I got married less than a year ago but have 5 wedding regrets – a money-saving option cost us more than we had thought
SOMETIMES the best day of your life can leave you with some of the biggest regrets.
A bride has shared how she paid the price for one particular mistake – literally.
FORGIVE – DON’T FORGET THE FLOWERS
Redditor Icy_badger_8390 recalled the five biggest mistakes she made on her big day.
“Does anyone else have petty or small stuff wedding regrets that they know are dumb, but still annoy them? Here are mine,” she said.
She explained how one of her biggest blunders turned out to be the costliest one.
“Not hiring a florist,” she said.
“I started out thinking this service was a waste of money and ended up assembling the flower arrangements myself and doing tons of DIYs with my husband, which were fun, but not all of them turned out well,” she continued.
“In general, the reception space looked great and I doubt anyone really noticed the imperfections, but I think a real florist would have done a better job,” she continued.
“Also, tons of scrapped projects and supplies down the drain meant we didn’t really save all that much money in the long run.”
Many people agreed that she was right to feel that way over the flowers.
“I used a florist and am so glad I did. I loved the florals I ended up with and would not have been able to do it on my own,” said one Redditor.
“I was originally anti-flower too because ‘they just die.’ Then I realized those flowers are in every single photo and will live forever that way,” said another user.
“I ended up using a large portion of our budget on florals and I have no regrets. One of my best decisions,” they continued.
Still, some believed the DIY route was worth it for the budget-friendly benefits.
“My cousin’s wife went to Trader Joe’s in the early morning the day before their wedding and got a bunch of white flowers,” commented a reader.
“That’s also a big game of chance but she loved that it was a fraction of the cost of a florist,” they added.
“I DIYed my flowers for my wedding this past Saturday, but I did the Flower Moxie custom design version,” another chimed in.
“I felt great about how it turned out, and it was about one-fourth the price I would have paid for a full-service florist in my area. Plus I had fun doing it!” they continued.
The average amount spent on florals for a wedding in the US is $750, with most couples shelling out between $700 and $2,500 for their flowers, according to Wedding Wire.
COLOR ME MISERABLE
She also wished she had listened to someone else while planning her wedding – herself.
“I regret picking our color scheme and wedding style based on outside opinions and what was trendy at the time,” she said.
Instead of sticking to her favorite shades and opting for plum-colored bridesmaid dresses, she was swayed by others.
She had listened to the comments made by her friends about how they “hate that color, how it’s dated for a wedding, how it looks terrible on them, etc.”
In an effort to be a “chill bride,” all of her bridesmaids wound up with mismatched dresses.
She thought they looked “pretty,” but she still regrets not being more aggressive.
DRESS DISASTER
She also shared her own dress dilemma that arose when she ordered a non-returnable gown.
While she was a fan of the indie bridal brand she got it from, she wasn’t as in love with the dress itself.
“I love their style and commitment to sustainability and ethical fashion, so I was dead set on ordering a dress from there no matter what as opposed to ordering from a more traditional shop,” she said.
“I loved the way it looked on me and loved my veil and accessories, but I wish I had given myself a chance to try on more dresses in person before going this route.”
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
While she had always dreamed of having her wedding in the same town she had grown up, she now believes she would have done things differently.
“We had a Sunday wedding since it was cheaper and dates were limited, but thinking back on it now, it wouldn’t have been my first choice,” she said.
With so many friends and family still living locally, many of them wound up leaving the reception on the early side.
“His family and our friends from out of state, who all took off work to be there and were ready to party, carried the dance floor and the after-party!” she said.
TURN THE MUSIC OFF
She also advised against hiring local vendors with family ties.
Being in a band himself, her dad recommended a DJ he was already familiar with to play at the wedding.
At one point the DJ handed her father the microphone.
“He ended up singing a cover of a classic wedding reception song, which was a little cringy but also kind of funny in a lovable, ‘hey dad, you’re embarrassing me!’ type of way and our guests loved it and cheered him on, so I didn’t mind it,” she said.
Things with the DJ only went downhill from there.
“But then, the other drunk members of his band started trying to perform too and tried turning it into karaoke night,” she said.
“I could tell people were starting to get confused and annoyed after the fun of singing along to the first song wore off.
“Thankfully they shut it down after a couple of songs and we’ve learned to laugh at how weird it was, but it did cut into almost thirty minutes of our reception.”
Another Redditor shared what they wish they had spent more money on for their big day.
“I regret not splurging more on photography. I had a wonderful videographer, DJ, florist, venue, food, etc., but I tried to save money on photography,” they said.
“I still spent roughly $4,500, but the style isn’t what I love about wedding photos. I wish I spent more on a photographer whose style I truly love rather than trying to save money,” they continued.