Real Brides Reveal “The Worst Wedding Planning Advice I Received”
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…opinions pouring in from everyone and anyone you know. While most unsolicited advice comes from a good place, it can be tough for a couple to stay true to their own wedding vision with constant input. Take it from these real brides who kindly took every bad piece of advice with a grain of salt and planned their best day ever.
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“The Details Don’t Matter”
Someone told me that “the details and the look of our wedding didn’t matter”. While I recognized that our marriage was THE most important part of the day, the details, flowers, favors and the overall feel of our wedding was important to me; both because I am a designer and desired a beautiful day for us to remember for years to come, and also because I wanted our guests to feel loved while they were there celebrating alongside us! While the details of your day are secondary to the promises you’re making to one another, they are still important.
-Michaela, married September 2016
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“The Necessary Rituals”
The worst advice any bride gets is that something is “necessary”. Whether it be your MIL telling you the candle ritual is necessary, or your wedding planner insisting on ‘the DJ everyone uses’, your wedding day is just that: YOUR wedding day. There are so many details that I thought were absolutely necessary (programs, favors, 3 menu choices) that ended up going unnoticed. I wish I would have known that those things didn’t really matter, and instead focused more on the things that my fiancé and I truly cared about.
-Chloe, married October 2015
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“Delay the Honeymoon”
The worst advice we ever received was to hold off on our honeymoon to save a bit of money for wedding costs. I am so glad we didn’t take that advice! Instead, we opted for a honeymoon cash fund for our registry and left a week after our wedding. It was the best vacation of our lives (so far) and I’m so glad we enjoyed it as newlyweds!
-Melissa, married July 2015
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“You’ll Regret This”
My hubs and I eloped, so while I didn’t receive a ton of “traditional” advice, I did receive my fair share of “You’ll regret this one day” and “Are you sure?” along the way. It can be hard to stay on course with the constant chatter of those who have been there before, but what I learned is this: do what’s right for you. In the end, if you stay true to yourselves, you’ll be happy. No matter what.
-Dawn, married July 2014
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“The Must + Need”
I came to learn that anytime someone started a sentence with “You must” or “You need to” it was most likely going to be some very unhelpful advice. We received plenty of odd looks and various comments when we told people we weren’t going to have bridesmaids or groomsmen but I’m so glad we didn’t let that affect us; it was personally a fantastic decision. Dismiss any of those “musts” and “haves” and focus on what feels right to you!