Wedding Planning Tips: A Real Bride’s Lessons, Mistakes & Advice

January 31, 2025

Wedding planning can feel like a whirlwind. Exciting, overwhelming, and sometimes completely consuming. As wedding photographers, we see it all: the meticulous planners with spreadsheets for everything, the last-minute couples who wing it, and everyone in between.

We love an organised approach, but we also know firsthand that no matter how much you plan, things don’t always go as expected. That’s why we love hearing from real couples about their wedding planning experiences; the highs, the lows, and the unexpected lessons learned along the way.

Anna is one of our wonderful brides, and she planned her wedding with an impressive mix of strategy, creativity, and a few surprises along the way. From her love of spreadsheets to the power of Post-it notes and podcasts, she shares what worked, what didn’t, and the advice she wishes she had known before starting.

If you’re in the midst of wedding planning (or about to start), this is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at how one couple made it all come together.


What are your top tips for wedding planning?

I had low-key been planning my wedding since I was about 6. I’ve had Pinterest board after Pinterest board throughout the years. Everything I ever thought my wedding would be or look like did not happen. And I’m so happy about it! 

Firstly, start looking at venues. As soon as we found our venue it all came together. We opted for Southwood Hall: light, relaxed, and homely. They also do all of the food and, if you choose, work with venue dressers. As soon as we booked our date, we went on to book photographers and then good ol’ Pinterest came into play again. Start with the biggest element and work your way down to the smallest. You definitely need a venue and a photographer! 

I bloody love a spreadsheet and so this was when it was my time to shine with Excel. This included guest lists with addresses, what wine they wanted on their table (option on their invite) and gifts so we could make a note for our thank-you cards. We also had a tab for Finance, Music, Stationery, as well as ongoing questions that we might have for different vendors. 

I listened to wedding podcasts, especially The Unfiltered Bride. This was incredibly helpful. I’d never planned a wedding before but this podcast made me feel like I knew everything, down to how to choose colours and metals, as well as what to do with potential issues about hen parties, unhelpful grooms, and venue horrors. Thankfully, I didn’t need those but I felt fully prepared. 

Don’t underestimate the power of Post-it notes either. We had a post-it note board. Each element was a different colour: to buy, to do, to book etc. We’ve now moved this into our new married life. Yay to TikTok for introducing this to me. 

Preparation is key and prepared I was! 

Can you discuss some of the highs and lows you experienced during your wedding planning? Which element exceeded your expectations, and which one fell short?

I loved the wedding planning process. My hubby was very involved in it all and came up with loads of ideas, including how he was going to draw all of our guests. They were properly good as he’s an artist. He also designed our Save the Dates, our invites, Thank You cards, and all of our stationery in the style of my favourite artist. He wasn’t forced into this – I promise! So he made the whole thing really easy for me. 

Our venue is very active on social media and would also have open nights which was really helpful. This meant that we could see what other real-life couples do and how the venue works. They were always at the end of the phone or email. 

A low is that it does consume your life. Our lives revolved around the wedding and all for one day. I think we also felt the pressure as we had friends and family travelling in from the US, Mexico, and mainland Europe so we wanted to make sure that everybody was happy and had a good time. We thought about everybody else way more than we thought about ourselves. Not sure if that was a bad thing in the end though because we still get comments about how personalised our day was and the best man even popped it in his speech at the end about how we’d obviously put a lot of effort into this and how guests felt like they were welcomed. Well, it’s because we put the guests at the centre. And although that sounds like a bad thing, on the day I really had the best day ever and it was really about us. It just took a hell of a lot of time and effort. 

How did you handle any disappointments that arose during your wedding planning or on the wedding day itself?

We had booked a band through an agency who were coming up from London. However, when we went on the website, they had become inactive. After lots of calls and emails with the agency, it turned out that they had disbanded and not told anyone. Thankfully, there were plenty of other groups to choose from and we found another mariachi band who were fabulous. 

The best thing to think is: will anyone die if I don’t book that band? No. 

What are some things you think all couples should realistically expect when planning their wedding?

The cost. Everyone says that this should be the first thing you sort out. Not for us. We booked things and we’ll be paying off a bank loan for the next few years. So starting off married life in debt isn’t ideal but I absolutely loved our wedding. I did try to save money initially. For example, I wasn’t interested at all about flowers for the venue, but then we did (which was a chunk) but in every photo we have of them I just absolutely melt and I’m so thankful that I changed my mind. Basically, everything is more expensive than you think it will be. Learn to love beans on toast. 

How has life changed for you after the wedding? Are there any aspects of post-wedding life that surprised you or that you think couples should prepare for?

I kept hearing about getting the post-wedding blues but I’ve not had them. Everything has settled and is normal again except now I have another ring and just the absolute best memories of that day. 

Discuss the process of changing your name. Why do you consider it the biggest pain ever? Do you have any tips for making this process smoother?

We are both double-barrelling our names. Between us, we have 3 banks: bank for our mortgage, his personal account, and my account. Mortgage Bank was great, his bank were great, my bank not so much. Even though I was able to get a passport and show it to them, as it was double-barrelled, they wanted me to have a deed poll. For those of you who don’t know, this is literally a piece of paper that you can print off at home which says ‘I, Donald Duck, hereby change my legal name to Minnie Mouse.’ You get two people to sign for it (popped around to our neighbours’ house) and boom! Your name has been changed. 

The fella’s had issues as well with sending documents off for a new driving licence. He even went to the Post Office and they said it was all good. Alas, it wasn’t and it was sent back to him. 

We still haven’t changed a lot which we really need to do but there’s a lack of guidance especially for double-barrelling names.  Still working on this. 

Looking back, what would you do differently about your wedding planning and why?

Start listening to podcasts as soon as you can. There’s a wealth of information on there. 

We were having a kid-free wedding (minus nieces and nephews) and know that would have annoyed people. But it’s what we wanted so I wish we hadn’t worried about upsetting people. Fuck it, it was our day! 

The fella said to budget. 

What is the one piece of advice you wish you had known before starting your wedding planning?

Share the load. Me and the hubby worked so well together because we agreed on responsibilities. It made the whole process so easy. 

How have you and your spouse celebrated milestones or continued to create special moments together since your wedding?

We’ve not been married a year yet and so far things are kinda the same and I’m not nagging him to get wed. I do love calling him my husband. Giggle. 

We’re now planning our honeymoon which we’ll be going on for our first anniversary. 

Could you provide a timeline of your wedding planning process?

  • Engaged at Walt Disney World – July 2022
  • Booked Southwood Hall – August 2022
  • Booked Lisa & Neil – September 2022 
  • Booked band number 1 – April 2023
  • Booked Hair and make-up – November 2023
  • Booked Florist – November 2023
  • Gave notice – December 2023
  • Booked band number 2 – January 2024
  • Booked videographer – February 2024 (decided last minute we wanted one) 
  • GOT MARRIED!! – April 2024

Wedding planning is a huge task, but as Anna’s experience shows, a mix of preparation, flexibility, and a bit of fun along the way can make it all come together beautifully. Whether you’re deep into planning or just getting started, we hope her insights help you feel more confident about your own big day.

If you’re still looking for the perfect wedding photographer (or just want to chat about your plans), we’d love to hear from you!

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