You know what’s better than planning your dream destination wedding in Mexico? Looking back on it with nothing but amazement, and thinking, “That was the best decision we ever made for our wedding!” And not, “Damn, I wish we had done that differently.”
Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to manage hundreds and hundreds of destination weddings for our couples, and they’ve often shared their highs and lows with us when it comes to their wedding day and how they felt about it. So, we’ve compiled the list of the top regrets we’ve heard over nearly 17 years of destination and local weddings. And for this blog, we also searched thousands of comments from past destination wedding couples on Reddit and in destination wedding Facebook groups. Turns out, those same regrets were already the ones on our list! So here they are, along with how you can learn from previous couples and avoid making the same mistakes.
Not Hiring a Wedding Planner
I certainly didn’t need to visit Reddit threads to know this one was going to be number 1! It is by far the most “I regret” statement I have heard over the years, and the one I see most on Facebook groups. Yes, your resort provides a “coordinator”, but they are not a true wedding planner or a true wedding coordinator. They are there to manage the resort and will always have the resort’s best interest in mind. On your wedding day, you should be focused on hanging out with those you love most, getting ready, and saying “I Do”. Someone else should be managing everything else, so you can actually enjoy your day. It goes by way too fast to waste it on answering a million questions you have probably already answered anyway.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: I don’t care if you have 10 guests; if you can make it work in your budget, just do it. Hire the wedding planner! Preferably someone local to the area of your wedding.
Skipping the Videographer
Photos are great, and of course, the priority, but there’s something magical about hearing your vows again, catching your grandpa’s full belly laugh, or watching your whole crew dance like crazy fools when your DJ plays “that” song. Too many couples skip videography to save money and regret it immediately after the wedding.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Even if you can’t go all out on this vendor, hire them for their minimum, which is often as little as three to four hours. This way you can capture your ceremony, cocktail hour, and at least toasts or dinner. With a four to five-hour service, you can even get some of those wild dance floor moments on film.
Overindulging the Day Before (or Day Of)
This one hits me so hard, because I had a situation I will NEVER forget with a past bride who literally has no memory of her wedding day. This was back when I was a wedding planner in Austin, Texas. The bride got so drunk on her wedding day that she called me the next day to ask me what happened to things like her veil, décor, and personal items. (I had packaged everything up nicely, and they were all in one of the bridesmaids’ rooms.) But then she broke down crying on the phone and told me that she had no recollection of her wedding day AT ALL. While she was quite tipsy at the end of the reception, she was not what I would call “drunk”, but what happened after the wedding at the hotel bar and later into the guest rooms (from what the groom and maid of honor shared) was that they continued to finish off many bottles of liquor. She could not even remember saying her vows and had no memory of the wedding day at all. I still feel absolutely sick about this to this day.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: A lot of our couples enjoy a drink (or two or three), but going too hard on your wedding day or the night prior can backfire. Nobody wants to feel bloated, sluggish, and foggy on their wedding day, so pace yourselves. Treat the day like a pre-game warm-up and not the Super Bowl of drinking.
Sweating the Small Stuff
I will never forget the screaming match and ensuing tears I and the florist had to endure between a past bride and groom over the color orange in flowers he wanted, and she didn’t. (Yes, this really happened!) As a happily married woman of now 18 years, I can assure you that the color orange and its many variations are the absolute least “problem” that you will face in your married life. But sometimes we all let ourselves get caught up in silly details that really aren’t that important. I think it’s because weddings can be stressful events, and when they become quite overwhelming, some couples will double down on the smallest thing, because it’s simply the one thing they feel they can control. I’ve been guilty of this myself at times, as I’m sure we all have.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: If you find yourself getting particularly twisted over something regarding your wedding details, especially in the areas of décor, signage, gift bags, etc, ask yourself, “Will this detail matter to me in five years?” If the answer is no, let it go. Focus on the overall experience, not the perfection.
Too Much People Pleasing
Many couples feel pressure to adjust their wedding day to meet the expectations of their parents, friends, social media at large, and more. But beyond tradition and general expectations, one of the top things our couples have shared with us that they wish they had not budged on was having a child-free wedding. More and more couples opt for adult-only weddings now, but many of our couples have expressed that they felt like they had no other choice but to allow children at their wedding, and some even had to give up their dream wedding resort to make a guest with one child happy. The result? They end up with a wedding that doesn’t truly feel like theirs.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Remember that it’s your wedding! It’s an invitation, not a court summons. Plus, your cousin’s three-year-old will absolutely not remember your destination wedding. Guests who can make it to an adult-only resort will come. You don’t have to sacrifice your dream wedding because you’re afraid of disappointing others. On the flip side, many destination wedding resorts in Mexico are family-friendly if you would like children to attend.
Plan a Regret-Free Wedding in Mexico!
Listen, regrets don’t have to be a part of your story. With the right priorities, your destination wedding can be everything you’ve dreamed of and more.
My team here at Yellow Umbrella Events has helped more than 500 couples sidestep these regrets and have the wedding they wanted. Your regret-free Mexico destination wedding starts here! Start planning with the Yellow Umbrella Events team today.
