Keep Clear of These Five BIG Pre-Wedding Mistakes

by: Michael Kabel

They're the kind of mistakes that happen even to the best wedding planners and conscientious brides. They probably even seem small at first. But left unsupervised, these little problems can snowball into even bigger dilemmas down the line - and nobody wants that!

Presented below are five tragically common wedding planning mistakes and how to avoid them. They may not necessarily happen to you (we hope they don't) but you deserve to be prepared just the same.

You can't fight - or flee - from City Hall.

It's an important detail that some couples often forget, since it's "removed" from the whirl of wedding and reception decoration detail. Just the same, marriage licenses and blood tests are not just necessary - they're mandatory under law.

The good news is they don't take much time or money away from your schedule. While it's true that some states allow unlicensed marriages as a form of common law marriage, a license makes your marriage officially legal.

You can learn more about marriage licenses by reading our article "Permission To Wed," located here: /collections/marriage-licenses.

Never put anything off – ever!

It's tough to juggle wedding planning with work and all the other responsibilities, but you can't let things slide until the last minute, either. Working well in advance not only lets you fix problems as they arise but gives you time to change your mind, too.

Sit down and budget your time, figuring out what's going to require the most investment and what's more or less already in the bag. Determine what items or services need advance deposits and reservations, and what needs advance preparation. Take the biggest problems down first, then clean up the small stuff.

Plan on ordering the big-ticket items - especially the gown - six months in advance.

Budget blowout

There's probably no worse feeling in the wedding planning process than the cold dread that arises when the money runs out.

Weddings are expensive - nobody's even trying to pretend otherwise. But spending all the money at once or forgetting to record payments and deposits can send your whole event into confusion. While caterers, musicians, and event staffers are a dedicated, hardworking group, they're not volunteers either. They got to get paid.

Don't take a break on the honeymoon.

Brides and amateur wedding planners sometimes put the honeymoon plans on the back burner while they focus on the deluge of wedding planning details. But planning the honeymoon is just as complex and challenging as planning a dream vacation.

You can streamline your honeymoon planning by buying a vacation package, which includes transportation and hotel costs from a travel agency. Or, do all your shopping and trip planning online and get the lowest possible costs.

Don't forget to get all passport and traveling documentation set well before the departure date, too.

Keep your wedding party in the loop.

Your wedding party is there to help you! Most brides sometimes think of their bridesmaids and maid of honor as VIP guests that arrive for the rehearsal dinner. But by custom and definition, they're supposed to help with the wedding details. Don't be afraid to delegate responsibility to them, and don't be ashamed to ask for their help.