The 5 Biggest Mistakes Engaged Couples Make (From a Wedding Planner of 14 Years)
After 14 years of planning weddings, I can honestly say that I have seen it all. Now, of course, the couples who I planned weddings for, we avoided these mistakes, but being in the wedding industry for this amount of time, seeing friends get married and seeing all the things that go on in the industry, there are definitely some mistakes that I see being made all the time.
Here are the five biggest ones I see time and time again.
Starting Without a Clear Budget
One of the most common misconceptions is that you can “figure it out as you go.”
In reality, your budget shapes every decision — from your venue to your guest list to your overall experience.
Without clarity here, couples often:
• Overspend early
• Compromise later
• Or feel constantly unsure if they’re making the “right” decisions
A well-considered budget will ensure that you're able to make it all the way to the very end of your wedding planning process feeling in control of your budget. In fact, the budget is where I see most of the stress come from when planning a wedding, so for this reason I put together my budget guide, which goes through low, medium, and high spends for each planning category. I give you my full budget template and also break down two real weddings and their actual budgets. There is so much misinformation out there, and I wanted to be able to bring true numbers together in a useful guide. It’s only $49 and might just save your whole wedding planning journey! You can download it here.
2. Booking a Venue Before Understanding the Logistics
It’s very easy to fall in love with a space.
But what couples don’t always see initially are the operational layers:
• Accessibility for guests and suppliers
• Wet weather options
• Power, lighting, and infrastructure
• Bump-in and bump-out constraints
You also need to consider the inclusions. Sometimes a venue price might seem cheap, yet you need to bring in all your tables and chairs. Other times the venue price might look a little bit more expensive, however it has everything you need to be able to do your wedding. Do make sure you check your inclusions before signing on the dotted line.
A venue can be beautiful — but still create complexity, cost, and stress if these elements aren’t considered early.
3. Trying to Plan Everything at Once
Planning a wedding required you to do the right things in the right order.
When couples try to make too many decisions at once, it often leads to:
• Overwhelm
• Decision fatigue
• Second-guessing choices
There is a natural sequence to wedding planning — and when you follow it, everything becomes significantly more manageable.
Download my free timeline and checklist here.
4. Taking Advice From Too Many Places
We’re in an era where there is more information than ever. It is definitely wonderful that we have so many places now to receive information and inspiration. However, once you start planning a wedding, you can quickly realise that all of this information can start to become overwhelming. I also know for an absolute fact, from planning hundreds and hundreds of weddings, that much of this information is either outdated, incorrect, and completely misinformed.
This often leads to confusion rather than clarity.
For this reason, I always say it's so important to understand your vision so clearly, not just what you're wanting it to look like, but what you want it to feel like. If you go into wedding planning without having a solid understanding of this first, you're going to very quickly become distracted and overwhelmed with all of the information that's out there.
5. Underestimating the Timeline
Everything takes longer than you expect.
Not just booking suppliers — but:
• Communication
• Decision-making
• Revisions
• Coordination
When timelines are underestimated, pressure builds — and that’s when rushed decisions happen. My Wedding Planning Timeline and Checklist can help with this. Download it here. It's free.