Bridal gown shops have one thing in common
This commonality isn’t pretty or white.

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besides being a wedding photographer. Also how much does your average wedding photographer earn?

A wedding is a once in a lifetime event. It takes months or perhaps years to plan the perfect one. With so many details to remember from the wedding videography to the wedding favors, it is easy to make a mistake. Brides to be are stepping out into unfamiliar territory and trying their best to organize everything until the joyous occasion comes. There are a lot to accomplish in the wedding checklist that one or two details are often overlooked. The reason for this is inexperience.

With these said, it’s important to keep in mind these common mistakes when planning for your dream wedding to avoid possible problems on the big day:

1. Not setting up a realistic budget. A wedding costs a lot of money. It is very important to set up a realistic budget and stick to it. Not creating a budget ahead of time will often lead you to go way over your budget. Before you know it you have already spent twice for your wedding invitations and there’s nothing more left for the caterers. This predicament will possibly keep you from doing some of the special things you are planning on that special day.

2. A large guest list. This is one common mistake that every couple fall into when planning for their wedding. A wedding guest list size will depend on your budget. Decide if your wedding will be grand or will it be small and intimate. Once you have made up your mind, discuss the number of people you are able to accommodate. Make a list of must-have guests and number them according to importance. This will narrow down your choices in case everyone cannot fit on the required number of guests.

3. Not hiring a professional wedding planner. Couples often think that hiring a professional wedding planner is expensive. This is the reason why they often delegate the planning process to a friend of family member. This is a big mistake. It is much better to hire a professional to do the job who has more experience and the right connections to make sure everything is perfect on your wedding. A wedding planner allows you to enjoy your wedding day instead of worrying about every little detail.

4. Hire professionals for your wedding. To have a worry free wedding, it is important you choose the right people for the job. You may have to pay a little more for their services but wouldn’t it be better to know that these people will do a great job on the big day? One example is to hire a good videographer. A professional wedding videography can protect your most precious memories by capturing it on video. These moments will be preserved for you, your family and your future children as well.

5. The marriage license. There are many rules and regulations pertaining to a marriage license. These rules usually vary from state to state. So even if you know the rules in Atlanta, it can be a little different in Chicago. So it is much better to research ahead of time and find out information on the marriage license on the state you are planning to get married in. It is better safe than sorry.

6. Losing perspective of the big picture. After all the preparations are done, do not lose sight of what’s really important to you. This is to enjoy this once in a lifetime event with your husband.

Traditions and customs, modern weddings have tons of ‘em: Flowers, rice, something old, something blue, you know the drill. Have you ever thought about how all these wedding traditions originated or what they actually mean? Here’s the meaning behind some of the most popular wedding customs and rituals.

1. Wedding Tradition: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Lucky Sixpence in Her Shoe

This popular rhyme originated in the Victorian area. Something Old – represents the link to the bride’s old life and her family. Something New – signifies the couple’s new life together as well as their hope for the future. Something Borrowed – originates from the idea that borrowing something from a happily married woman will impart similar happiness to the new bride. Something Blue – represents fidelity, love, and purity. Lucky Sixpence in her Shoe – signifies wealth, both financial wealth and a wealth of happiness.

2. Wedding Tradition – Bride and Groom Not Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony

This tradition stems from the early days of arranged marriages – when the bride and groom’s first meeting occurred at the wedding. The two were kept from seeing each other to prevent the groom from bolting should he not like the look of his new bride.

3. Wedding Tradition – Bridal Bouquet

The first bridal bouquet did not consist of wedding flowers. Instead, wedding bouquets were originally made of strong herbs such as thyme and garlic meant to ward off evil spirits.

4. Wedding Tradition – Throwing Rice

As rice is considered a “life giving” seed, it is thought that by throwing it on the couple they will be bestowed with fertility and have many children.

5. Wedding Tradition – Bridal Shower

Tradition states that the first bridal shower was given to a poor couple in Holland who was denied the bridal dowry because of the groom’s lowly miller status. The miller’s friends gathered to “shower” the bride with items she’d need to make a new home and enter into marriage.

6. Wedding Tradition – Getaway Car – Cans Tied To The Bumper

One wedding tradition of the Middle Ages was to ward off evil spirits by banging pots and making a lot of noise after the ceremony. This custom has been replaced by tying tin cans to the bumper of the car transporting the bride and groom.

7. Wedding Tradition – Garter Toss

Garter-throwing derives from an English ritual called “flinging the stocking.” Guests would playfully invade the bridal chamber and grab the bride’s stockings, and then they took turns sitting at the foot of the bed flinging the stockings over the heads of the couple. Whoever’s stocking landed on the bride’s or the groom’s nose would be the next to wed.

Looking for more? Learn the meaning behind even more wedding traditions here.

Your wedding day is special and it`s a one of a kind experience, which is probably why a lot of superstitions have grown up around this momentous event. Most of them have to do with the bride, perhaps because of the huge amount of pressure on the bride to have the perfect wedding day.

Here are a few of the wedding superstitions that have developed over the years:

The Bridal Shower

Everything the bride says while opening presents will come back to her on her wedding night. It could be good to be careful with this one . . . you never know! Having the same phrases repeated on the wedding night could be a good or bad thing, depending.

For good luck, the first gift opened should be the first gift used. There are a few superstitions surrounding the gifts given at a bridal shower, such as the giver of the third present opened will have a baby.

The Dress

The whole wedding outfit must not be tried on until the actual day of the wedding. This common superstition is due to the fact that it was thought to bring bad luck on the bride. If she put on all her wedding garb before the wedding . . . she might not be married after all!

Green, yellow, pink and red wedding dresses are considered bad form. According to an old marriage rhyme, these four colors of wedding dresses would bring assorted miseries on the married couple`s life and they wouldn`t be happy.

It`s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress on their wedding day. This is a pretty strong superstition that most people follow to this day.

The Church

Seeing a pig run across the road on the way to the church. This is considered to be very bad news for the wedding party and could foretell a cancelled wedding or a terrible marriage. Interestingly, meeting a black cat on your wedding day actually signifies good luck.

Meeting a monk or a nun outside the church. According to this superstition, you are doomed to a marriage of barrenness and will be dependent on charity if you run across a nun or a monk on your way to the church.

Wed on a Saturday for no luck at all. While you may not get bad luck by tying the knot on a Saturday, you won`t have good luck either, so you may want to try Monday (health) or Wednesday (best of all), instead.

The Ceremony

Dropping the ring means the marriage won`t last. While this traditionally applies to the groom`s clumsy fingers, it`s been turned into a uni-sex superstition.

A penny in the bride`s shoe will bring wealth to the marriage. This is the often skipped part of the old “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” adage.

Marrying when the hands on the clock are on their way down is bad luck. It`s considered far better to marry between the half hour and the hour, when the hands are moving back up. Otherwise, your marriage will always be going downhill.

The Wedding Night

The first person to fall asleep on the wedding night will also be the first to die. This is a superstition that obviously has no basis in fact, but it is still remarked upon . . . usually by the person who fell asleep last!

It`s not likely that any of these superstitions is based on truth, but they are definitely interesting to learn about. Many of them are still alive and well to this day and are still respected by most brides. While they may not be true, wedding superstitions certainly show no signs of going away just yet.