Thank you for sharing your email address. You are now entered to win a free WeddingMix wedding video.



Please enter a valid email address

Please enter your wedding date

Thank you for sharing your email address. You are now entered to win a free WeddingMix wedding video.

Win Your Wedding Video!

Enter to win a free wedding video.

Please enter a valid email address


Please enter your wedding date


  • Click to see REAL weddings in your budget

WeddingMix Blog

Inspiration from real weddings and ideas to capture it all

  • Get Your WeddingMix
    • How It Works
    • Prices
    • Samples & testimonials
    • DIY Video Instruction Cards
    • Camera Organization Template
    • Custom WeddingMix iSpy Game
  • Real Weddings
    • By Budget
      • $0 – $10K
      • $10-20K
      • $20-30K
      • $30-40K
      • $40-50K
      • $50k +
    • By Region
      • NorthEast
      • SouthEast
      • Midwest
      • South
      • Rocky Mountain States
      • West Coast
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • Real destination weddings
  • Wedding Guides
    • Wedding Planning by Month
    • Wedding Budget
    • DIY
    • Destination Weddings
    • Style
    • Themes
    • Wedding Photos/Video
    • Culture
    • Wedding Party
    • Engagements
  • Free Wedding Planning Tools
    • WeddingScope Budget Planner
    • Wedding Hashtag Generator
    • Tips for filming your wedding

5 Things I Wish My Best Friend Told Me When Planning my Wedding

January 25, 2016 by Ariane Leave a Comment

Best friend wedding advice

Photo credit to Braedon Flynn Photography

Everyone could use some wedding advice from their best friends. Use this list so you know what to ask your girls when you’re planning your wedding!

1. Who were your favorite vendors and WHY

On this first part of the cheat sheet, ask them to provide a list of vendors and why they loved them. The “why” part really does matter because your friend’s priorities will be different than your own. If she loved photographer X because of their gorgeous “traditional” wedding photos, while you want a photojournalistic style, you immediately know to move on.

Whereas, if their favorite vendor was their DJ because of the personalized love story intro at the reception and you realllly want to share your love story, you have a match.

best friend wedding advice vendors

Photo by Heather Kincaid

2. Top 3 budget tips

Most of the time you’ll see the same tips, but sometimes you’ll find some real surprises. Here’s our list of smart budget saving tips from real brides to get you started.

Sending these questions to your local friends can save you some serious cash because they’ll know crazy things like which day the library discards their old books in the alley and which local store has the best deals on centerpiece decor.

Groom Jeremy says, “bring your own alcohol if you can. We spent $2,000 for 140 people and had tons left over.”

wedding budget advice

Photo by Blue Elephant Photography

3. If I could do it again I would [blank]

Here’s where you’re best friend’s wedding advice can really help you. It’s like a do-over. You’ll find out about their biggest regrets and pitfalls to avoid. It could be things like:

  • Guests not to invite
  • Logistics issues

Here’s mine. I would pay someone to write out the table seating cards. One of my bridesmaids had offered to write them in calligraphy as a gift.

Fast forward to the wedding day. You know that part of the day when you’re supposed to get your portraits taken? My bridesmaid took that opportunity to share that she “forgot” to do the cards. She handed me a blank stack of cards and walked away.

So, we sat in a hotel bar writing out seating cards. We had to skip taking photos in our historic venue.

Chicago bride, Erica cautions, “I would make sure my vendors had back up plans. Although everyone advised me to get a day-of planner, and I 100% see the value in it, mine did not, in fact, show up. She didn’t tell me that she planned to fly in the day of my wedding. When her flight was delayed, she couldn’t even get in touch with me.”

Nicole adds, “I would go to Italy with our immediate families only and skip out on all the hoopla.”

“I would have spent my time researching things a bit more. We fell in love with our venue so fast that we didn’t take into account the size and seating plans. It ended up working out but we could have found something similar that was bigger and more accommodating. I would also really take a moment during the wedding to soak it all in. The day goes by so fast and it will help you appreciate all the stressful planning and seeing it all come together.” says Jeremy.

Tabatha adds, “I would make sure more people knew details about the plan. Someone (we still do not know who) took the top tier of our cake to be saved, but that wasn’t our plan. We planned to serve all of the cake and ran out before I got a slice! OR I would have made sure we practiced putting on the rings. We both put them on the wrong fingers.”

weddint table card tips

Avoid the same table card fluke! Download this nifty table card template that help guests collect moments using your  DIY wedding video app.

