How to Address Your Biggest Wedding Worries
It's totally normal to have some wedding worries. But instead of stressing, take action! Here are some of the best ways to face your wedding fears head on.
Even if you’re generally a chill person, wedding worries have a way of sneaking up on you. These wedding fears can put a damper on your engagement and increase your stress level, which might make your big day less enjoyable. Our advice? Face your fears head on. While it might not be fun to think about your wedding worries, taking action with a little planning and forethought will help you feel confident and prepared should these instances actually occur.
These are the top wedding worries that most brides and grooms face at one point or another, and how to plan for them in advance.
Your Fear: Tripping while walking down the aisle
How to Address It: Break in those shoes!
We’ve all worried about tripping and falling during important moments in our lives, and your wedding is no exception. Instead of freaking out about your walk down the aisle, use that nervous energy to practice, practice, practice. Find your wedding shoes a few months before your big day, and wear them around the house often to break them in. Wear your wedding shoes while handling household activities (yes, you probably will feel a bit silly, but it’s worth it!) so that wearing them on your big day will feel like second nature and falling will be a lot less likely.
Your Fear: A vendor doesn’t show up
How to Address It: Maintain open communication with your vendors
It’s the stuff of nightmares—you arrive to your wedding venue, only to realize your (florist, caterer, photographer, DJ, fill in the blank) isn’t coming and it’s too late to find a replacement. Pretty frightening, right? Well, this sort of wedding worry very rarely occurs (thankfully), but it just illustrates the importance of hiring experienced vendors. Yes, emergencies happen, but professionals have backup plans that are clearly spelled out in their contracts. So that’s why it’s essential to read vendor reviews and examine all contracts carefully before signing. You’ll also want to communicate with your pros regularly in the weeks and months before your big day—if you haven’t heard from one of your vendors in a while, don’t wait until the last minute, give ‘em a call to make sure they’re good to go for your event.
Your Fear: Rain ruins your outdoor ceremony plan
How to Address It: Create a Plan B you love just as much
You’ve probably heard those Alanis lyrics, “It’s like rain…on your wedding day.” But bad weather on your big day is far from ironic, it can feel downright disastrous. Whether you live in an area that’s usually sunny or one where the weather is a bit more unpredictable, it’s essential to think about your rain plan at the very beginning of your wedding planning process—like, when you’re first choosing your venue. Don’t just select a wedding venue because of its beautiful outdoor space. During your initial tour, ask the venue coordinator to walk you through what a rainy day wedding would look like—and make sure you’re happy with it before signing on the dotted line. That way, if it does rain, you’ll take comfort in knowing exactly what your wedding will look like, plus some cute umbrellas and rain boots!
Your Fear: Breaking out in a zit on the morning of your wedding
How to Address It: Stick to a beauty regime and hire an incredible makeup artist
If you have acne-prone skin (or even if you don’t), all of these wedding worries might cause an unwanted pimple to pop up. To prevent this, get your skin in gear well before your big day by sticking to a skincare regimen (approved by a dermatologist, of course). And remember that makeup is not something you should DIY on your wedding day. Hire a professional makeup artist who can use all the tricks in his or her arsenal to ensure that even a monster zit will be nearly invisible with the right covering-up techniques.
Your Fear: Guest drama
How to Address It: Focus on your seating chart and hire a wedding planner
The last thing you want to hear on your wedding day is your feuding great-aunt and cousin shouting at each other over the reception music. Everyone has relatives that don’t get along and while most people stay on their best behavior at a wedding, this isn’t always the case. That’s why you should pay close attention to your seating chart, ensuring that problematic guests are places far from each other (and perhaps close to the exit, so they can “take it outside”). An experienced wedding planner can be helpful in these situations, too, by providing advice and keeping a close eye on any troublesome family members on the big day.
Your Fear: No one shows up
How to Address It: Book room blocks and provide transportation
If you’re worried about receiving too many “no” RSVPs or last-minute cancellations, fear not. The average wedding receives “nos” from about one-quarter of its guests. And we know that guests are less likely to attend a wedding that’s difficult to travel to and expensive to attend. So while it’s totally okay not to get married in your hometown, be sure that the destination you choose is near a major airport or transportation hub and be sure to book room blocks at area hotels to help save your guests some money. And if at all possible, provide shuttle transportation to and from your venue for guests’ safety and convenience. While this may be more work and expense for you, it will make your loved ones more likely to attend.
Your Fear: Your dress won’t zip up on the morning of your wedding
How to Address It: Make time for your fittings and have a wedding planner on hand
You want to look fierce and fabulous on your wedding day—not constantly pulling up your dress or struggling with a zipper. This is why wedding dress fittings are essential. You’ll likely have three (or more!) fittings to ensure the perfect fit—so don’t put these off or skip ‘em. And this is yet another reason to hire a wedding planner, who will likely have tools in his or her arsenal to assist with any dress-related emergencies.
Your Fear: No one will dance during the reception
How to Address It: Communicate with your DJ or bandleader
An empty dance floor signifies a less-than-fun wedding—and you certainly want your wedding to be an absolute blast! So instead of wasting energy worrying about a potentially-boring reception, use that motivation to work with your DJ or bandleader and come up with a playlist you and your guests will love. While you likely won’t choose every song that will be played, an experienced music pro will be able to “read the crowd” and pick songs that are sure to crowd the dance floor. Be sure to tell your DJ or bandleader about songs you particularly love (and hate) to ensure that your reception music feels personalized. But the most important part of a successful reception is finding a music pro you trust.
Your Fear: Your décor looks nothing like you imagined—and you hate it!
How to Address It: Ask for a mock up
If one of your wedding worries relates to your décor, be sure to read your florist’s proposal carefully to ensure you’re on the same page—and provide him or her with photos that clearly represent your ideas. And it’s totally okay to ask your florist and/or rentals company to see a mockup of your floral arrangements or tablescapes to ensure everything looks picture-perfect. And once again, an experienced planner can be very helpful in communicating with your creative vendors to ensure that your wedding vision comes to life—and there are only good surprises on your big day!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, some of which may be sponsored by paying vendors.
