weddings 101

5 Wedding Day Mistakes To Avoid

Posted by: Gerry Brown
July 1, 2014

Avoid embarrassing yourselves, upsetting guests and angering vendors on your wedding day by following these 5 wedding DOs and DON’Ts.

1. Don’t Forget Your Marriage License: My fiance and I totally forgot to bring our marriage license to our rehearsal at the church the night before our out-of-town wedding. The minister was not impressed (she had reminded us to bring it a gazillion times), and we had to send a relative back to the hotel to get it for us. So embarrassing! It’s easy to forget details–even important ones like this–when it’s so close to the big day, so make sure you put your license somewhere that you’ll remember to bring it. You might want to make arrangements with your officiant to bring the license prior to the rehearsal.

2. Don’t Over-Celebrate: This might go without saying, but over-imbibing on a wedding day is more common than you may think. A lack of sleep, high excitement levels and probably not much food on your wedding day means that it doesn’t take much alcohol to make a bride feel tipsy. We’re not saying you can’t have a glass of bubbly before the ceremony, but make sure you’ve had something to eat before you toast your bridesmaids.

3. Do Greet Each Guest: Receiving lines are passe, but welcoming each and every guest to your wedding will never go out of style. Whether you make the rounds during cocktail hour, or visit each table during dessert, make sure that you take the time to speak to each guest and thank them for being a part of your special day. (How sweet is this shot of a groom kissing his grandmother, captured by Elisabeth Millay Photography?!)

4. Do Provide Meals For Vendors: We’ve heard first-hand from vendors who have attended weddings where they had to eat a discounted “vendor meal” in the cloak room. You’ve been working with your vendors for months and have invited them to be part of your special day, so be sure to be gracious hosts to them, as well. Providing them with seats at tables with your other guests and feeding them what your other guests are having will go a long way for your vendor relations. If you’re tipping your vendors (and you should), you’ll also want to have tips organized in separate envelopes before the big day.

5. Do Write Your Speech Ahead Of Time: If you’re speaking at your reception, we advise that you start writing sooner rather than later. You’ll have a lot of people to thank (from each set of parents, to the wedding party, to the vendors and any other people that get special mention) and you don’t want to risk missing anyone by scribbling names in the bathroom while dessert is being served. Plus, you’ll want to take this time to say sweet things to your spouse in front of all of your friends and family–so make it count.