The process of planning a party is inevitably chaotic. But save yourself from making a few big wedding planning mistakes.

1. Jumping into wedding planning before figuring out your budget & guest list

Budgets aren’t the most glamorous part of wedding planning, but nothing can grow in cost like a wedding if you’re not careful. Please start your married life on stable footing and be intentional about where your money goes.

Before you jump into the details, sit down with your fiancé and decide approximately how many people you want to be there with you on your special day. The size of the guest list will impact the size of the venue, how much of your budget needs to spent on food, and many many more wedding things. Once you know how many guests to expect, you’ll be better prepared to start planning all the details!

Click here to read the first steps to wedding planning!

2. Doing everything yourself

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. And your wedding is going to be a lot more enjoyable if you don’t try to! There are multiple vendors to hire with care because they can take much responsibility off your shoulders. Hiring an experienced wedding planner can track details, vendors, and timelines so that you can focus on the fun stuff. Hiring an experienced photographer ensures that you get plenty of great photos as efficiently as possible. And hiring a great DJ/MC can keep the reception flowing well.

You can also reduce your wedding day stress by delegating tasks to your trust-worthy family and friends. This is a great way to get those closest to you involved in planning your day and help you feel calmer at the same time.

Click here to read 3 things a bride should delegate to someone else and 1 thing she can’t.

3. Not allowing enough time for photos

Your wedding day is going to be incredibly busy, but allowing plenty of time for wedding photos is the only way you can look (and feel) relaxed and beautiful in all your portraits. You want to make sure you don’t miss out on having plenty of options for the walls of your home later. Remember that your photographer is going to be capturing all of the personal details, your wedding party, family, and you and your fiancé. That’s a lot of photos to take and it takes time!

I highly recommend doing a first look so you can take plenty of gorgeous couple portraits without feeling rushed to join your wedding guests

-> Planning a wedding can be overwhelming! But I gotchu 😉 After going to so many weddings as a photographer, I’ve got plenty of recommendations. I made a guide breaking down each part of the wedding day for all my brides. And the best part? I’ll share it with you. Absolutely free! Click here