3 firm “DON’TS” when wedding planning

Wedding planning is full of lists. Timelines. Templates. Musts. Lots of things to do... what about some don'ts?

DON’T keep stalking the long-range weather forecast

I once knew a bride that picked her date after looking at long range average rainfall charts, as the day that historically the least rain fell. Crazy? No. Unusual? More common than you think! Everyone wants their day to be special and this normally involves that golden hour light and clear skies for photos.

But I promise you. Stalking the long-range weather forecast weeks and months out from your big day will do nothing but elevate stress levels.

Equally – DON’T refuse to have a wet weather back up plan if your wedding is outdoors. You are setting yourself up for failure, and a whole lotta stress on your big day. Rain is easily dealt with and all wedding vendors are quite used to it. Some photographers even prefer the more moody cloudy skies and you actually get more flexibility with shot placement as you don’t need to factor in blinding sunlight or shade spots.

However, if you haven’t got a plan in place, and rain does spoil the plans, you will adding a lot of stress for you and your guests – not to mention your vendors – on your wedding day.

DON’T break in new shoes on your wedding day

Hear me out. I am not saying DON’T buy new shoes! Of course you should get yourself some brand spanking new footwear for your foray down the aisle.

What I am saying is DON’T make the mistake of not breaking them in. Wear them with socks initially at home in the lead up to the wedding, or while making dinner etc. This will help make them ***slightly more comfortable on the big day – and the soles less slippery.

*** I cannot guarantee this will make them comfortable – but fingers crossed it will allow you more time on the d-floor pain free. I also promise it won’t make them any less special.

I actually ended up wearing a pair of heels I had worn as a bridesmaid on my wedding day. I figured I already knew I could go the whole distance in them!

NB: The above advice is 100% gender neutral! And applies to the entire Bridal Party.

DON’T let "SHOULD" feature in your wedding vocabulary

Last but definitely not least – when wedding planning, you should banish the word SHOULD.

I know, I know, I know… we end up should-ing all over the place. It’s easy to do. In the moment it may make us feel more magnanimous and conciliatory and amiable. But it can also lead to regret or wedding remorse.

What are you doing or including in your wedding that you feel the need to caveat with a should…?

For example, do you find yourself saying:

• We really should invite X & Y …

• I guess we should do the ___________ during the ceremony because Mum really wants to…

• I should ask Dad to give me away even though I don’t really feel I need to be “given”…

There are plenty…. They often stem from good intentioned advice, or from people wanting to help or caught up in the murky waters of how much control or influence someone gets if they are footing the bill.

But make sure any decisions you make is based on what you WANT, not what you SHOULD do. So every time you hear yourself say the word SHOULD, follow it up with “do I WANT to do this”. If the answer is no for both you and your partner, give it some serious consideration.