My Top 5 Wedding Regrets & Mistakes from My Own Wedding

Our wedding vendors featured in the video:
Photos by Tanya Menoni
Beauty 1011 Makeup
Venue Fairmont Grand Del Mar
Dress Marchesa
Planner Amorology
Florist Compass Floral
Bar TBD San Diego
Linen BBJ Linen
Lighting SD Social Lights
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I'm a wedding content creator making videos containing wedding tips, advice, history, celebrity wedding reactions, decor inspiration, and more! As a wedding photographer and bridal boutique owner, I have a vast amount of knowledge and wedding industry insider information to bring you new videos every Tuesday.
Music: Joakim Karud, Bensound

[@cavinelizabeth]

If you're new here be sure to subscribe! I post wedding content every Tuesday!

[@annavsart9769]

I just had my wedding and honestly your channel was a life saver!!!!! My photographer and videographer told me they rarely get treated so well and all I did was make sure they were treated with respect and had food to eat. I wanted to make a point to include them in the day after watching several of your videos about it. I even had the photographer walk the venue with me a week before the ceremony and he helped me orient it in the best direction for the light. I never would have thought of that without your guidance! Just wanted to say that I really appreciate you and the content you make!

[@cavinelizabeth]

This is so kind, thank you so much for telling me this. It is so sweet! I hope you'll stay around and say hi once and awhile :) Congratulations on getting married!!

[@aniap8157]

I regret not double checking and communicating expectations better with the reception venue. I assumed that ALL of the cake that we ordered would be served since we paid an extra cake cutting fee. We only had our tiered cake on display for the guest along with macaron towers, and the two large sheet cakes that were kept in the kitchen were never served, so some of our guests didn’t get cake. We barely got to try it ourselves, and only one of the two flavors. We ended up having two sheet cakes for 100 people never being used. When we addressed this with the venue, they refunded us our personal meals, but that’s it. They also began tearing down the tables only 3 hours in when our reception was supposed to be 5 hours. Many people left early because of this, assuming that was a cue for them to leave. So I would urge everyone to really make sure that all the details and expectations are set, preferably in writing, with your venue. I did not foresee either of these things happening.

[@cavinelizabeth]

Wow that's awful. Did you have a personal wedding planner?

[@brandilee520]

I love the idea of having a friend or family member take videos and pictures. My sister didn't have a videographer at her wedding either so I filmed the ceremony on my phone from where I was sitting and did some basic editing of it afterwards. It's definitely not professional quality but she loves it and every year on her anniversary she rewatches it. 😊 I also read a great tip of having a designated bridesmaid and giving them the brides phone to take photos and videos with all day, that way you have all those memories saved on your phone and pictures to look at while you wait to get your pictures from your photographer.

[@cavinelizabeth]

Yes it can be great just as long as the person makes sure not to get in the professional photos ;)

[@alannastarkovich9535]

I appreciate this video…. Getting great photos on my wedding are so important to me and I have been very on the fence on if I want to hire a videographer… everyone makes it seem like you need one and now I love the idea of a friend taking videos instead of hiring one

[@cavinelizabeth]

It’s definitely a personal decision and videographers can absolutely be incredible and they make a great product. That said, if you have a friend do the videos that’s totally ok too. If they do the ceremony just make sure they aren’t put in the aisle (you don’t want them to be obvious in the photos)

[@maia-roll]

Loved learning from you! I am a corporate event planner at a venue and I will say that yes we typically assign a server at the weddings to create a plate of appetizers for the bride and groom so they can eat all of the food that they picked out for their special day! It’s such a small detail I get why a bride or groom wouldn’t request it and I do agree the serving staff should be proactive about it!

[@cavinelizabeth]

Yeah I was definitely bummed they didn't do this for us! I see it at my weddings all the time (I typically take a photo of the plate lol). I managed to get a bite of 1 of the apps during cocktail hour but that was it!

[@princessraj5921]

In India, where my husband is from. Our photographers and videographers were all part of the same team and they also brought a live streamer for our guests back in the US who couldn't travel to India and they gave us a package deal that was super cheap compared to US costs. But I liked they all worked together flawlessly since they were always together they just knew what to do the photos and videos were AMAZING and my friends and family back home loved the livestream. So we had livestream, 2 printed albums, hundreds of photos, a short 3 min wedding video, a 2 hour long video that included everything, and a post wedding video/photoshoot. So, I love pretty much every detail was recorded/captured and nobody got in each other's way. Not sure how it works in the US even though I am from there I never planned a wedding there but if possible I'd look for a photographer and videographer team.

[@EberhardtTheReindeer]

Your wedding dress was absolutely iconic!

[@cavinelizabeth]

Thank you so much!

[@MattieSaysRawr]

This is actually super helpful and I really haven’t heard this insight before. Thanks so much

[@cavinelizabeth]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it Mattie!

