Real Advice from Real Brides: My 7 Don't Dos For Planning Your Perfect Day

Good morning lovely readers –
I was just sitting here thinking about how lucky I am. I opened up my laptop to do some “work” this morning which basically meant typing “weddings” into Pintrest and do a little “research” over a cappuccino (yes I love air quotes how did you guess?) – ahh life is good my friends life is good.
While I was doing my research (i.e. very hard work) I started to realize that most of the ideas and inspiration you find online are for what you can and should do while planning your wedding but very little to say what you should avoid. Okay I don’t mean to be negative nancy here BUT hindsight is a wonderful thing and I feel like I learned SO much even planning just a small wedding in Dubai. There are so many pitfalls us brides find it easy to fall into so I thought why not put together my “must not dos” and hopefully you learn from my mistakes 🙂

I must not…
Forget the paperwork...seriously this is the only thing you actually need to be able to get married! Get it organised well in advance  – these things tend to take time and can sometimes be a little complicated so save yourself the stress and start early – and lock it away somewhere safe until you need it 🙂
Take everyone’s opinions too seriously…if you’re a people pleaser like me you’ll know how easy it is to get influenced by what everyone else says around you. All of a sudden someone saying “do you not think you should be doing this?” or “oh I thought you would have wanted this” can hurl you into a state of panic. My advice – listen with love but remember that this is your day and it is about what YOU want and you don’t have to defend your decisions. A polite “thank you for sharing” will suffice.
Get stressed out about the little details…yes of course the candles and the flowers and your nail colour is important BUT when it gets to the point when you’re on the verge of a mini-breakdown over whether to go with the pink or the lighter pink then it’s time to take a step back and remember what it’s all about i.e. you saying your vows to the person you love most in the world. Plus the finer details are what Joelle is there to worry about (www.lovelystyling.com, just sayin’).
Panic over the budget…weddings are expensive. That being said, there are plenty of ways to get round the bigger expenses (and we are here to help you with that!) and if you go a little over it’s not the end of the world. My advice is pick the three things that are most important to you whether it be the dress, the DJ, the food or what not and focus on those. That way when you’re paying off those bills you can say to yourself with satisfaction that you really got what you wanted 🙂
Forget about your groom…I’m not saying he’s going to be most vocal when it comes to choosing between tulips and lilies but it is easy to forget that this is his day too. At least it was for me! Because I only had 3 months to plan my wedding in Dubai I got so consumed in the planning and I wish I had devoted a little more time to enjoying the build up with my hubby-to-be. I definitely felt like it was my job to get it all done myself and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had involved Patrick more in the process.
Leave your beauty prep to the last minute…spray tan goes awry or your stylist picks the wrong colour for your highlights? Eeek no thanks! Get this in nice and early so you enjoy the days leading up to your big day feeling b-e-a-uuuutiful!
Stay up too late on the night before your wedding…okay this is totally up to you but I really really really appreciated being in bed by 10pm the night before my wedding. I know I’m so sad. But just remember it’s such a huge day and you want to feel fresh fresh exciting.
One idea I had for my big wedding in the States was to do a rehearsal lunch at one of the gorgeous wineries in New Jersey where everyone can mingle in the afternoon. That then frees me up to have a quiet evening and the guests can carry on the party if they want to!
Well there you have it. What do you think? Is there anything you would change about planning your wedding? We would love to share with you here on MLW 🙂
With love from your bride-to-be,
Amy