Photo | Chantel Lynn Photography

Everyone knows how stressful it can be planning your wedding from family involvement to finding the perfect vendor within your budget. Weddings magnify everyone’s emotions, so there are a lot of mistakes that can be made. What brides need to remember is that everyone makes mistakes and everyone has the power to make them right.

Here are four mistakes you should make sure to avoid during the beginning phase of planning your wedding:

1.Rushing into the wedding plans.

Don’t have your wedding nearly planned out before the sunset on your first day as a newly engaged couple. Trust me, if you do this you’ll frighten your fiancé. He’s already stressed out over the proposal- so take some time to show him how much you appreciate him and everything that he has done and will continue to do for you instead of planning your wedding. Not only will rushing through your wedding plans scare your fiancé, but it also takes all the fun out of it. Just remember that wedding plans can fall into place really quickly, so take your time and enjoy your planning!

2. Not making a priority list.

Your wedding plans will come together much more smoothly if you create a priority list of the most important wedding elements that both of you cherish the most. Maybe you both agree that having a more extravagant venue and carter are very important to you, but wedding favors and a huge cake is not. This way you have a set in stone list of what is most important to the both of you as a couple and when others (aka parents) try to chime in, you can communicate effectively, without coming across as a snob, with them as well.

3. Not researching what things cost before you make a budget or talk money with parties involved in paying for the wedding.

Money is always a huge issue when it comes to wedding planning. Make sure that you research thoroughly before you sit down and discuss numbers with all the parties that will be involved in paying for your wedding. A lot of vendors do not put this type of information on their website, so it’s very likely that you’ll either have to call them or set up a consultation for you to get the most accurate figures. Trust me, all this hassle is worth it.

4. Not having firm boundaries on what parents will do to help.

Parents are an inevitable part of everyone’s’ wedding and mixing wedding plans and parents can be a tricky situation for many couples. Take some time to sit down with your significant other and decide exactly what your will be involved in doing. Who will attend the cake testing? Food tasting? Reception site viewing? Make a chart of what each family’s involvement will be and match it up with what works best for you.

I am taking on the task of reading The Bride’s Survival Guide: 150 Mistakes You should avoid for the Perfect Wedding by Sharon Naylor. A book of 150 don’ts for the perfect I do! Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday for four new mistakes that you should avoid while planning your big day!