4. I would have spent MORE money on [blank]

In planning a wedding, you have a set pot of money to play with, but it’s totally up to you how the money is spent. Unless, your money tree is growing better than mine.

Personally, one of my biggest wedding regrets was not getting a wedding video. We’ve been married for years now and people still tell us that we had the best party they ever attended. Party, not just wedding. And I have no video to show for it. Live bar band playing til 1am. No video. Choreographed first dance. No video. Two week honeymoon, no video.

Another personal regret was not getting a DOC, or Day-Of-Coordinator. We DIY’d everything, even though we had a pretty decent budget. We chose to spend the majority of our budget on a big guest list and top shelf alcohol.

So we learned to DIY. My dress; I learned to sew. The cake; I had been a cake decorator. The invitations. I could glitter and emboss. All this was great until the day of the wedding and the cake AND centerpieces had to be assembled. AND my bridesmaid who was supposed to do the calligraphy on the tablecards “forgot”.

A DOC would have foreseen these issues. She would have been the quarterback and coach at the wedding, so I didn’t have to be.

Techweek CEO and recent bride Katy says, “I wish I had spent more money on flowers. I had a minimalist wedding, but the flowers by Dilly Lily came out so beautifully that I wish I had ordered so many more!”

“The absolute best money I spent on my wedding was for my videographer. In fact, I would have spent twice as much as I did – that’s how valuable it was. We have the most beautiful edited video of our day that I watch over and over and on every anniversary we will watch the long, unedited version of our vows, our first dance, our families getting ready, everything.” says Erica.

“Heaters…no seriously, it was an unexpected 50 and misting all day. Actually…besides that, we spent the money on the things we knew were going to be important to us and our guests. Food and booze to keep people fat and happy, the best entertainers to keep them dancing, and photo/video to make sure we remembered how awesome the experience was.” says, Event Tech Consultant Damany Daniels.

“I would have spent more money on food. Getting a great price felt like a steal, and the food wasn’t bad, but weddings are always known for food and I wish ours had been a bit better.” says groom Jeremy.

Tabatha agrees, “Our food was awesome, but it would have been cool to have served a dessert bar.”

Lauren adds, “I would have spent more money on extended time with the photographer.”

wedding video less than bouquet

 

5. I would have spent LESS money on [blank]

While the $5,000 wedding shoes may seem super important right now, your best friend may say that she wishes she spent some of her shoe budget on better flower or food. After the wedding is really the best time to assess how well the money was spent.

Katy shares, “I wish I had spent less money on my dress. Don’t get me wrong, it was gorgeous, but it was pricey for a one-day celebration.”

“Again, this might make me boring, but…nothing. We prioritized what we wanted and incorporated it. We had just the right amount of technology (including a social media screen, digitized seating diagrams, and crowdsourced video) to keep people engaged with the wedding and each other, and more than enough experience to keep people there the entire night. When we left, over 3/4 of our guests were as well. As a former DJ, I always saw people trickle out of boring weddings (not because of me clearly) and this was NO boring wedding.” adds Damany.

best friend wedding advice shoes

Photo by Jessica Burke

6. What is your most treasured wedding moment?

Nope. There are 6 things.

In the years after the wedding, all you’ll have left are the memories. You’ll have photos and wedding gifts, but it’s the memories that matter most.

Thinking about what memory from your friend’s wedding is most treasured on their anniversary, can help you put the fights over table cards while planning your wedding in perspective. It can also help them deal with the stress of sending out thank you cards.

On your fifth anniversary, when you watch your video, will the stressful details matter as much as your grandma’s last words of advice? Or especially the look in his eye when he saw you for the first time in your dress? Or the special twirl your dad gave you on the dance floor?

“My most treasured wedding moment is when my older brother Johnny performed one of my favorite songs, “Do You Realize?” by The Flaming Lips, at my wedding ceremony.” adds Katy.

“Seeing the joy on my 94 year old grandfather’s face as he tore it up on the dance floor surrounded by his 3 kids, 10 grandkids, and their children.” says Damany.

Tabatha adds, “My most treasured wedding moment was seeing my husband’s face as I walked down the aisle.”

For example, Maeve and Dan had a gorgeous wedding in Ireland and got a video to relive their most treasured moments: 

“The ceremony was really important for us to capture because we wrote it ourselves…we also wrote our own vows, which our 2yo niece delightfully interrupted with a quick “hello,” so we want to remember those. After that, it just mattered to us to be able to watch our wedding video that shows how much fun people were having and how much happiness we felt on the day.”

