Your wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days in your life… but all too often, couples find themselves so stressed out by planning it they almost wish they’d eloped. Here are 5 of the biggest mistakes brides-to-be and grooms-to-be make when planning their wedding and how to avoid them.
- Failing to Budget
Weddings costs can easily run away with you if you’re not careful, so set a 
spending maximum in advance and make sure to respect it. From the cake to the wedding DJ, to smaller items like shoes and accessories, make a list of everything you’d like to include and how much you can realistically spend on it. Then stick to that number. You don’t want to start off your life together in debt.
- Trying to Please Everyone
Friends and family will have plenty of opinions about what they think your wedding should be like, but you’re under no obligation to listen or defer to any of them. You don’t have to invite people just because your parents want you to, or have a big church wedding because it will please your in-laws. This is your big day, and you deserve to make it the day you and your partner want.
- Getting Caught Up in Other People’s Drama
Your mom and dad are separated and won’t speak to each other. Your Uncle Joe always cracks inappropriate jokes. Your cousin used to date your work friend and now things are weird between them. Weddings throw together many different people from different circles in your life, and they won’t always get along. The trick to a successful wedding is to not let yourself getting sucked into the drama.
If anyone starts to pick a fight or cause a scene, send your best man or maid of honor over to politely intervene. You can’t change people, and you can’t make them act the way you want them to, but you can refuse to let their drama ruin your day.
- Not Asking for Help
Trying to do everything yourself is the surest way to a pre-wedding breakdown. There are lots of little moving pieces involved in planning a wedding, so don’t hesitate to lean on friends and family to help you. That’s what they’re there for. Maybe your mom is a gardener and would love handling the floral arrangements. Maybe your best man can worry about paying vendors on the day of so you can sit back and relax. Don’t be afraid of delegating. And, most importantly, make sure to include your partner in the planning!
- Wanting Everything to Be Perfect
Of course you want your big day to be beautiful, memorable and everything you
ever dreamed it would be. But you also need a healthy dose of realism and humor. Something inevitably will go wrong. It might be something small, like the ushers forgetting to hand out your programs, or it may be something big, like your lovely garden ceremony getting rained out. Whatever happens, be prepared to roll with it and remember that the most important thing is that you and your loved ones are together to celebrate this special day. Everything else is just details.