From the moment you get engaged, you and your partner will quickly be inundated with tips, advice and suggestions on planning the perfect wedding. But what about the faux pas to avoid along the way?
If you’ve never planned a wedding before, you don’t have the beauty of hindsight to guide you through the experience! When it comes to etiquette, there are definitely a few wedding faux pas and critical mistakes that have the potential to impact your wedding in a negative way.
From seating charts to speech etiquette, keep reading for 7 wedding faux pas to avoid throughout your wedding planning journey.
Wedding Faux Pas: Leaving Too Much Time Between Your Ceremony & Reception
It has to be said – the “wedding gap” is real! Leaving too much time between your ceremony and reception without considering the comfort of your guests can make for an awkward (and let’s be honest – boring) cocktail hour. While it’s totally okay to leave the party for professional photos during this time period, don’t leave your guests standing around aimlessly with nothing to do!
Try to cap this timeframe to 90 minutes max, and ensure you’ve organised food, drinks, comfortable seating and some kind of entertainment for guests (like music, lawn games or photobooths). To avoid an excessive wedding gap, you could also consider organising a “first look” shoot before the ceremony to give you more time to party with your loved ones.
Wedding Faux Pas: Sending Last-Minute Invitations
Creating an A and B guest list is common practice for couples struggling to narrow down their numbers. Essentially, your priority guests will receive the first round of invitations, while your B-list guests will receive a second round of invitations if any spaces become available. But remember, timing is everything!
The last thing you want is for any guests to feel like an afterthought with a surprise invitation 2 weeks before the wedding. Instead, be discreet by sending your A-list round of invitations a little earlier at the 10-week mark, and based on their responses, send your B-list invitations at 6-8 weeks before the day. Of course, this all depends on how quickly your A-list guests confirm their attendance, so be sure to implement these 5 proven tips for getting wedding guests to RSVP on time!
Wedding Faux Pas: Not Planning for the Weather
Locking in your wedding date is a critical first step in the wedding planning journey, but don’t forget to think about (and prepare for) the weather conditions on the day. As well as ensuring you have a solid back-up plan in case of rain, you should also consider the season of your wedding and how this might influence your decisions moving forward. This is particularly important for elements like wedding attire, menu selections and the comfort of your guests throughout the day.
For example – if you’re planning your wedding during the cooler months, you might not be very comfortable wearing a strapless dress, or planning an outdoor dinner without heaters. Alternatively, if you’re planning a beach wedding ceremony in the middle of summer, you’ll want to organise some kind of shade, parasols or hand-held fans for guests.
Do some research on the average temperatures and expected rainfall over your wedding date, and use this as a guide to ensure both you and your guests are comfortable.
Wedding Faux Pas: Not Organising Vendor Meals
It might not be something you’ve even considered, but neglecting to feed your wedding vendors can be seen as a major no-no! Remember, some of your vendors (like your photographer, planner or musician) will be working on their feet for anywhere between 6 – 12 hours to ensure your day is absolutely perfect. While you don’t necessarily need to reserve your vendors a space at the dinner table, be sure to look after them by organising a meal with your caterers.
Wedding Faux Pas: Focusing Too Much on Trends
Sure, Pinterest is an amazing source of wedding inspiration, but it should never dictate your entire day! Try not to get swept up in the latest trends when designing your event, and instead look towards your own personal style and preferences. This will ensure your wedding day remains timeless and true to who you are.
From the colours you genuinely love to your top priorities for the day, we’re big believers in creating a more personal celebration that authentically reflects you and your relationship. See our top tips for narrowing down your wedding vision on the blog!
Wedding Faux Pas: The Singles Table
The “singles table” is not only an awkward wedding cliche, it can also make your solo guests feel incredibly uncomfortable and even ostracized. Instead of lumping your single guests together at the back of the room, try to integrate them throughout your seating plan with other guests you think they’ll find common ground with.
Wedding Faux Pas: Going Overtime With Your Speech
A thank you speech is a sweet, thoughtful gesture, and a great way to kick off your wedding reception festivities. But the timing of your speech will be key to ensure it remains engaging, meaningful and well-received.
In our experience, 3-5 minutes is the perfect sweet spot for a wedding speech, especially if you have other guests making their own speeches, too. Check out our guide to writing the ultimate wedding speech on the blog!
Simply steer clear of these 7 wedding faux pas to ensure your celebration is memorable for all the right reasons! Now that you know what to avoid throughout your wedding planning journey, keep these tips in mind for manage your wedding planning stress and anxiety along the way.
