Common Mistakes

I really enjoy reading Preston Bailey’s blog about common mistakes, so I’ve decided to write a blog myself, sharing some of the most common wedding mistakes I’ve seen or personally experienced. Wedding ‘culture’ is really different everywhere. This blog will feature some mistakes commonly seen here in Hawaii.

Image by Karlisch Photography

1. Planning too early. Yes, I said it. I personally believe it can be a mistake when a wedding is planned too early. As a planner, I encourage my clients to start planning their wedding no earlier than 18 months in advance of their proposed wedding date. Most venues do not book any events until 18 months (some even a year), and without a venue, you really can’t secure a date for your wedding. I’ve worked with a few brides who were so anxious to start planning their wedding, they started booking their vendors for their ‘dream wedding date’ and later came to find out that their venue is unavailable on that day! The wedding industry changes on a daily basis. Yes – daily! What’s ‘in’ right now may not necessarily be ‘in’ when your wedding season arrives. If you put down a deposit for a certain style of chair a year before your wedding and later decide to change to a different style of chair that had just been shipped to Hawaii, you will be sad to lose your deposit. I usually advise my brides to start confirming design related elements no earlier than 4 – 5 months before the wedding.

2. Book all your vendors at once. At Finishing Touch, we encourage our brides to book all their vendors at once. It should be the first step of your wedding planning process. Although you may feel that some vendors play a more crucial role in your wedding and should be given priority over others in terms of booking (such as photographer, videographer and florist), you will be surprised that many other vendors (such as ceremony musician, minister, DJ, rental company…etc.) also get booked up very fast. Booking all your vendors at once  and making it the first step of your planning process will also help you to stay within your budget so there won’t be any surprises towards the end of the planning process. The last thing you want is running out of funds and just remember you still have to book transportation for your parents and bridal party!

3. Budget. I encourage my brides to always over-estimate than under-estimate. If you are expecting 100 – 125 guests at the wedding, base your budget and expense on 125 guests. If your guest count falls under 125, you will be happy to have some extra money to spend on that shaved ice truck you’ve always wanted to surprise your guests with!

Images by Shawn Starr (left) and Frank Amodo (right)

4. Wedding day photo timeline. Ok, here’s the big question and I know it will stir up some controversy – should the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony for photos? Do the photos really turn out better if they are taken before the ceremony? While some photographers would still prefer taking photos with the bride and groom before the ceremony (which is also very common here with locals in Hawaii), I personally think that photos actually come out better when they are taken after the ceremony. From my experience, brides are very nervous before the ceremony, and it shows in the photos. I notice when brides choose to take alot of photos with the groom, bridal party or even family members before the ceremony, she looks very uncomfortable in the photos because her ceremony hasn’t even started, and she still has a very long day ahead of her. I highly recommend taking individual photos (bride and groom separately) before the ceremony because the bride’s makeup is so fresh, which makes it a perfect time to do personal portraits. However, I usually recommend my bride and groom to take photos after the ceremony when their guests are having cocktails. The bride and groom are more relaxed and happy after the ceremony since the hard part is over, and they are just waiting for the party to start!

5. Put way too much focus on the centerpiece, alone. If you look at an event photo taken from ten years ago, you will probably see a big and lush centerpiece in the center of the table. The table will be draped in white polyester linen (not floor length), with white napkins and white folding chairs. Event design has come a long way, and beautiful event is created with more than just a big floral centerpiece. Sometimes my brides will come to me with 20 photos of centerpieces they love, but no inspiration photos for linens and lighting. I personally believe a floral centerpiece requires a beautiful linen and properly set place setting to enhance it. I always remind my brides that their decor budget should really include four things: floral, lighting, linen and decor rentals. If your budget for a centerpiece is $200 per table, I encourage splitting the budget into three: $125 for the floral centerpiece, $50 for linens and napkins, $25 for custom chair (such as chair cover, chivari chair or chameleon chair) and candlelight.