Getting it perfect: 3 tips to avoid last-minute wedding trouble

When you’re planning the big day, it’s easy to let one or two little details fall through the cracks, even with all the help and focus in the world. There’s simply so much to know, do, remember, and follow up on. So to ensure your special day is as perfect as possible, follow these three steps to cleaning up all the stray threads of the planning process:

1. Make sure everyone is clear on their role

It doesn’t matter how obvious you think a person’s role in the wedding should be, there’s always going to be one tradition, responsibility or habit that’s different between one person’s expectations and the next, especially between different families. So just to keep everyone on the same page, take a moment to have people explain their role to you, as they understand it, so you can clear up any misunderstandings, coordinate any changes, and get everything fixed before the big day. None of these problems are likely to ruin a wedding, but you might end up regretting the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom dresses, or what the best man says, or any of a dozen other things if you don’t.

2. Don’t forget the mundane aspects of the big day

It’s just as easy to make a wedding a less-than-perfect occasion because you forgot the issue of bathrooms for your scenic outdoor wedding as it is to make a mistake and end up with bridesmaids that clash with the decorations. It’s a special day, but special days include all the normal stuff, so think about parking, getting between different locations, getting rid of trash, and all the other boring bits. You may not notice if it all goes right, but you’ll certainly notice if it goes wrong.

3. Don’t do it all alone

Planning a wedding is a Herculean task for any single woman or man, and most of us aren’t Hercules. Make sure you’re not the only one trying to pin down all these stray threads, and you won’t lose your mind in the process. Besides, sometimes a set of fresh eyes can offer exactly the sort of insight you need to avoid that one issue that would have caused problems come the big day.