Wedding Choices That Will Haunt You Forever | Planning Advice for Tampa Brides and Grooms
YOU GUYS! October was SUCH a crazy month - we were so focused on maintaining this workload, that we have nooo time to blog. But we had the best intentions and the coolest title for this post so we could publish it around Halloween (hence the title). But you know what? We love it and these are some cold hard FACTS so we’re running with it, because this is the hard truth no matter the time of year!! :)
When planning a wedding, we all worry about making the “right” decision. But sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know! And that’s okay!
I am here to share with you wedding choices that we make (or don’t make) that will haunt you forever! This comes from being a former Bride myself, as well as being a full-time Wedding Photographer for over 5 years, with more than 250 weddings under our belts!
Because we have NO TIME to waste, here’s the full list right up front! Below we’ll talk about WHY!
Not booking enough coverage time/not adding time when it is needed
It rains, and you picked an all outdoor venue with no attractive indoor options
Having an uneven vendor team (more on what this means below!)
Not hiring a planner (and thinking your onsite venue coordinator is your planner)
Hiring an inexperienced videographer/not telling your photo team you will have one
Picking your wedding colors or attire too early/not giving your vendors creative license to interpret them
Taking time out of your day for wedding traditions that don’t mean anything to you (like bouquet/garter toss/not doing a First Look simply for tradition’s sake)
Not making it unique to you; infusing your personalities or extra fun things “just because you want to”
Having too big of a wedding party (and vs. a tiny venue)
Suiting not fitting properly
Okay, so let’s break this down:
Not having enough coverage time
The wedding day and a beautiful documentation of it go far beyond the formalities! In many cases, the Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, and Reception alone can be 6 hours of the day. While we do want to be there for your I Do’s, you mingling with guests at Cocktail Hour, and all of the festivities during the Reception, some of the best moments come from before your first kiss as a married couple! Photographing your details and candid moments with your closest friends and family, is one of our favorite times of the day. The hustle and bustle and emotion of it all...it helps to tell the story of YOU! The beginning of the day is your Chapter 1. :)
It rains, and you picked an all outdoor venue with no attractive indoor options
It’s Florida. Although that should be a ‘nuff said, mic drop sentence alone, it is 100% reality that mother nature can really ruin our hair and our plans. If you chose a venue that doesn’t have a pretty plan B (and don’t secure one) you could be in a world of hurt. It’s worth the search time to secure a venue that can accommodate gross weather just in case!
Having an uneven vendor team
What does this mean? Having an uneven vendor team means that you may have splurged on one or two awesome vendors, but hired an inexperienced Day-Of Coordinator, amateur DJ, or a Videographer who has never shot a wedding before.
And yes, these and SO MANY more are all situations we have experienced.
So why is this such an issue? It becomes a problem when you don’t have enough rock star vendors to handle anything the day throws their way. There is also so much that we do without even thinking or having to be asked...things that can only come from experience working with a vendor team! When selecting your vendors, have a really honest conversation with each other on what you ultimately value most. Then research the starting rates for solid vendors in that category, add up all of your vendors, and then make any edits to where your budget is going from there.
Following this process will save you from hiring vendors that have widely varying levels of skill and experience!
Not hiring a planner
You wouldn’t get on a yacht without the captain. And you shouldn’t attempt your wedding without a professional and experienced Planner. Not just a Venue Onsite Coordinator, but a Wedding Planner. And personally, we always recommend hiring at least Partial Planning, with Full Planning being ideal.
Why don’t we love Day-of Coordination? Well, these packages typically include your Coordinator reaching out to you within the month or two before the day. This is NOT enough time for them to help correct any bad vendor booking decisions, budget wasted, issues with timelines and transportation, etc.
The smoothest, most well-executed, and beautifully designed days happen with Full Planning. Take our word for it, we have seen this from all angles...250+ times over.
Hiring inexperienced videographer (read between the lines: cheap)
We LOVE working with videographers. Seriously, we do. We have so many that we love working with and recommend all the time!
...But we don’t love working with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, because it negatively affects YOUR DAY and the way we are able to capture it. A videographer that is always “in our shot” is a nightmare. One who doesn’t have the gear to stay out of the way, or simply doesn’t understand how a Wedding Day works and how to work with vendors. You want someone who knows what they’re doing and can work unobtrusively, while still getting those golden shots.
Picking your wedding colors or attire too early/not giving your vendors creative license to interpret them
This is especially true for your floral + design team! Instead of going with the first Pinterest color board you see, wait to make these decisions until you hire your planner! Your planner will help you dial down on what it is about those colors/the general vibe that you’re so drawn to! Then they can help you select a venue and vendor team that will speak to that very vibe!
The best thing you can do is take your time to research and find an incredible planner, one with a design aesthetic and personality that you feel gels with yours! They can then help you interpret that into a perfectly designed day from start to finish!
Doing wedding traditions that don’t matter to you
One of the best things you can do on your day is ditch basic, overdone traditions in favor of personal, meaningful, and intentional moments. If you love the bouquet toss, by all means, do it!! But if you hate it, ditch it! There are no rules! Tradition means nothing if it doesn’t resonate with you.
Having too big of a wedding party
Ohhhh goodness, guys. So listen. This year we have had some of the highest # of wedding party members that we have ever had. Here’s what we learned from it:
The threshold seems to be more than 6 people on each side
If you have 7+ in your group or more on each side, be very careful in your selection of hotels/Air BNBs. They need to match that number of people. You will need a location in which you can get large suites to accomodate that many people, and that much STUFF (I’m looking at you, Bridesmaids! :))!
Look for hotels that have large lobbies or other areas with plentyyy of space width-wise. This is just in case any wedding party photos need to be done at the hotel!
If having a large wedding party and kiddos in the wedding, we recommend they get ready in an adjacent room or offsite, as that many people around can get overwhelming for them. We want to make sure they’re happy and ready to go when we really need them excited to share in the day with you, like walking down the aisle, wedding party photos, and photos with you!
DO NOT (please let this soak in) choose a tiny venue if you’re wanting a large group of people standing with you as you say your I Do’s. If your venue is small, we recommend keeping your wedding party to 5 people or less, or consider having them take a seat during the vows.
With a large wedding party, you will simply need more time to take photos, get everyone’s attention, and move people from area to area. Because of this, when we know a couple has a lot of people in their wedding party, we add little buffers of time here and there just in case something runs behind!
Lastly, this is YOUR day, and you can ultimately do whatever the heck you want! From our experience, these are things we’ve learned through experience that help create the BEST images and most stress-free days from photographing wedding parties of 23+!
Suits not fitting properly
Oh goodness. If there is just ONE THING you could do, possibly even right now, to level-up the look of your day?…
...It’s making sure that any suiting is well tailored.Whether it’s the Groom, Bride, Groomsmen, the Fathers of the couple! Let me say that again...WELL tailored.
Just because you get a pant hemmed doesn’t mean you’ve achieved 007 levels. Your suiting needs to be fitted to you well at the shoulders, neck, waist, arm length, pant length, pant waist, and pant leg.
You will want to check how the fit looks in those specific areas. If things look too baggy or your jacket is not hitting you at the right place in the shoulders, it’s so important to take the extra time and money to make you look the BEST you have ever looked in a suit! You deserve it!
Plus, when you look good...you feel good!! And if there ever was a day to put in that extra effort, it’s your wedding day!