What Most Brides Wish They Could Change About The Big Day

[caption id="attachment_745150" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Shutterstock.com/worried bride[/caption] There is possibly no time in your life when you have to make as many decisions as you do when planning your wedding. Okay—maybe when you raise children. But many brides feel overwhelmed not only by the fact that they need to decide which invitations to get, which flowers to get, which extended cousins to invite and what music to play but also by the fact that they don’t even really know, in the end, how much any of those will really affect how happy they are on their big day. You don’t want to invest too much time and energy into a feature of your wedding that ultimately, you’ll barely notice or won’t like. So, save yourself the headache; here are things most brides wish they could change about their big day. [caption id="attachment_687411" align="alignleft" width="378"] Corbis Images[/caption]

Being too generous with invitations

Your parents and your fiance’s parents are going to push a lot to have certain guests at the wedding. But keep in mind, if you don’t have much of a relationship with those people, they won’t be offended if they aren’t invited—they’ll just be shocked if they are. Meanwhile, inviting them costs you another $75 per plate. [caption id="attachment_698555" align="alignleft" width="420"] Flickr.com/Claim Jumper Drunk Chicken Dish[/caption]

Getting too fancy with the food

You should serve good food, of course, but by the time people have gotten emotionally worked up at your ceremony and said hello to everyone, they won’t notice whether or not there are golden beets and a tropical flower in their salads. But you’ll notice because that cost an extra $4 per plate. [caption id="attachment_714451" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Finding vendors online

Don’t turn to the Internet to find a vendor; turn to your friends who already had weddings! They can tell you what it’s actually like to work with those vendors. Once you’ve collected those recommendations, you can take to the Internet for additional information. [caption id="attachment_693104" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Doing anything before finding a venue

The venue you choose will affect everything—everything. From what the caterer can make due to the space limitations to whether or not you need tents and heat lamps. Don’t look at anything until you have your venue locked down. [caption id="attachment_618496" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Failing to get a personal assistant the day of

The day of your actual wedding, hand your cell phone to someone you trust and say, “You take my calls today.” They can handle any and all last-minute phone calls asking about parking and dietary restrictions. [caption id="attachment_619222" align="alignleft" width="500"] Credit: Shutterstock[/caption]

Letting people in your dressing area

Do not have an open door policy in your getting-ready area. In fact, have a very strict policy. Maid of honor, wedding planner, and mother only, or something like that. You don’t want anybody bringing bad vibes in there. [caption id="attachment_711848" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Not getting a videographer

Having photos is great, but having a video is even better. You’ll love watching it for years and years to come. And no, you can’t count on your friend’s iPhone movies. [caption id="attachment_711838" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Making the rounds

Your wedding day is an exhausting day, so rather than making the rounds to say hi to every table, set up a table where you and your hubby sit, and let everyone line up to say hit to you. [caption id="attachment_220081" align="alignleft" width="375"] shutterstock.com[/caption]

Having the bachelorette party too close to the wedding

You’ll need a few days to recover from that one, so don’t have the bachelorette party the night before the wedding. In fact, have it at least a few days before in case it’s at a destination and you get stuck there. [caption id="attachment_716248" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Having the honeymoon the next day

You will be lucky if you get four hours of sleep on your wedding night; you’ll be so wired, and you’ll be up late saying goodbye to every straggling guest. Take off for your honeymoon a couple of days after your wedding. [caption id="attachment_617902" align="alignleft" width="420"] Corbis[/caption]

Paying for party favor assembly

A company will charge you an arm and a leg to put some Jordan almonds in a tulle bag and tie a ribbon around it. Meanwhile, your bridesmaids will happily come over on a Sunday afternoon and do this for you, so long as mimosas are provided. [caption id="attachment_693727" align="alignleft" width="502"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Paying for centerpiece assembly

What we said about the party favors goes for the center pieces, too. Find one you love on Pinterest, give your bridesmaids a quick demonstration, and they can handle the rest. Putting ocean stones in vases, filling them with blue-dyed water and adding some white roses is not rocket science. [caption id="attachment_722436" align="alignleft" width="420"] Instagram[/caption]

Better shoes!

Choose the shoes you think will be comfortable, and then get ones that are even more comfortable. You’ve seen how painful shoes can ruin a night at a club, now imagine how they’d ruin the most important night of your life. This is not a laughing matter; you don’t want to run around your wedding barefoot. [caption id="attachment_702153" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Giving a to-do list to the photographer

You think you’re fine with leaving it up to him and letting him do “whatever, ” but when you look at your photos, you’ll realize there are shots you wish you would’ve got. Take some time to think about those shots before the wedding. [caption id="attachment_711846" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Not speaking up more

Many brides wish that, throughout the process of planning their wedding, they would have spoken up more about what they wanted. It’s too easy to let family and friend’s wishes get in the way of your own, but this isn’t their big day.

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