Katy adds, “My most treasured wedding moment is when my older brother Johnny performed one of my favorite songs, “Do You Realize?” by The Flaming Lips, at my wedding ceremony.”

Here’s are the questions in a handy list to copy/paste into an email or text:

  1. Who were your favorite vendors and WHY?
  2. What are your top 3 budget tips?
  3. Fill in the blank: If I could do it again I would _______
  4. I would have spent MORE money on [blank]
  5. I would have spent LESS money on [blank]
  6. What is your most treasured wedding moment?

Related Posts

  • Featured Video Play Icon
    Fun Photo Booth Wedding | Mullen Nielsen Wedding Video

    This photo booth wedding was full of life!! Everyone looked like they were having a…

  • Featured Video Play Icon
    A-to-Z Printable Wedding Planning Guide

    This printable wedding planning guide is a MUST for all your wedding organization questions!  Just…

  • Our 15 Favorite Wedding Day Hairstyles: Weekly Wedding Inspiration

    Every bride dreams of looking stunning when she ties the knot. Explore these wedding hair…

  • Weekly Wedding Inspiration: 15 Fresh Outdoor Wedding Ideas

    Planning to have an outdoor wedding ceremony? Read this list of fresh outdoor wedding ideas…

Filed Under: Advice from Pros, Tutorial Tuesdays, Wedding Planning Tagged With: best friend wedding advice

Recent Posts

  • Let your guests be your wedding content creators for free!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fun and modern wedding video with WeddingMix

affordable wedding video

Create your fun and modern wedding video with WeddingMix. Your friends film. We edit. And it happens to be affordable. Starting at $199! :)

Follow Us

Follow Me on Pinterest

See REAL weddings with your budget!

wedding cost real weddings

What will my wedding cost? Just enter your budget, guest count, and region to see real weddings with your budget!

Free Wedding Photo & Video App

free wedding photo video app

Try our free wedding hashtag generator AND checker

free hashtag generator checker

Every Photo. Every Video. Every Guest. Edited Wedding Video.

Reviews

Read all of our Unique Wedding Services Reviews at Weddings, Wedding Cakes,  Wedding Planning, Wedding Checklists, Free Wedding Websites, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Ideas & more

Related Posts

  • Featured Video Play Icon
    Fun Photo Booth Wedding | Mullen Nielsen Wedding Video

    This photo booth wedding was full of life!! Everyone looked like they were having a…

  • Featured Video Play Icon
    A-to-Z Printable Wedding Planning Guide

    This printable wedding planning guide is a MUST for all your wedding organization questions!  Just…

  • Our 15 Favorite Wedding Day Hairstyles: Weekly Wedding Inspiration

    Every bride dreams of looking stunning when she ties the knot. Explore these wedding hair…

  • Weekly Wedding Inspiration: 15 Fresh Outdoor Wedding Ideas

    Planning to have an outdoor wedding ceremony? Read this list of fresh outdoor wedding ideas…

Categories

  • Advice from Pros (108)
  • Friday Finds (132)
  • Meet Me Monday (3)
  • Real Wedding Videos (0)
    • 30-45k (2)
    • Midwest (1)
    • Northeast (1)
  • Tutorial Tuesdays (129)
    • DIY (35)
    • Photos (9)
    • Shooting Video (10)
  • Uncategorized (2)
  • Video Save the Date (4)
  • Wedding Guides (59)
    • Culture (7)
    • Destination Weddings (4)
    • DIY (9)
    • Engagements (3)
    • Style (6)
    • Themes (4)
    • Wedding Budget (10)
    • Wedding Party (13)
    • Wedding Photos/Video (7)
    • Wedding Planning by Month (15)
  • Wedding Planning (59)
  • Wedding Planning Tips from Real Brides (80)
  • Wedding Video (18)

Tags

advice beach wedding video California CA wedding video centerpieces Chicago connecticut wedding video Destination Wedding DIY DIY Tips diy wedding ideas DIY Wedding Video florida wedding video FL wedding video groom guest post hair infographic inspiration iPhone love massachusetts wedding video Motivational Monday new york wedding video new york wedding videography North Carolina Wedding Video NY Wedding Video Photo Tips rustic rustic wedding Sarah table cards texas wedding video Tutorial Tuesdays TX wedding video Video Editing Video tips wedding dress Wedding experience highlights wedding ideas Wedding Inspiration wedding photos Wedding planning Wedding planning advice Wedding Video

Recent posts

  • Let your guests be your wedding content creators for free!
  • 11 Crazy Smart Wedding Budget Hacks from Real Brides

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in