For BRIDES, by Jillian Kramer.
This is what they would have done differently if given a do-over.
Just because most couples will tell you that their weddings were the best days of their lives doesn’t mean they don’t have regrets. Here, six brides share what they would have done differently if they could go back and have a do-over.
Not Providing a Detailed Shot List “My biggest regret is not providing our photographer with a more specific shot list. In advance of our wedding, our photographer gave us a spreadsheet to fill out that listed the names of our family and bridal party and included a section to jot down our ‘must have’ shots. My now husband and I only put down a few, assuming that our photographer would gather folks and get group shots during the night. If you want, say, a shot with your extended family or a group shot of everyone at the wedding, you need to ask. Same with wanting a photo of my husband and I with my college crew or my high school crew — we didn’t specifically ask for it.” —Julia
See More: The 50 Most Beautiful Wedding Cakes Ever
Hiring One of My Mom’s Friends “I let my mom help me find a day-of coordinator, a friend she wanted to use. I had a bad feeling about her after a couple meetings, but at that point there wasn’t much time before the wedding. My mom said not to worry, but I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Well, she ended up not showing up to help with anything, leaving me and my family to have to do more than we bargained for. Luckily, everyone pitched in, including my mom’s neighbor who really ended up saving the day. I wish I’d have stuck with my gut and hired a professional.” —Callie
Being Too Frugal with Photo and Video “My biggest regret is how budget-conscious I was concerning our photos and videos. I paid roughly $500 for photos and $700 for a video. Instead of spending an extra $500 and getting someone a little more experienced, I went for the people who were just starting out and within my budget. Our photos ended up coming out overly saturated, and the video was a nightmare. We made it work but in the end, those are the only two things that I truly think are worth investing in, even if it’s a little budget stretch. You can’t get those moments back!” —Tiffany
Marrying Him At All “My love and I spent more than a year dating and getting to know each other, then were engaged for two months. On our wedding day, as I stood holding hands with my husband-to-be, a very clear voice in my head said, ‘don’t do this.’ My stomach clenched, my gut hurt, but I went ahead, with my ‘I do.’ About two years later, he had an affair with a younger woman. Had I only listened to that voice!” —Patricia
No Wedding Video “My worst regret is that I did not have a video made. At the time, I thought, ‘who would I invite to watch this? People I didn’t invite to the wedding? That would be rude.’ So I didn’t have one made. But now I wish I had because I’d love to watch it, plus there is a lot that goes on at your wedding that you aren’t even aware of, and it would be a wonderful look at the whole day.” —Nanette
Not Hiring a Planner “The worst regret that I talk about to this day is not hiring a wedding coordinator that was an outside vendor from my venue. I was late to my own wedding. I hated my wedding pictures. And my dress was not The One. I wish I had someone with experience to drive the planning along the way and help me be on time on day-of.” —Karina
More From BRIDES:
