Proper wedding etiquette in Australia starts the moment you begin planning. From the guest list to the grazing table to the tiniest details, every decision counts. But the key to a stress-free wedding? Knowing exactly what not to do.
Whether you’ve been dreaming of this day since childhood or have no idea where to start, these 43 wedding planning mistakes to avoid will help keep things smooth and stress-free.
No bridezillas or groomzillas here — just cool, collected couples. And with the right wedding planning tools (from checklists to budget trackers), you’ll be a planning pro in no time.
The wedding planning video course: common mistakes to avoid
In this video, Bridebook founder (and qualified wedding planner!) Hamish Shephard rounds up the most common wedding mistakes couples make while planning and shares expert advice on what to do instead. Whether you’re a bride- or groom-to-be, adding these wedding tips and tricks to your to-do list will help set you up for the perfect day.
Here are 43 wedding planning don’ts to avoid!
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1. Don’t leave everything to the last minute. Winter is the ideal time to get organised with Bridebook as your planning companion.
2. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself or your wedding. You are going to be surrounded by your best friends for the party of your life with the love of life.
3. Don’t forget to download the Bridebook App (iOS and Android) if you haven’t already. Netflix and sofa time is the perfect time for some smart wedding planning.
4. Don’t Don’t wait until the last minute to buy your alcohol—stock up during the Christmas sales at your local bottle shop and save thousands! Sorry, Dan Murphy’s.
5. Don’t race through all your planning and make the most of each step instead, like having a boozy family Sunday lunch to pick your wedding wines.
6. Don’t bankrupt yourself. Most couples overspend when they don’t need to. There are loads of ways to save – see our top tips – and use your Bridebook’s budget tool to look at what you should be spending on each item.
7. Don’t do anything until you have found your venue. This will set the date, style, location and capacity of your wedding.
8. Don’t lick 100 envelopes. Do yourself a favour and buy a gluestick!
9. Don’t book your venue until you have your budget breakdown (Our budget tool will do this for you). Renting a jaw-dropping castle is awesome, not being able to afford any food because of its cost isn’t!
10. Don’t wish the planning stage away too much. Whether it is getting a hotel bartender to design you personalised cocktails for the big day, or spending time making your wedding playlist, enjoy those moments and savour the thoughts behind them – your actual wedding day will go by in a flash on the day!
11. Don’t fall into the usual trap of trying to do everything at once. You have plenty of time. So set up your personalised checklist here, and we will guide you through everything in the most stress-free way and make sure you don’t miss a thing!
12. Don’t keep the bar close to the dance floor—unless you want half your guests to vanish the second Horses starts playing. Because the moment You’re the Voice kicks in, they’ll all come shuffling back, singing at the top of their lungs like they never left.
13. Don’t use spreadsheets! You are getting married, not doing your accounts! Our guestlist tool is much more fun and easy. Purposefully built to save you time and to spare you from those unwanted guest list arguments!
14. Don’t plan your bucks or hens night too close to the big day—because let’s be real, broken bones take time to heal, and those questionable eyebrow decisions might need a few weeks to grow back!
15. Don’t rush up and down the aisle. Take it slowly. All your guests want to see the happy couple. Especially Grandma!
16. Don’t have a receiving line (this is when you and your parents greet every guest – as you come into the meal) at your wedding. If you do want one, do it as you go into the venue but keep it far back from the bar area so guests can move through and start on the champagne quickly.
17. Don’t have any seating too near the dancing area. People-watchers and non-dancers will frighten off the self-conscious.
18. Don’t sit your badly-behaved friends near your younger family members. Uncle Bob won’t approve!
19. Grooms – don’t forget to pack a spare white shirt! Accidents happen, no one’s judging.
20. Don’t split up the party with a designated “guys’ room.” A whiskey lounge might sound like a great idea, but in reality, it just pulls guests away from the fun. Save it for the bachelor party instead!
21. Don’t make the bar too big as guests will use it as the perfect place to congregate.
22. Don’t forget the all-important baby wipes. You’ll be amazed as to what they can get out of a wedding dress.
23. Don’t forget to have someone film the bride’s final dress fitting — it’ll be a lifesaver for the mother of the bride and the maid of honour when it’s time to get her laced, zipped, or buttoned in on the big day!
24. Don’t forget to have a boogie with your parents. It will be one of their favourite memories of the day.
25. We advise you don’t put the cheese board anywhere near the dance floor. Cheesy music is great. Cheesy smell… less so.
26. Try not to make pre-dinner drinks go on for too long. Your guests will start moaning about sore feet which can be a dangerous mood killer!
27. Don’t let your wedding day be the first time both families meet. Arrange a brunch or lunch weeks or months beforehand. It may save some heated drunken disagreement on the day!
28. Don’t have your wedding speeches written on a scrappy piece of paper that’s easy to lose. Have the final version on a neat piece of paper, or on an iPad that you can ask one of your bridal party to look after until you need it slipping under your chair in preparation.
Need some wedding speech writing pointers? Here are our top examples for brides writing their wedding speeches!
29. If you decided against having a videographer at your wedding, don’t forget to ask a reliable friend to film all the speeches on their phone. You’ll want to look back on them after the wedding!
30. Don’t rely on a guest to be your only photographer. They won’t fully enjoy the day and may not produce the results you were quite after.
31. Don’t reveal everything all at once! Save the photo booth or surprise entertainment for later in the night to keep the excitement going. There’s nothing quite like a bunch of tipsy twenty-somethings losing their minds when they realise there’s a fairy floss machine up for grabs.
32. But at the same time, don’t spring any unwanted surprises on your wedding guests. Compulsory dance competition? Maybe not.
33. Don’t serve seriously garlicky dishes on the day of your wedding – you don’t want to be reminded of it all night on the dance floor.
34. Don’t spend a small fortune! If you have your eye on a venue that is out of your budget, decide to have a midweek wedding instead and save yourself 50%.
35. Don’t forget to make copies of all the paperwork for the big day and keep them safe in a ‘wedmin’ file.
36. Don’t leave your guests stuck in a never-ending bar lineup while you’re off taking wedding photos. Ask the venue or caterer to have drinks pre-poured so guests can grab and go — because nothing kills the party vibe like waiting for a cocktail!
37. Don’t forget to gently sandpaper the bottom of your new shoes! You don’t want them hindering your dance moves or be slipping around the dance floor!
38. Don’t forget that you will need to feed your suppliers at some point. Pre-ordering a nice takeaway is likely to be the cheapest option, or you can ask your caterer to prepare a large dish of something easily shareable like lasagna or shepherd’s pie.
39. Hallucinating on your wedding day? Don’t try new sleeping remedies the night before. Test it out a few weeks before instead.
40. Know your dress’s limits—your wedding day is not the time to test out your cartwheels if you’re rocking a sleek fishtail gown.
41. Don’t be shy about sharing your budget with suppliers. Get a quote first, and if it’s a bit steep, let them know what you can afford — they might be able to tweak things to make it work!
42. Don’t wear your heels for the first time on the day. Instead, do a test run in them to the supermarket, so you have the trolley to help you!
43. And one more to finish with… don’t forget to enjoy every moment of it! It will most likely be the best day of your life!!!
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