They say, “your wedding day will be the best day of your life”. While this is true for most, planning for the once-in-a-lifetime event can be stressful and sometimes things don’t always go as planned on the day itself. But how bad can it be?
Below, we spoke to seven Singaporean girls to share with us their wedding day regrets and what they would have done differently. Hopefully this will also give you a heads up of what to take note of for your future wedding one day.
Disclaimer: Some names have been altered to protect the identities of our interviewees.
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“I regret not taking more photos with my loved ones! On the wedding day, there is hardly any time to think or keep track of who you’ve taken photos with. Most of the time you’re thinking of what’s next on the agenda.
After the wedding, I realised I didn’t take that many individual photos with my closest family and friends but I’m thankful for the moments where they took the chance to initiate them with me. I would have preferred to slow down, enjoy the smaller moments and create more memories by capturing them on camera!”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “There will be many unpredictable elements that are part and parcel of contributing to an unforgettable day. Take joy in navigating them and experiencing them together with your loved ones.”
― Sophia, 27
“When my friend recommended a wedding planner to me, I thought it would save me and my partner a lot of time planning and sourcing for logistics. However, we had to fork out a lot of money which could have been channeled to our future home.
If we had spent time thoroughly planning it ourselves, we could have saved more money for the long run. Looking back at it now, I wouldn’t have engaged with a wedding planner simply because they are super expensive, although they did accommodate to my vision and needs.”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “Do up a vision board with your partner for the wedding! Not only is the process fun, it provides a clearer picture of what you and your other half would like on your special day.”
― Ariel, 26
“My biggest regret on my special day was quite silly. I regret not putting an aisle runner as the wedding had more of an industrial vibe – it didn’t cross my mind to have one at the time.
I didn’t take any wedding inspiration from anywhere but I had a vision of how I would have liked it to be. As it was during COVID, I noticed intimate weddings were rare in Singapore hence there wasn’t much I could take reference from. I was previously an events organiser, hence the planning for our wedding wasn’t too tough as it was an intimate wedding with 50 pax. We were also blessed by amazing vendors who made us felt at ease.”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “Prioritise yourself and your future spouse’s vision. It may be challenging as there will be relatives, parents and friends giving advice, perspectives etc. Do take it with a pinch of salt though!”
― Jolean, 24
“My biggest regret was planning our wedding to our parents’ preferences. Our parents have a more traditional mindset so we had to invite people whom we didn’t know personally as a formality. We felt that too many people were present as we initially wanted our special day to be more of an intimate affair.
However, I wouldn’t change anything as everything worked out the way it did. What mattered the most was that we were lawfully wedded and ready to start a new chapter in our lives.”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “It’s okay to have an intimate wedding. Parents might push their opinions on to you but it’s your wedding at the end of the day. Don’t get pressured into something that you don’t want.”
― Nadiah, 30
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“I had grand plans for my wedding because it is a unique event for me and my partner so we thought it would be okay to splurge a bit on the occasion. However, after booking the wedding vendors and the venue, we quickly realised that we went over our budget.
As a result, we didn’t have enough money to go all out with our honeymoon. I regretted not dialing down on the festivities as me and my partner could have spent on our future instead, such as vacations.”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “Make sure to set a spending budget and not exceed it. Look for cheaper alternatives or ask for advice from married friends to have a better idea of what your own wedding will be like.”
― Farah, 23
“I greatly regretted not having a proper team to work with, aka the groomsmen and bridesmaid team. I attempted to manage everything on my own on the actual day.
The day flew by in the blink of an eye because of how my mind was so occupied with what was to happen next. As a result, I did not focus on myself and my partner, and did not really cherish every moment of our important day.
I felt that we were young, and we kept thinking of what to do to please those involved. At the end of the day, everything felt like we were just going through the motions.”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “Weddings are only one part of the marriage, so no point pouring all your hard-earned savings into it. There will always be alternatives to the things you want, with a budget!”
― Val, 31
“We had a bit of IT issues during the wedding such as the microphone not working and the videos not loading. I had to ask my siblings to resolve those issues.
Also, the banquet manager wasn’t great either. It was a small wedding with 100 guests, but the bulk of the stress came on the day itself when the banquet manager created more logistical issues for me and my partner.”
Advice for girls who are planning their wedding: “Your wedding is a milestone, but there are still others to look forward to, like moving house and starting a family.”
― Claire, 30
Whether we are brides-to-be or not, we can agree that planning a wedding can be a hard task. From pleasing elders to spending more on the special day, regrets can come about during or after the wedding day.
After all, a wedding day is a unique experience for the soon-to-be-wedded pair ― it’s up to the couple to do what suits them the best.
Cover images courtesy of Sophia and Jolean.
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