No wedding is planned without a few hiccups. Planning from afar adds to the likelihood that there will be a small wedding planning mistake or two. Avoid five common wedding mistakes with these simple solutions.
Mistake: Choosing a date based only on your own preference.
Solution: Check your desired date on a local calendar in your desired location.
Most likely, your first-choice wedding date will work out just fine. However, local festivals and religious holidays could make traveling to and from your ceremony location and hiring local vendors difficult. If you’re getting married in a popular tourist destination, reference your neighborhood’s school schedules as well. Arriving at your destination at the same time as tons of families on break is probably not how you imagined your wedding.
Mistake: Disregarding travel logistics while planning wedding details.
Solution: Pack strategically and choose your details based on how much you can travel with.
This is most important when choosing your wedding dress. Your dress will need to be transported as a carry-on item (or risk it getting delayed or even lost). This will most likely influence the style of your dress. The same is true for other wedding details, including décor elements you would rather source at home or DIY.
Mistake: Trying to plan every detail of your wedding from afar.
Solution: Hire an experienced wedding planner who speaks the local language.
There are some elements of your wedding the you and your future spouse should have complete control over. Some details, like a planning timeline and communicating changes, can be taken care of by a wedding planner who lives in the destination you’ve chosen. Their proximity and experience will make the investment well worth it.
Mistake: Arriving at your destination for your wedding without seeing it in person beforehand.
Solution: Visit your ceremony and reception sites at least once before your wedding.
Seeing your venue in person at least once, if not two or three times, helps you plan for your wedding day. It’s much easier to work out contract details with vendors and make sure your wedding planner shares your vision in person. This is an ideal time to do trial runs with any local hair or makeup artists as well.
Mistake: Keeping guests in the dark about your destination details.
Solution: Send your invitations early to give your guests time to plan.
You’ve been planning your wedding for what seems like eternity, but don’t assume your guests know what is expected of them. Send save the dates up to a year in advance and invitations two to three months before your wedding, instead of the standard six to eight weeks before the big day.
Both your save the dates and invitations should have plenty of details to help your guests plan, as well as link to your wedding website (or the venue’s website) with complete information about booking their trip.
