10 Brides Reveal the Most Surprising Parts of Wedding Planning

When beginning the wedding planning process, some women are prepared for the somewhat daunting task ahead of them while others have little to no expectations concerning the experience. Either way, there are bound to be some surprises in store for each couple coordinating their big day.

Ten of our real brides – all featured in Inside Weddings magazine and online – divulge the particularly unexpected aspects of the process, from selecting the right vendors to the importance of hiring a planner, in the quotes below. Read more on the latest bridal news and advice here.

“I think I was most surprised by how much I loved the process of blending together our two styles while also incorporating aspects of design that I had never even considered. Meeting with some of the best wedding vendors really opened my eyes to different styles and aesthetics, so the finished product was more beautiful than I had ever even imagined.” – Maggie

“We didn’t realize it would be such a challenge finding a venue with a capacity large enough for our guest count. I was so excited about the look of everything, so I kept my eye and optimism on that. Nailing down the venue and caterer took months!” – Daniela

“It was surprising to see how many people wanted to be a part of the wedding planning!” – Kiran

“I didn’t realize how much of it would be done online and how seemingly endless the possibilities would be. I had assisted my older sisters in many of their wedding-planning tasks and all of their meetings had been in person, where they selected from several options. They were married in 2005 and 2008. The world of wedding planning has changed quite a bit in a short period of time.” – Jordyn

“Wedding planning had its moments of stress toward the end, but it was truthfully a lot of fun, and that surprised me. I enjoyed having my inbox filled every day from my planner and I loved going to the meetings and choosing every little detail of my dream wedding – it allowed me to take a break from life and daydream about the day Vincent and I would become husband and wife.” – Gabriela

“The level of detail that goes into every nuance from the stamp on the invitation to the stemware for the different parts of the evening was unexpected. The options are endless.” – Whitney

“The most surprising thing was how important it is to have a good wedding planner. Mine was wonderful and she guided me throughout the process and put everything together cohesively and seamlessly. As someone who has never thought about the kind of wedding I would like to have, hiring a planner at the beginning was the best decision I made about the wedding because she helped me put together my ideal day and I had so much fun during the process.” – Sherry

“I’m not a planner and knew it was a big task but the amount of work that goes into one day is just insane. I thankfully ended up hiring a fantastic wedding planner three months prior to the wedding because I just knew I wasn’t capable of the huge task without professional help. It wasn’t worth driving myself crazy and it was definitely the best money I spent.” – Kaitlyn

“I was surprised at how easy it was, actually. Granted, I did have my fiancé’s mother and sister planning it - thank God! I found that I did not have a lot of opinions on some of the design elements, like flowers or cake decoration. I felt like most women have very specific ideas on every detail of their wedding, so when I was asked about things like what types of flowers I wanted or which style of plate I preferred, I started to feel overwhelmed because I just didn't have an opinion. Luckily, my mother- and sister-in-law have exceptional style, so I was comfortable giving them creative freedom on all the little things I never thought twice about.” – Jenna

“I had no idea what to expect as I entered the wedding planning process. What I envisioned, I learned from the movies. It is not all as they depict, though. I assumed all elements of it would be enjoyable, but there is so much time and energy that goes into planning and so many things to decide. It is easy to get swept up into the details and argue with your fiancé over things that do not matter. It is important to remember that it is not the wedding, but the marriage that is most important.” – Shelby