“My dress arrived too late to wear to my wedding.”
Weaskedmembers of theBuzzFeed Communityto tell us the biggest mistake they made on their wedding day.
Here’s what they revealed:
1.
“I originally didn’t want kids at my afternoon wedding.
The only ones originally allowed were the flower girl and boy.
Although we were paying for the wedding ourselves, I gave in to her.
This was my usual M.O.
I completely regret it because my gorgeous wedding day turned into a daycare!
Everyone brought their kids!
Yup, I definitely regret that.”
emokid40
2.
“My dress arrived too late to wear to my wedding.
A few days before the wedding, I had to buy something off the rack to wear.
Luckily, I found something great.
I said no thanks and ended up donating it.
Anonymous
3.
“I think my biggest mistake was not enforcing my boundaries.
I wish we had confronted her and kicked her out.”
“Not looking at the cake the day before.
I didn’t see it until the reception.”
gingers_mom
5.
“I should’ve been more firm with my mother-in-law!
She has a strong personality and even stronger opinions.
My wedding was her vision and nothing like I would have chosen.
To her credit, it was beautiful, but not ‘me.’
I hated every moment and still feel so foolish for giving in to her.
If you don’t want to do something traditional, don’t!
I tell everyone getting married to do what they want, even if everyone rolls their eyes.”
“We forgot to eat!
We hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast because of all the excitement and nerves.
We did not, however, forget to drink.
I drank more wine than usual and on an almost empty stomach.
When my husband and I got home, we realized we were starving and ordered pizza.”
Other than that, though.
We are still together after 14 years and counting.
What we really don’t regret?
Going DIY and spending as little money as possible.
For example, we got flowers from the grocery store.
We also told our friends and family that gifts really weren’t necessary.
I asked my bridesmaids to wear a dress they liked instead of shelling out for an expensive bridesmaid dress.
We didn’t match in the pictures, but oh, well!
“Inviting the wrong guests!
We had a super small COVID wedding.
Oh, the family drama that ensued!
This man was a bigoted racist who had insulted half my very diverse family in private.
It made a very intimate gathering awkward as no one wanted him there and gave him the cold shoulder.
I should have just stuck with my immediate family!”
“Spending money on things people (including the bride and groom) don’t really notice.
I had a small, informal wedding and wanted everyone to feel comfortable.
I hired a harpist to play during the period before the short ceremony.
People were milling about, enjoying a glass of wine, talking.
No one could hear the harp!
It was a complete waste.
I’ve seen this at other weddings.
Lots of money and effort are spent on things that fall flat.
Think about the venue and the people.
While harp music is beautiful, is it right for the event?”
“Allowing my husband to have it at his parent’s home.
His father was ill and possibly couldn’t attend the wedding.
I agreed to have the wedding and reception at my future in-laws' home.
My wedding ended up being a memorial to my father-in-law-to-be.
I had to limit my guest list because of their home.
My photographer was summoned upstairs to take pictures of him with the family.
My redo would be not to give in to my husband’s mother.”
There was even a sound tech un-miking and miking us during outfit changes.
It felt more like running through a play than a significant day between us.”
dmeibler
12.
“Where do I start?!
I likely wouldn’t have had a wedding.
From the get-go, I had said I wanted a small elopement.
Instead, we were guilt-tripped by family members to invite other family members.
We paid for everything, and our budget was less than $5,000.
The ONLY thing I look back on and cringe at is my appearance.
I wish I had looked more.”
casachess
14.
“Definitely the person I married.
I thought he was ‘the one’ and was just checked out because he was in grad school.
I thought that afterward, it would be good again.
It got worse until we divorced 20 years later with three kids.
I found out he barely remembers the entire event at all.”
silkyfan65
16.
“Not hiring a professional photographer.
A woman my wife worked with seemed to be a decent amateur photographer.
She had taken pictures of her husband, who was a model, for his portfolio.
Well, it turned out to be an almost complete disaster.
