I’ve seen a lot of beautiful weddings over the years. On occasion a few mishaps occur that could have been prevented. Some are small and insignificant and some are important. So without further adieu I present….
Top 10 wedding mistakes: (1st Edition)
1. Not picking the right tuxedo up from your local rental store. Always remember to open up and check that all the items are included, fit well and are correct. Do not get on a plane for your destination wedding in the Caribbean where there are no Men’s Wearhouse stores in a 500 mile radius. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get my drift.
2. Not breaking in your wedding shoes can lead to a disaster. I am primarily directing this to brides, although on occasion grooms will get fancy new shoes with a slippery sole and after a beer or two, it’s just not pretty. So scuff up your shoes, walk around in your heels (not the grooms, although gay marriage is legal in NY… yay).
3. Inviting guests to your engagement party but not to your wedding is a no-no. It’s important that you have the wedding of your dreams, but be mindful that it’s impolite to invite people to your engagement party, but not to your wedding. Unless of course you had a falling out and it was their fault. But if it was your fault, now is not the time to quarrel so pick up the phone and call them. In 10 years, will you regret not having memories with them, pictures to cherish? Think about it…
4. Not having an engagement session may leave you with a photographer who you don’t mesh well with. This is your chance to experience an afternoon with your photographer. Beyond taking photos with your fiancé, this is your chance to find out if your photographer is the right fit for you. I’ve heard stories about engagement sessions that left couples screaming to book someone new or anyone with a heart beat and a good camera. Sometimes the engagement session solidified a couple’s choice. Either way, it’s a win, win… and you make memories and have pictures to cherish or hate for a lifetime. Actually a photographer you don’t mesh well might take good pictures in all fairness. It may just be a lousy memory.
5. Not taking a moment to slow down and enjoy your wedding day. Unfortunately your wedding day goes by quickly. Whether its 6 hours or 12 hours, your day does go in the blink of an eye. Take little moments throughout the day to exhale and embrace your new spouse, mom or dad. Look around you at all the people celebrating with you. Blink, pinch each other and take a picture in your mind. Freeze time if you can. Wouldn’t that be cool? I bet if you hire Preston Bailey as your event designer, time will stand still as you gaze endlessly at his stunning work. Ahh see, I just jumped on his blog and it happened.
6. Tanning and facials for brides, grooms or parents are a no-no the week leading up to your wedding!  Guests can do as they please, that’s fine. I had one bride break out so badly from a facial done days before her wedding that she went tanning and it was a double whammy. So don’t press your luck. That’s one game show I’d love to be on. Facials if done properly 2 weeks before the wedding should not be a problem, but don’t chance fate people. Photographers are talented but we’re not magicians. So many of my beautiful fair skinned brides tan and gosh, it is not pretty. I don’t know what to say, but even Snooki is tanning less these days.
7. Not proofreading your wedding invitation can lead to a disaster although on one occasion my brides’ friend caught the typo and it was rectified. My bride had the ceremony noted at the same time as the cocktail hour, 6pm. It was supposed to be a 3pm ceremony and a 6pm cocktail hour. Sometimes when you’re so familiar with the content you almost can’t see the fault in things. Have you ever written something and reread it only to notice the next day you typed something completely inappropriate. That happens to me all the time on my iphone. I won’t be specific. This is not the place for it.
8. Not bringing your wedding rings to the ceremony can lead to widespread panic. I know this sounds like a no brainer, but on the day of your wedding there are so many moving parts and people involved forgetting the rings can happen to the best of us. Remember to assign a responsible person in charge of your rings. Whether it’s the best man or a parent, don’t overlook this key part of your wedding. I’ll just say at a recent wedding one couple had to scramble and get married with their parents rings. I thought it was charming, and that they’d look back upon it as a funny memory, but boy did they panic.
9. Not eating enough the morning of your wedding could lead to exhaustion, a headache, crankiness, or worse… loss of consciousness!  Loss of consciousness could happen if you drink excessively so don’t do that either. That’s another post for another day completely.
10. Over-planning your wedding and not enjoying your actual wedding day. Be a guest at your own wedding. That is my recommendation today. Would you make the bed at your hotel on your honeymoon, clean the sink and insist on carrying your own bags? Would you cook all your own meals or splurge? There are wedding coordinators for a reason. Being a guest at your wedding with only one item on your to-do list: experience & enjoy every moment of your wedding without the stress. I did… you should too.
If you have a mistake to add to the list, comment here or message me at natalie@jerevele.com. I hope you enjoyed the 1st Edition of Natalie’s Top 10 wedding mistakes. Stayed tuned for the 2nd Edition (ow yes… there’s more)
Natalie
Owner                                                Â
Je Revele Fine Art Photography Studio & Gallery
433 River Road | Highland Park, NJ 08904 | NJ Castle: 732-964-3773 | NYC Studio: 212-787-2175                                                       Â
Website: www.jerevele.com | Blog: www.blog.jerevele.com
Check-in with us on Facebook & receive $25 Credit: https://www.facebook.com/JeRevelebyNatalieLicini  Â
International Award Winning Photographer
PPA Photographer of the year 2012Â
VISIT US at our NEW location in Manhattan on the Upper West Side!