[@justinewhite-hadley3138]

Ohhh yea ouch. We got married where we lived and hired a local lady with a pizza oven for food. We went and got some but left our food to go greet guests. I panicked when they were cleaning and she came up and told us she had made whole pizza's of each variety and boxed them up for us! That's customer service ♥️

[@cavinelizabeth]

Aw that is so thoughtful! I would have cried if I didn't get any pizza haha!

[@justinewhite-hadley3138]

@@cavinelizabeth right?! It was amazing pizza. We're talking fontina cheese, pickled gypsy peppers and wild mushrooms...totally unique and delicious pizzas!

[@Marie_Garwood]

Cavin! This is a wonderful idea for a video. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@serbiantraveler7894]

,,Can you iPhone video my toast?" ,,Sorry, I am using Samsung" 😅

[@Marie_Garwood]

I have a potential video idea! By the way, I’ve been in a serious relationship since we met, Cavin, and we’re discussing a wedding in fall of 2023! 🤩 My grandmother is passionate that I have a “bridesmaid breakfast.” I’d never even heard of this, but I’ve found some articles on wedding websites about a bridesmaid luncheon, where you thank your bridesmaids for all they’ve done for you, etc. I now know that I want to have one too, but there still isn’t a ton of information out there about these except for some articles! Like I said, I hadn’t heard of it before my grandmother mentioned it! 😅 If you know enough about the topic to speak about it, I’d be interested in a video on them! There seem to be some cute traditions associated with them!

[@cavinelizabeth]

What a fun idea! I’ll look into it. And so glad you’re in a great relationship :)

[@CHARLE3N]

Wow am I the first to comment?! Hello from Australia! I have loved your videos! Thank you for all your insights and advice!

[@cavinelizabeth]

Thank you for comment! I’m so glad you’re here.

[@VioletEmerald]

These all are great! Thanks for sharing your regrets and how you feel about all this! I wondered if you extra would've liked video from your wedding day because of this KZbin channel but that's not the direction you went. But you might've had extra ways to use footage of you had hired a videographer lol

[@cavinelizabeth]

Ha yeah some raw footage would’ve been nice for the channel!

[@de6519]

I got married at a different town from my hometown about 2 hours away, and the time I had to prepare felt so short sighted due to me traveling the day for about an hour ish and then doing everything on my own. I felt like the hair and makeup was rushed >_< but then I never really wanted a full on super done finish.

[@cda7889]

Super interesting video...thanks! Will be considering your points.

[@cavinelizabeth]

Awesome, thank you!

[@a.h.2714]

I've never seen a venue go out of the way to make sure a bride & groom get a plate of food which seems so essential. In every wedding I've been in, the bridesmaids were the ones making sure the bride & groom got food, or the mothers lol

[@cavinelizabeth]

I've seen it at about 75% of my weddings. Either the catering manager or the wedding planner arranges for it.

[@stacifoster8]

Can you have the greenery added to the photos?

[@cavinelizabeth]

I’m embarrassed I didn’t think to do that in my printed album. I don’t think my photographer would mind that since I’m also a professional and I would not show that version publicly. But as for anyone else this could happen to, you could always ask if the photographer could photoshop it and what the hourly rate would be to do so!

[@princessraj5921]

Yes I had my photographer photoshop my bouquet haha. We got married in India where my husband is from and it was super hot that day and they forgot my bouquet in the car for like 20 min and it wilted a little but my photographer/videographer was amazing and in photos he made sure it looked perfect and was careful about videoing it he didn't zoom in haha. @@cavinelizabeth

[@vassybaby16]

On my wedding day my timeline got really messed up. It worked out but my vision for the night got distorted cause of it. Also 6 of my guests didn’t show and they were people my parents invited which annoyed me 😅

[@cavinelizabeth]

Aw, I'm so sorry! I had 3 people no show. It was frustrating especially since they were out of state (across the country) so they would have known weeks in advance they wouldn't be coming due to the need of buying flights and hotel.

[@victoriasun6386]

Nice video do you still have your dress

[@cavinelizabeth]

I sold it about 6 months after my wedding :)

[@stephaniety1075]

I regret my wedding dress

[@cavinelizabeth]

I'm so sorry, did you already get married?

[@stephaniety1075]

Yes, there was a mix up, last minute, so I didn't get the dress I wanted, had to settle for another but I regret it till this day. Thinking about it makes me so sad.

[@cavinelizabeth]

Aw, I'm so sorry! I know there are some places that rent wedding dresses - Perhaps you could organize an epic photo shoot with an incredible photographer and "redo" your wedding photos in a dress you love that's rented!

[@stephaniety1075]

@@cavinelizabeth never thought of that! Such a great idea. I'll do just that. Thank you so much. 😁