Planning your wedding can be very overwhelming. A lot of the time you are probably going to struggle to stay on top of the numerous big issues you need to finalize, as well as the small details that are just as important.
In all the chaos, it is natural that you may overlook some things. And while sometimes that is easy to rectify, at others times it could send things spiraling out of control.
To make sure that doesn’t happen, here are 6 things people often forget but really shouldn’t when planning a wedding:
Prepare for Bad Weather
Strong winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms, snowstorms, wildfires and other types of bad weather can delay travel, make outdoor venues unsuitable, and cause other disruptions.
The recent California wildfires, for example, would have disrupted travel not only in the Palisades but also Solvang wedding venues and other nearby locations.
That is why it is important that you don’t forget to prepare for bad weather – just in case. Make a backup plan, talk to your venue about alternative sites, purchase wedding insurance, and stay on top of weather conditions as the big day approaches so you can react quickly.
Update Your Wedding Website
A wedding website is a fantastic way to put all the information that your guests may need in a single location. However it’ll turn out to be pretty useless if you don’t update it regularly.
Always add any and all relevant information to your wedding website. Check that it has a link to your gift registry, directions to the venue, hotel room block information, public transport options, your wedding timeline, the weather forecast for the day, and anything else your guests may want to know.
Add Some Cushion to Your Budget and Deadlines
The two things that you can almost certainly expect to happen are: Unexpected hidden costs, and equally unexpected delays.
No matter how carefully you plan you will likely run into both these things, which is why you should never forget to add some cushion to your budget and deadlines. Typically you’ll want a cushion of at least 5% to 10% of your total budget, and you’ll have to look at your deadlines on a case by case basis.
For example, if you’re ordering a custom wedding dress you’ll want at least a 3 month cushion for fittings and alterations.
Overtime Policies
Before signing the contract, talk to each vendor about their overtime policies, and whether there’ll be an additional charge. Because you can expect there to be unexpected delays, the last thing you want is to be hit with exorbitant overtime charges when it happens.
Most vendors such as the venue and photographer will have extended hours available. Some may require an additional charge, in which case you may want to reevaluate the time requirement and pad it accordingly so you don’t go over.
Assign Someone to Gather and Store Gifts
Trivial as it may seem, assigning someone to gather and store gifts is more important than you might realize. The person you choose needs to be responsible as they’ll need to collect gifts, store them in a safe location, and then deliver them to you afterwards.
Seeing as some guests may give you expensive gifts or cash, it is very important that the person in charge is someone you trust explicitly and is able to stay on top of things.
Choose a Wedding Photo Wrangler
A wedding photo wrangler is someone in charge of gathering people to take posed wedding photos. Forgetting this role can lead to chaos on the day itself as your photographer isn’t likely to be familiar enough with your guests to do it.
The person you choose should be someone close enough to you and your partner that they know the important people in your life and can easily identify them. Aside from wrangling guests, they should be available to point out important people to your photographer.
Conclusion
Forgetting any of these things could have a big impact on your wedding day. To make sure you don’t, be sure to add them to your checklist and make it a point to go over it thoroughly as your wedding day approaches – just to be safe.
