gives you plenty of previews to what your flowers will look like on you wedding day. My florist never gave me that kind of consultation and it was one of my biggest regrets.
4. The Photographer
I picked my photographer literally a month before the wedding, It was such short notice, and a big factor why it made the list. I loved the photographer's work prior to my wedding. They mostly shot action sports (my first mistake) and a few weddings. I had wanted very warm lighting, no flash photography as we were in a ballroom and I knew it could cause some funky shadows. When I finally got my USB, only 300 of the 3,000 images that were taken were the lighting I had hoped for. Almost every photo was taken with a flash and it ruined the pictures. Definitely not worth the money I had spent. Something I wish I would have done was look more into his portfolio and talk with a few of the brides he had shot recently. Research is huge for a wedding. Do as much of it as you can!
5. Asking For Help
This has to be my number one thing I wish I had done. I was so full of pride of paying for the wedding ourselves and planning it (almost) on my own, that I didn't ask for help. It stressed me out so badly that I almost cancelled the wedding entirely. There was so much more than I knew that goes into planning a wedding. I had no idea that my entire family was willing to help, if only I had asked. Your family and friends (at least the ones who really are there for you) are willing to help out with anything! They want to help you along this journey to married life, you just have to ask.
I hope this helped some of you brides out there! Leave a comment below and let me know what you would (or wouldn't have!) changed about your wedding day; I'd love to know!
This is it for now.
I hope you all have a lovely week!
Tootles,
~ Izzy