Biggest pre-wedding mistakes to avoid

Going over budget

An excited bride can easily get carried away booking vendors and making purchases without having a real budget and then are shocked to discover they've already spent all of their money and don't yet have half the things they need. Planning a wedding is serious business. Make a budget and keep track of your expenditures so you won't be walking naked down the aisle.

Leaving it to the Last Minute

If your heart is set on a particular dress, be sure to order by the six-month mark to allow for fittings and alterations. The same goes for the bridesmaid dresses.

Reserve hotel rooms for guests as early as possible. Begin your research up to a year in advance. It's a good idea to include hotel information in your invitations. This doesn't mean you will have to pay for the rooms, you are just setting them aside so your guests can put down their credit cards when they call to book their rooms.

Inviting too many wedding guests. Don't invite 400 people assuming only 250 will accept. You don't want to end up turning people away at the reception. Analyse your guest list from the get-go, assume 80% will respond yes, and limit your guest list accordingly.

Last-minute beauty treatments and crash diets.

Many brides think that scheduling a facial the day before the wedding will leave their skin looking angelic on their big days. Last-minute beauty treatments could leave unexpected and unwanted results. Crash dieting in the weeks leading up to the wedding could mean that after all those fittings; your dress may not fit. Stick to a long-term beauty regime with lots of rest, a good diet, and safe over-the-counter beauty products like sunless tanners.

Save the heavy-duty beauty treatments for at least two weeks before the big day or you could risk ruining all the hard work you've done to make your wedding perfect.

Trying to go it alone.

If you are a bride lucky enough to have been offered help by friends or family members, by all means take it! Too many brides try to do it all, this isn't a good idea. Delegate and use all the resources that are available to you. When people offer to assist find something for them to do, like researching a vendor or addressing invitations.

Forgetting important

Keep in mind that you are getting married and starting a life together, not just planning a wedding. Brides, be good to your grooms. And grooms, be good to your brides. Some tension is inevitable due to the sticky topics that weddings stir up, but don't ever let things get out of control. Remember why you decided to take this leap in the first place!

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