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There’s one thing I hear from brides ALL THE TIME: “I don’t want my wedding to be a hot mess!”

Everyone’s been to a wedding (or at least seen one on YouTube) that falls into this category. After you spend all of the time and money planning the big day, you absolutely do not want a wedding that falls into the “hot mess” category. Here are some tips to avoid this wedding nightmare:

Lie To Your Wedding Party –– I’m not normally a fan of lying to people, but sometimes it’s necessary with your wedding party. This group usually contributes to unnecessary stress for the bride. So, lie to them. If you want them at the ceremony site at 1pm, tell them 12:30. If you know that your group has notoriously tardy individuals, you may want to tell them 12pm, just to be safe.

Start Your Wedding Pics EARLY — Wedding pictures can often hold up the big day. To avoid hours of picture-taking after the ceremony, start pictures early. As a planner, I like to start photos TWO HOURS before the ceremony. I start with the guys and do all of their pictures first. This consists of the groom by himself, with his groomsmen and with his family. Then, I send them to their holding area. At that point, we’ll do the bride’s photos with all of her attendants, family, etc. This way, you only have to do group photos after the ceremony.

Call The People Who Haven’t Sent Their RSVP –– A big mistake is to not contact the people who haven’t responded to your wedding invitation. If you don’t follow-up with these people, you could be presented with the uncomfortable situation of having guests show up and not having a seat for them. At that point, you’ll need to figure out if you want to turn them away (yikes!) or if you want to squeeze them into your seating plan. Avoid all of this by calling the guest at least twice to inquire about their attendance. If they don’t respond, make a final call and indicate (in a nice way) that you won’t be saving a seat for them at the reception.

Click For More Hot Mess Wedding Tips

4 Things That Will Make Your Wedding Look Like You’re Stuck In The 1980s

How To Avoid An Ugly Wedding…Even If You Don’t Have A Big Budget

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