What Every Bride Wishes They Knew Before Wedding Planning

When you first get engaged, it’s all excited phone calls, ring selfies, and bridal party shortlists. You’re glowing, buzzing, and blissfully unaware of the spreadsheet-shaped tornado that’s about to hit. Fast forward a few months, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in vendor quotes and seating charts, wondering how on earth wedmin became your full-time job.

If you're in the thick of planning a wedding and feel a bit like you're losing your mind, you're not alone. The good news? So many couples before you have felt the exact same way. And the even better news? We’ve distilled their wisdom into bite-sized chunks for you - so here it is: the real talk on what every bride (and groom!) wishes they’d known before jumping into the world of wedding planning.

You Don’t Have to Plan the Whole Wedding Day in Week One

As soon as you announce your engagement, people will immediately start asking when and where the wedding is. Here’s a friendly reminder that you don’t have to have everything figured out straight away.

Take a breath, enjoy being engaged, and give yourselves time to come up with a shared vision. Yes, your wedding day is important, but it doesn’t need to be mapped out in full by the time you’ve finished your first glass of celebratory bubbly.

Not Everything Will Go to Plan (And That’s Okay)

Here’s the raw, unfiltered truth: not everything will go perfectly on your wedding day. You can plan it down to the second and still end up with forgotten vows, a surprise thunderstorm, or a flower girl having a tantrum at the top of the aisle!

Try to remember that those little hiccups (and even some of the big ones, too) won’t actually ruin anything, even though it might feel like it at the time. In fact, they’ll probably become some of your funniest memories of your big day! Flexibility (and a good sense of humour) is a secret weapon to be honed throughout the wedding planning process.

The Guest List Will Be Trickier Than You Think

Ah, the guest list. Surely it’s just a case of listing all your favourite people, right? Wrong! What starts out feeling straightforward quickly becomes a political minefield. If cousins on one side get an invite, do you have to invite the other side? And do you really have to give up two seats for your partner’s old boss and his plus one?!

Managing the guest list can be one of the most emotionally charged parts of planning a wedding. Therefore, be realistic about your numbers, set clear boundaries early on, and remember: you shouldn't feel obligated to invite anyone just to avoid awkwardness.

Prioritise Your Wedding Photos

You’ll spend months planning every tiny detail, but once the day is over, what you’re left with - aside from a new spouse, of course - are the photos. When you're grey and old, these are the family photos and portraits that you'll look back on with your grandkids, so finding your dream photographer should be a top priority.

Find a wedding photographer you really, truly love - you’ll spend more time with this person on the day than you will some of your closest relatives, so make sure you love the actual person as well as their photography. Allow time for the shots that matter, but also make space for the candid, unscripted ones - couples often say they turn out to be their favourites.

Leave Room for Quiet Moments

With all the buzz and excitement, the day can fly by in a blur. But the real magic often lives in the little pauses - the hug from your gran when no one’s looking, a quick squeeze of your partner’s hand during the speeches, or the five minutes you spend alone together after the ceremony. Make sure you build in enough time for these quiet moments - they’re just as important as your vows.

A Day of Coordinator is Worth Every Penny

Even if you don’t have a full-on wedding planner, having someone to manage the logistics on the day itself is gold. A day-of-coordinator is your behind-the-scenes hero, solving problems and activating backup plans you’ll never even know existed.

From liaising with vendors, keeping the schedule moving, and making sure you don’t spend your morning chasing table linens, your coordinator will gently guide you through any tricky moments and keep everything running smoothly. Trust us, if you can find room in your wedding budget, it’s one of the best decisions you’ll make.

You’ll Obsess Over the Weirdest Details

You might have a reputation for being super chill, but somewhere along the line, even the coolest of cucumbers will find themselves passionately debating chair styles or font sizes on the place cards.

We’re here to tell you that this is normal. Planning a wedding makes even the calmest among us hyper-focused on things we didn’t even know existed before. By all means, obsess over the details if you want to - just remember not to lose sleep over things your guests might not even notice!

Planning a Wedding Can Take Over Your Life (So Set Boundaries)

From the outside, planning a wedding might sound fun. But once you’re in it, it can consume your evenings, your weekends, and most of your spare brain space. If you’re not careful, wedding talk can take over every conversation with your partner, your family and your friends - don’t be that person!

Set aside designated planning time, and for the sake of your peace of mind and your relationship, don’t let it bleed into every part of your life. You still need to have space to breathe away from the stress of the wedding!

You Don’t Have to DIY Everything

We get it - DIY can be tempting, especially when Pinterest keeps showing you how easy it is. A custom sign here, some handmade favours there, and suddenly it’s 4am and you’re 200 tealight holders deep and sobbing over your glue gun.

Take this as a permission slip: you’re allowed to say no to crafts, especially if it feels like too much stress or you’re not already that way inclined. Save your energy for things that matter to you - after all, DIY should be fun, not your second unpaid job.

The Best Parts Are the Ones You Didn’t Plan

Despite all your spreadsheets, timelines, and seating charts, the most memorable parts of your special day will likely be the ones you didn’t expect. A spontaneous drunken dance-off. A heartfelt speech. The moment you catch your new spouse’s eye across the room and realise you’re MARRIED.

So by all means, plan the best day you can, but keep an eye on the bigger picture and don’t lose sight of what's really important. Leave space for joy, surprise, and spontaneity. The “perfect” wedding isn’t really about perfection - it’s about love, connection, and genuine moments with the people who mean the most to you. And maybe a really good cake.