Did you know you can actually hinder your wedding planning? Yes, you read that correctly. Planning your wedding should be a wonderful experience for you and your new fiance, but before you create a wedding board on Pinterest please take into consideration these five common mistakes and how they may be a hindrance.
1 – Not creating your guest list FIRST.
This is very important to do first! Why? Many venues have maximum capacity, in fact we certainly do. Plus to determine the right wedding package for you we must have an estimated guest count. It would be unfortunate to contract for 125 guests and only 100 attend.
2 – Planning before setting a budget.
We highly recommend setting a budget and doing your best to stick with it. Be realistic about wedding costs (venue , photography, dress/tux, etc.). The beautiful fact about Cross Creek Ranch is our all-inclusive wedding packages – only three things are not included in our wedding packages, such as: photographer, officiant and alcohol. We make it easy!
3 – Inviting more guests than the venue’s capacity and expecting a percentage of people to not show.
This is a huge, yet common mistake! Be aware of your venue’s capacity and do not invite more than that. The “rule of thumb” is about 10-20% of your guests will not attend or RSVP, but at Cross Creek Ranch we have found that theory to be inaccurate. Being that we are near popular Florida attractions, many family members (that aren’t local) may plan visits to nearby theme parks or shopping to make the most of their trip.
4 – Buying your gown before choosing your venue.
We want you to choose the gown you feel the “this is it!” factor in, but you may want to keep in mind the style and size of your wedding. You may envision a simple wedding gown, but as you begin planning you may end up with an elaborate wedding or vise versa.
5 – Not being flexible with wedding date.
We totally understand you want to get married on your dating anniversary date or a holiday like Valentine’s Day, but keep in mind if that date is booked and you aren’t flexible you will lose out on your dream venue. Try to be flexible with your wedding date while venue searching. Think of it this way – do you want your dream wedding venue or a specific wedding date?
We hope you found this information helpful as you venture out into the great big world of wedding planning! We are always here for you and any questions you have. To learn more about our wedding packages and to discuss available dates, please send us a message!. We look forward to speaking with you soon!