I have been thinking about what I wish I knew before starting my wedding planning (and mistakes I made), and I thought it would be fun to collect our advice for people just starting out their planning. Here are my #1 tips:
1. Don't pick your wedding party until 6-9 months before your wedding.
2. Don't ask people for permission or input on your wedding. You pick the day, you pick the size of the guest list, you pick the wedding party. Don't share with people who don't absolutely need to know, and don't take unsolicited advice to heart.
3. Agree with your fiance to be a united front to family on all wedding decisions.
4. Have the wedding you can afford. Don't stretch yourself to where you have to hurt or disrespect your guests to make your day work (asking guests to cover costs of venue by buying rooms, excluding SOs from your guest list, etc)