Enrique & María

DETAILS
When — May 2020
Where — Salt Lake City
Service — Full Planning

The 7 Wedding Planning Mistakes That Cost Couples Thousands(And How to Avoid Them)

Planning a wedding is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming once the quotes start coming in. Many couples begin the process thinking they have a clear budget and plan only to quickly discover hidden costs, logistical challenges, and vendor decisions they never anticipated.

As a wedding planner and hospitality professional based near Charlotte, I’ve seen how small planning mistakes can quickly turn into thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses.

The good news? Most of these mistakes are completely avoidable.

Here are seven of the most common wedding planning mistakes couples make — and how you can avoid them.

1. Booking a Venue Before Understanding the Full Budget

The venue is often the first thing couples book, but it’s also where budgeting mistakes begin.

Many venues only provide the space , which may sound like a dream to some. The ability to have a completely blank canvas to work with may be ideal for some but for a lot of couples it means you failed to realize that blank space means you may still need to hire every single person but also provide every single aspect that your day requires, which can quickly become overwhelming. You must consider that you have to find adequate resources for:

Catering: many couples love the idea setting up food tastings and having the freedom of choosing the perfect caterer and curating the perfect culinary experience. While others may seek the simplicity of choosing from a small selection or possibly one catering company that is apart of the venues preferred vendors. Just be aware that this may be a requirement which can in some cases be a huge sticker shock to a lot of couples and completely kill your budget.

Rentals: rentals are a necessity and depending on your location items like tables, chairs, linens and silverware may or may not be included. It’s important that you are aware of what is provided by the venue and what needs to be provided by you. Additionally you should also preview what the items look like. If your vision is a winter wonderland with beautiful white and silver Shiva chairs and your venue only provides black metal chairs with burgundy cushions you know you will have to budget for rentals.

Bar service: Bar service is another area where venue requirements can dramatically impact your budget. Some venues require you to use their in-house bar packages, while others allow outside alcohol but require licensed bartenders, insurance, mixers, ice, and glassware. What initially seems like a flexible option can quickly become one of the largest expenses once all of the required components are factored in.

Lighting: Lighting is often one of the most underestimated wedding expenses and often overlook when choosing a venue. A space may look absolutely beautiful during a daytime tour, but many venues require additional lighting once the sun goes down. Uplighting, bistro lights, candles, and specialty lighting for the dance floor can dramatically transform the atmosphere, but they also add another expense that couples may not initially anticipate.

• coordination

What initially seems like an affordable venue can quickly become one of the most expensive decisions.

Pro tip:

Always ask for a full estimated wedding cost breakdown before signing the venue contract.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.