This amateur photographer showed up at our wedding with a basic SLR camera similar to mine.
I am strictly an amateur who took vacation pictures and pictures at family gatherings.
This was also in the days before digital photography.”
“The pictures she took were terrible and strictly amateur.
She incorrectly loaded the film into her camera just before taking photos of the wedding party after the ceremony.
As such, we had no pictures of the wedding party or any way to recreate them.
When we found out what happened, my wife and I were furious.
There was no excuse for not telling us about having to reshoot the wedding party pictures.
This destroyed my wife’s friendship with this woman, and they never spoke again.
Our families were disappointed because we had no wedding pictures to give them.
The bottom line is not to save money by going cheap on the photographer or videographer.
You will most likely regret it; we certainly did.”
sidneykaler
17.
“My dress had a large bow across my backside.
magicaltooth53
18.
“Too many guests around 300.
A much smaller wedding would’ve been more comfortable and enjoyable for us.
We are both introverts.”
“The person I chose to marry.
Red flags were flying, but I didn’t know what love bombing was then.
We got married before we even hit one year of dating.
His temper and narcissistic personality traits started showing themselves a few months later.
I started therapy a year ago and am in the process of researching divorce lawyers.
I am discovering just how expensive divorce is.
I was more concerned about them feeling their best.
I just was in such a rush, I forgot!
“My mother-in-law-to-be was very, very sick.
We had a short engagement so that she could be at the wedding.
My husband’s parents wanted all their friends at the wedding.
“I had my future sister-in-law as one of my bridesmaids.
She made the day all about her, complained constantly, and would go missing at crucial points.
“My biggest mistake was marrying the wrong person for all the wrong reasons.
I’ve been married twice.
My first husband was my childhood crush.
Looking back, I can see how it was a horrible idea.
We were young and on a super tight budget.
My mom and I did the food, and a guy I worked with took photos as a gift.
We had the reception at the clubhouse in my mom’s neighborhood.
I made all the bouquets.
I think the wedding came in under $2,000, honeymoon included.”
“While my ex was a fun, great, likable guy, he was a terrible spouse.
It took us longer to divorce than we were actually married because of state requirements.
I had to handle all that, too, and he made it as difficult as possible.
Fast forward a few years when my now-husband and I discussed getting married.
We told no one.
We asked some random people to be our witnesses, and that was that.
He hadn’t been married before, so we had a ceremony about a year later.
We hired a photographer and caterer and had it at a small, affordable venue.
It was completely stress-free for both of us since we were already married.
It was lovely having that little secret between us, too.
We are celebrating our 24th anniversary this year.
“A few things!
I would’ve made a must-have photo list.
I also would have chosen a different photo booth vendor.
Ours was bad (lack of props, lack of energy).
I also would’ve spent more time dancing and talking with my guests at each table.
Overall, it was the best day ever because my husband is amazingly awesome!!”
bubblyskull17
25.
“I regret not trusting my gut about our photographer.
She was expensive but highly recommended, and we were impressed by her portfolio.
The pictures came out HORRIBLE.
I should have trusted my instincts and taken the loss.
It was a beautiful day that lives mainly in my memory.”
“Not trying on the dress before the big day.
I didn’t have anyone to help me get ready and couldn’t zip up the dress by myself.
ladicair
27.
We obliged, which started a line of people who also wanted photos.
Photos led to having some drinks; before we knew it, the food was taken away!
No one saved food for us, and the coordinator never came to tell us to eat!
Lesson: see to it you eat!
Or, if you’re a guest, remind the bride and groom to eat!”
“I regret hiring a wedding photographer who fought me on what I wanted!
I really wanted candid shots and to take bridals in a nearby city.
I went along with it because she’s a professional and has done hundreds of weddings.
I hate all of the pictures.
They aren’t my style or my husband’s style at all.
We look awkward and out of place.
I wish I had gone with my gut and just found someone else.
Don’t settle.”
I tried so hard to be an ‘easy’ bride and not be labeled a bridezilla.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
