All brides want their wedding day to be completely perfect, but to be honest, after their big day has been and gone there are often a few things that they would change if they had the chance. So to help you make sure there’s nothing you’re going to miss out on or regret, we’ve asked our Facebook brides what they would do differently if they could ‘do it all again.’
Videography and photography woes
Not booking a videographer was the top regret for brides and those that organised a professional to shoot the whole day on film were really glad they had spent the money.
Other brides said that they were delighted they’d invested in booking a good photographer and others said they wished they’d chosen someone different. So it shows that it really pays to research your photographers carefully, it’s easy to look at their portfolios and galleries online to check their wedding style. Don’t just go for somebody who’s local – you only get one shot at your wedding photographs and they’re a key memory of your day.
“My photographer was definitely a problem,” says Becky. “He agreed to lots of things before the day that he didn’t do… ever heard of pen and paper to make notes? He hadn’t. He even needed to be asked to take photos of my dress and shoes before I put them on and I didn’t get any photos of the children playing outside. (We’d hired an event nanny especially, as it was important to us they had fun). We even had a few issues with the album, too. Other than that, it was an amazing day, we’ve got plenty of photos taken by friends and family that more than compensate for our issues.”
Becky wasn’t the only person to have problems with their photographer. Katie also had issues with hers. “If I could do it all again, I would have had a different photographer,” says Katie. “I ended up having a go at mine outside the church because he was refusing to take a photo of me and my mum, which was an important picture to me. I also requested he took some natural pictures of our two-year-old son and he only took one. Thankfully our guests took lots!”
Family troubles
Sometimes it’s not just the suppliers you’d like to change. Tina also had a word to say about inviting family. “I wouldn’t invite family who I didn’t really want to be there, and who wouldn’t want to be there themselves,” says Tina. “I would invite the people who I really, really wanted to be there.”
“I would have liked to have changed my mother-in- law and so would her son,” says one anonymous bride.
What about the dress?
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that quite a few newlywed ladies said they had felt wonderful in their bridal gown and were glad they’d allocated a good part of their budget towards it. So that’s a good reason to go for it when you’re wedding dress shopping and choose a gown you’re totally in love with. Shopping online for a wedding dress is something we would warn against and have heard many horror stories from real brides. You can never be sure what you’re buying is the real thing, especially when it’s advertised as a designer name at a discount price. Remember the old saying – ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’. And who would want to miss out on a mass trying-on session in a beautiful bridal boutique anyway?
Reception details
What about music? It’s a key part of your day and crucial for setting a mood. One lady said she wouldn’t have been without her string quartet. Others were delighted to have had a live band but one said she wished she’d checked out her DJ more carefully because he just didn’t play the right sort of tunes.
As for venues, several brides said they wished they’d chosen somewhere larger, but maybe they’d just asked too many people.
Food came up as a topic more than once. Some brides and grooms regretted not allocating more of their budget for food, others said how pleased they were to have had good quality catering and what a difference it had made to the whole day.
Essential big-day buys
Flowers are an essential part of a wedding, even if you just have a bouquet. None of our Facebook brides regretted having flowers and many commented that the cash they’d spent on floral decorations was well spent.
Other things brides were glad they’d spent money on? Hair and make-up featured strongly – having a professional apply your make-up on the morning of the wedding is a real treat every bride should experience.
There’s not much you can do about wedding day weather. You could have a beautiful winter’s day with sun or a summer day with torrents of rain. Some brides have said they wish they could have changed the weather on their wedding day. That’s obviously not possible, but you can organise a back-up plan to cope with the elements. If you’re having a country garden themed wedding in summer then make sure you have seating inside, don’t set your heart on being able to eat outdoors.
Stay comfortable
At the end of the day, you’ve got to be comfortable on your wedding day, so choose your shoes carefully. If you’re usually an Uggs and flip flops kinda girl but you’re dreaming of wearing skyscraper Jimmy Choos down the aisle, then you really need to think this one through. Brides have told us that they had to smile for the photographs through agonising blisters and couldn’t walk in the shoes they’d set their heart on. So be a little practical in your choice and combine beauty and comfort and don’t forget to wear in your shoes on the carpet indoors in the weeks before your big day.
Finally, most of our brides said how delighted they were with their wedding rings. They’re a symbol of your love for one another so take time to choose them and spend as much as you can afford because they’ll be on show for the rest of your lives together.
So, if you could do it all again?
It seems our brides’ biggest regret is with the photography and not having the wedding professionally filmed. Your photographs and video are very precious and important so make sure you allocate a good part of your budget to them.
Don’t scrimp on a photographer, choose the best you can afford and really shop around. Brief him/her fully, give them a checklist of the shots you want and ask for recommendations, so you know other brides have been happy with their work.
