So, last week, I was in a normal consultation with a bride.  And as we were wrapping up the meeting, she asked, “What are the common mistakes made by most brides?”  And I thought, “Wow, that’s a good question.  No one has ever asked me that before.”  So I thought it would a good blog post to help brides about the mistakes that are commonly made, at least from a photography perspective.

Mistake #1 – Quantity Over Quality
So it’s no secret that everyone wants a better bang for their buck or more value for what they’re spending.  We all want that.  But the question becomes: at what cost?  Last week, a day before the consultation, mentioned above, I had lost a bride to another photographer/videographer.  This bride said that, “I’m getting a longer video from the other videographer, but your quality is definitely better.”  Those were her exact words.  So she already noted that we had better quality, but was getting more products (or a longer video), of a lower quality, for a similar price.   Yes, that bride will get a longer video, but if the video is longer than 8-10 minutes, how often are you really going to watch it?  Ask any bride with a really long video and they’ll say they may have watched once after they first received it.

The same goes for photography.  Many brides say, “Oh I want more albums for my parents.”  But ask parents when was the last time the opened their kids wedding album?  If the parents are half way tech savvy, they’ll just fire up the computer or iPad and look at the photos on there.

For something as special and “once in a lifetime” type of an event like a wedding, wouldn’t you want the best quality that you could afford?  Albums can always be made later and the same goes for longer videos, as long as it’s filmed with that in mind.

You want the best initial quality that you can get.  10 years from now, all you will have is the magical memories in your head and your photos (and/or video).

This is just my opinion, but I would rather have better quality over more stuff/products.  But everyone is different.  I often hear from brides or friends of friends that they regret going getting a cheaper photographer b/c the quality was definitely heart-breaking.

 
Mistake #2 – Who is the Wedding really for?  You or your parents?

Parents usually pay for a large portion of the costs of a wedding.  I understand that weddings can get much more expensive than people realize.  And because the parents are fitting the bill, they feel like they can invite many of their friends, some of whom you’ve only met once or twice.  Or maybe it’s family that you’ve never met before in your life.  The point is that SOME parents are just trying to show off their children or maybe how much money they have.  But if those guests having little to no bearing on the marrying couple, why are they there?

I remember talking to 1 bride and she said something along the lines of: “I don’t even know about 100 of these people.”

I asked: “So why are they here?”

Bride: “They are friends of my parents.  And since they are paying for the wedding, I couldn’t tell them ‘No’.  I really didn’t want to have a wedding this big.”

You want to have fun at your wedding!  And if more people, who you don’t even know will not make you happy, why spend the money?

Plus, the one (significant) way that you’re going to be save money on your wedding is by inviting less people.  When catering costs from $75 to $300 per person that is most likely going to be your greatest cost.  It’s not saving couple hundred on your photographer.  And like I said above, your photos and the memories in your head the only thing that you’re going to have 10-20 years from now.

Mistake #3 – Scheduling Your Ceremony Early or Trying to Save money on the Reception by having it at Mid-Day

Catering is cheaper on weekdays, Sundays, and middle of the day on Saturday.  And this is due to the basics of supply and demand.  And many popular venues have 2 weddings on a Saturday: mid-day and night.  So I get it, if you want to save money, you may have to aim for a Saturday Mid-Day Reception.  But you know what else that does?  That drives your ceremony to around 10am and that also drives your make up and hair appointment to around 5-6am.  And since most weddings don’t run on time, this can make for a very very stressful morning.  B/c when you’re behind schedule, there is little to no opportunity to make up the time.  Often you have to shorten the photography portrait time, to get back on schedule.

And if you or your family are not morning people, this is double trouble.

If you have a free moment, please read our blog post on managing time for your wedding day. 🙂

Mistake #4 – Big Time Gaps in the Wedding Day

So churches tend to have set times for weddings on Saturdays.  And oftentimes, the ceremony times will get booked over a year out, especially the really beautiful churches.  So that may force you to have your ceremony really early, say 11am.  But your cocktail hour and reception does not start until 6pm.  So what are you guests going to do between 1230pm and 6pm?  This usually kills the vibe and momentum for the day and many venues hate this as well, b/c some guests, who didn’t read the invitation will show up at the venue around 130pm and wonder “where is everyone”.  And the catering manager has to kindly tell them that the party does not start til 6pm.  I’ve had a few catering managers mention this to me.

And from a photography/video standpoint, yes, we can occupy some of that time with an extended portrait session with the family, bridal party, or bride and groom, but that’s a big block of time for which you still have to pay your photographer.

Mistake #5 – Not Setting Yourself to Have Fun 

Your wedding is supposed to be one of the best times you ever have in your life!  Seriously, Ridiculous, Out of this World Kind of Fun!  And you’re not going to be having fun if you’re worrying about little details.  That’s what good day of coordinator or planner or best friend is for!  And if you’ve chosen the best vendors possible, you should have nothing to worry about besides, maybe, the weather.  So, do yourself a favor and don’t plan to “double check” or “verify” or “fix” something on your wedding day.  I’ve had so many brides want to double check that X, Y, or Z was completed.  Try to enjoy the day and delegate that to someone who can get it done.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy your day!!!