Today’s Thursday Tips is of course coming from my own experience as a bride AND now as a vendor (as all posts on ELD do). In short, when it comes to your wedding, don’t settle.

What do I mean by settling?

Sacrificing the style of wedding you want because your mom wants you to get married at the same place she did (or something to that effect).

– Don’t have a classic, elegant wedding if you wear jeans and Converses every day.

Choosing one vendor over the one you LOVE and CONNECT with because the proposal they gave you is different by $1000.

– Different vendors do things differently. The vendor you LOVE may have understood your vision a lot better than the cheaper vendor, thus why the difference in price- because the proposal was more complete and had everything that you could ever want for you wedding. Things that aren’t totally necessary can always be eliminated- vendors are always open to working with you if you just TELL them. They can’t read your mind.

Going with a photographer because they’re in your price range, even though you REALLY love another photographer who is $1000 more.

– Simply put- you’ll regret it. The photos are one of the only things that you’ll have after your wedding. You can recover that $1000 by doing some DIY menus or favors, or maybe even cutting a few guests. Your happiness is worth it.

Restricting yourself to vendors that are just in the area that your wedding is in.

– This may not apply if you’re getting married in a big city, but if you’re getting married in a smaller city or town, TRUST ME, it definitely applies! The pool of vendors to choose from in a small town is always smaller than the number of options in a nearby city. Don’t be afraid to ask vendors to travel! Vendors LOVE to travel to new places outside of where they normally work, and often times they have a very flexible travel policy. So feel free to search for vendors that are outside of the city your wedding is in. TRUST ME- it’s worth it!

Cutting so much out of your wedding that you hardly have the wedding you’ve envisioned.

– I unfortunately see a lot of this. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand about budgets. But cutting things out of your wedding is another aspect in which you get what you pay for. Those tall candelabra centerpieces with crystals? Too expensive? When you cut them out of your wedding, you’re going to see everything on the day of and be a little disappointed. It may not occur to you right away, but the more that you cut out, the less you’re going to have the wedding that you’ve envisioned. Tip: Tell your vendors you’re trying to cut costs a little bit and they’ll work with you to find a way to still have the wedding that you’ve dreamed of. To get around the tall centerpiece situation- alternate your tables with tall and short centerpieces to offset the cost.

Now for a little “Don’t Settle” advice from vendors AND brides, courtesy of Twitter…

 Recent bride Meg: “I settled on a bus co that beat all my other bids by 40% or more. Terrible. Wrong size bus, 30 minutes late and no AC.”

Wedding planner Melissa: “If there is something you love, don’t settle, you’ll regret it. But you’ve gotta love it, if you’re dreaming about it, do it!”

Photographer & former bride Jemma: “From bride experience: if a certain number of people prevent you from being able to have your wedding where you want – trim up the list.” & “prioritize by importance, then imagine yourself in 5 yrs, 10, 20, 50. Then remake the list at each point. Analyze. Decide.”

Current bride Jennifer: “Don’t settle on a photog who’s good when you’re really wanting great. Make room in your budget for one that fits the tone”

I myself settled on certain things for my own wedding. And while my wedding was great, it wasn’t a complete reflection of myself, my husband, and what I wanted for our wedding. There are SO many things that I wish I knew then (which is why I write this blog). And so, I’ll say it again…take it from me- don’t settle when it comes to your wedding!