Planning a wedding is a daunting task, and it’s different for everyone. After all, there’s no one-size-fits-all wedding—or budget. That said, there are a few tips you can follow to minimize angst and regret. We tapped Jenny Cipoletti, stylish influencer and recent bride, to share the seven things every newly engaged person should keep in mind when planning the big day.
Jenny and her husband at their rehearsal dinner.
"Times have changed in the bridal world, and you shouldn’t feel obligated to follow the traditional handbook. If you feel like wearing a blue dress, having mismatching bridesmaids dresses or having no bridesmaids at all, don’t feel bad about it. It’s your day, so it’s best to do what makes you and your husband happiest."
"Let’s face it, all mothers and mothers-in-law will want to be involved in every step of the process. A constructive way of involving them so they feel included throughout the process is to task them with specific components of your wedding. Your mother-in-law is great with flowers? Put her in charge of that. Your mom wants to make the invites? Put her in charge of that! It will buy you some extra time to focus on things you want to handle on your own without extra opinions around."
"There are going to be a lot of opinions on every detail you can imagine to make your big day what it is. It’s helpful to create different Pinterest boards not just for the wedding but for all the details: different boards specifically for what your cake will look like, your flowers, your flower girls and so on. That way it's easier to source inspiration and stay true to your original vision of your wedding, because it's very easy to lose sight of that during the planning process due to people giving you different options."
"Give your bridesmaids constructive guidance instead of direct orders, so you don’t turn into bridezilla."
"Wedding-day hair and makeup trials are a must! Determine what direction you are going in for both, and make sure whoever you hire can execute it perfectly without making you look too overdone."
"If you’re doing a ceremony dress and a reception dress, just change the dress—not the hair and makeup as well. This was a lesson I learned on my wedding day. I ended up missing more of my reception than I wanted to."
"Don’t skip the videographer. Carve out somewhere in the budget to allocate dollars for one. Having photos is one thing, but having a beautiful video to watch is just magical (and worth cutting something less timeless from the budget)!"
