When organizing a wedding, there are often a lot of things that we cannot predict in advance. We most often cannot include them in our seemingly perfectly designed plan and agenda, because often these things do not depend on us, but on those around us - guests, service providers, suppliers. Therefore, it is worth listening to the advice of other brides and their experiences and learning from them, so as not to get on the rake again, where other couples have already got on.

First – the guest list, then – the place of celebration

Brides admit that one of the most typical mistakes when organizing a wedding is to rush to book the wedding venue before it becomes clear who and how many people they want to see at their wedding, as well as what kind of concept celebration they want in general. It is important to understand the approximate number of guests, so that later you do not have to face a situation where there is either too little or, on the contrary, too much.

Contracts are intended to be read

Although many couples initially think that a wedding is only a romantic event, it is also an event that involves many service providers and often even a very large financial investment, so

contract with wedding service providers is one of the biggest must have . In addition, the contracts should not only be there, but you should carefully familiarize yourself with everything written in them (yes, also in the fine print and small letters).

Make sure what you order is what you get

Unfortunately, there are still people and wedding service providers who think they can do more than they actually can. Therefore, it is important to make sure and be sure that what you order is what you will receive.

Bride Elīna has experienced this realization herself and therefore especially recommends that brides pay attention to it. "When I saw my wedding cake, I started laughing out loud because I thought my husband was trying to make fun of me.

I had ordered a beautiful, dreamy forest-themed green wedding cake, showing the baker an inspiration photo and getting her "yes" to the fact that she can create it, but instead I received poorly leveled, holey and cracked marzipan, which became a laughing stock and a tar castle in our sweet evening. Pinterest tend to be those pictures where people tried to bake something that didn't turn out, and that's what happened to us on our wedding day. Instead of the star of the evening, we got the ridicule of the evening," recalls Elīna, advising other brides to carefully weigh all hired service providers.

Don't get too obsessed with Pinterest

Speaking of the already mentioned Pinterest , brides are advised not to get too excited about new ideas. If you have chosen something once, then the recommendation is to stick to it and not constantly change the concept or any details you have seen. Pinterest is certainly a great tool for inspiration, but focusing too much on it can lead to confusion.

Bad things happen at weddings too

Unfortunately, you have to keep in mind that sometimes bad things happen at weddings, which, of course, no one expects. They usually do not depend on us - a guest who has drunk too much can unintentionally hurt himself by falling somewhere or sometimes - even becoming aggressive.

Although we imagine that it will never happen, a young couple shares their experience when their wedding was robbed - a thief took the entire contents of the gift - donation box.

It should be taken into account that there are not only guests at the wedding, but also the service staff, and if the wedding celebration is held in a place where people from the outside can easily access it, then you should especially think about where, for example, the gift table is located.

Be sure to trust someone (the ushers, wedding organizer, parents) to take the gift envelopes with you and not leave them in a place where strangers could access them.

Calculate unexpected wedding costs

The budget is undeniably one of the most important sections of organizing a wedding. That is why brides in various forums, not only in Latvia, but all over the world, recommend to always think about unexpected and unplanned wedding costs.

Unforeseen costs can include:

• re-stitching of the wedding dress, if necessary,
• accessories,
• beauty treatments,
• wedding team catering costs
• and even the cost of cleaning the wedding venue.

"You should definitely ask if the cleaning of the venue is included in its rental price.

Surprises do happen. This question should be discussed especially if you have chosen to celebrate the wedding in an unconventional place or in the open air," advises wedding organizer Gunta Skalberga / Pop Up Sense.

PHOTO: KRISTINE GRÍNVALDE , OLIVIER DE RYCKE , REINIS MELIORANSKIS , SANDIJA VEKŠA