Your wedding day will likely be one of the best days (if not the best day) of your life, but make no mistake: it takes a LOT of work to get there. Whether you’ve been ironing out every detail since the time you were a girl or your recently-acquainted Mr. Wonderful put a ring on your finger before you could even think to say anything other than “I do”, there are so many things that go into making this event a success. And if you’re like most people who have to juggle the rest of life’s responsibilities on top of planning out your special day, there will likely be at least a few things that slip your mind. But fear not! From some of the heaviest hitters to the more minute details, we’ve listed out some oft-forgotten things that go into making your wedding as magical as it can be.
Create a Wedding Website Prior to Sending Out Invites
Since the dawn of wedding websites, the planning process has fortunately become a lot easier (Allelujah!). Think of them as the wedding gods’ gift to humanity to help engaged couples plan, budget, and communicate effectively with wedding guests. That’s why you’ll want to set one up before you start sending out “save the dates.” By including your personal wedding URL on your cards, your guests will have a one-stop-shop for all of the wedding-related questions they might ask, like the date and location of the event, as well as any nearby hotels.
Allow Enough Time to Make Wedding Gown Alterations
Shopping for a wedding gown may be one of the most fun parts of the process, but it’s definitely something you don’t want to leave until the last minute. That’s because wedding gowns take a lot of time to be crafted per your personal specifications. If you’re buying a dress from off the rack, you’ll mitigate much of the time required here, but otherwise, you can expect a wedding gown to take five to eight months to be produced, and an additional two to three months for alterations. So make sure you’re allowing your seamstress enough time to work their magic!
Leave Enough Room in Your Budget for Miscellaneous Expenses
When there are so many things that can easily be forgotten, it’s also easy to forget that many of them require money. Since there’s no way of telling exactly what you’ll need in the months and days leading up to the wedding, it’s always a good idea to leave yourself a little wiggle room. It’s typically suggested to designate at least 10% of your overall wedding budget to miscellaneous costs. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go back and rework your entire budget if you’ve already nailed down a few vendors. If you’re in a pinch, an internet banking institution that specializes in automatic money-saving features can be the answer that you need to cover your unexpected costs!
Discuss Overtime with Your Vendors
Now, let’s say the party is going smoothly; there’s a line out the door to use the photo booth you rented, and there seems to be no end in sight to the fun everyone is having on the dancefloor. What you don’t want to happen in this situation is to have the party end just because the clock strikes midnight. If the people on your guest list are known to appreciate a good party or you’d simply feel safer having a contingency plan, you might want to discuss the possibility of overtime amongst your vendors and the rates that they charge in that event.
Bring a Spare Change of Clothes
It’s understandable that you’d want to wear your wedding gown as long as you can. After all, it’s probably as beautiful as can be and cost you an arm and a leg, but that’s exactly why you might not want to wear it once the reception starts. At a wedding, glasses of wine and bottles of beer are typically found in the hands of guests, but there’s always a few that decide to take the plunge and test the laws of gravity. When this happens, you’ll want to be wearing something a little more stain-proof. So consider bringing along something in which you’ll be comfortable and able to dance the whole night away!