After 6 years (Can you believe it?!) of being a wedding photographer... I find I'm constantly hearing that my brides have regrets about their wedding day. As a person who obviously LOVES weddings, this of course makes me a little sad. I especially feel that way when I hear the same things over & over. I thought in order to HOPEFULLY avoid a few broken hearts, that I'd compile a list of the 8 most common regrets I hear so often!

1. Not staying true to what you want. This happens ALL the time. Getting married is so exciting, that family & friends get caught up in it too! The unfortunate side of this, is some people get so busy trying to keep their friends and family happy, that they end up with a wedding that they didn't even want. Do your best to listen to others (because who knows, maybe they do have a great idea!) and then stick to your dreams. Your wedding doesn't come everyday.
2. Missing a photo with an important family member or pet.  Most photographers I know ask for family shot lists. This is a MUST have. You can always double check it or ask your photographer to double check it at the end of the day & make sure no photo gets missed. I'd even put some stars next to the people you love the most, so your photographer know to get extra shots with them. ;)
3. Not getting the dress of your dreams! This just makes me sad. Don't do it ladies! Splurge & get the dress!
4. Not getting any of your day caught on video. This was a popular one! There are so many amazing videographers around!
5. Being unorganized & forgetting things. I've seen this happen many times. Garters, bouquets and rings get left behind and are not brought to the ceremony. I once saw I groom forget his suit. WOOPS! Maybe everyone should have a check list?
6. Hiring inexperienced vendors. Unfortunately everyone starts somewhere. I once shot my first wedding too! This is definitely an option for brides on a tight budget, but sometimes when the research isn't done on the person hired, things do not always end well. If you are opting for a new vendor, make sure you are on the same page with your expectations or it's in an area you are prepared for some flaws. I've seen this most recently with a wedding coordinator who didn't actually coordinate anything, a DJ who was constantly making errors and leaving weird gaps with no music and even a makeup artist who made such a mess of the brides makeup, I had to photoshop it forever! I always always encourage makeup trials!
7. Not getting photos with out of town guests or taking time out to talk to them. The wedding day seems like a long stretch when you're planning it, but it goes by SO FAST! If it's important to have photos with people who have travelled to see you, make sure they get on your photo list, otherwise your photographer may be clueless to their existence or that they are a photo priority for you. If having time to chat with them is a priority, make a spot on your timeline to go table to table. You'd be surprised how fast the day goes. If it's not on your timeline, it likely won't happen!
8. Not hiring a wedding planner/coordinator. Some brides were made to plan & love every minute... some brides have other big things going on such as school, work or kids and the task is absolutely overwhelming. Wedding planning can be exhausting! There are definitely some professionals that can help and can even design partial wedding planning packages to keep it in the budget! If it's out of the completely out of the budget, I'd definitely get a wedding planning book & make sure you give yourself as much time as possible to cross everything off. I want to hear more about what you guys would do differently so I can add it to my list! If you have any suggestions, please comment below! I want to hear all about it!Thanks guys! -Amanda