It’s almost 10 years on from Emily Blunt’s intimate Italian wedding to John Krasinski, but she recently shared one big day blunder that still makes her cringe! When asked if there was anything she would change, the actress revealed her post-wedding blues were more of the…orange kind.
“I got a bad spray tan and I would probably change that,” Emily confessed on The Late Late Show with James Corden. “I look at the pictures and it just has an orange hue that is unnatural to normal skin colour.
“It was a do-it-yourself. Why was I on a budget on my wedding day? It was a bit patchy. And it was a very hot day, so if you sweat and you have a spray tan [and you’re] wearing white—it was terrible.”
The truth is, it’s not uncommon to feel disappointed about things like this long after your wedding day is over. Here’s our roundup of the biggest wedding regrets so you can stop them from happening to you!
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Wedding Regret #1: Leaving wedding planning to the last minute
Those last weeks before your wedding disappear way too quickly! A lot of couples wish they had finished organising everything sooner. There were details they could have sorted out earlier that ended up being done in a mad rush the week before their big day. That’s the difference between an exciting wedding countdown and a stressful one…
Wedding Regret #2: Feeling rushed on their wedding day
An inflexible wedding day timeline can have you feeling behind before the party has even begun! It can mean a scattered start to your wedding morning, a less-than-relaxed portrait session, or limited time to catch up with all of your guests.
This can really affect your enjoyment of the day, but it’s easily avoided by talking to suppliers like your wedding planner, venue coordinator, photography and film crew, hair and makeup artist, celebrant and catering team about their recommended wedding day timing. They’ve done it all before and can help you set a realistic schedule that won’t have you running late.
I was glad we had some time to spare before our wedding ceremony so I could to take a couple of minutes to gather myself. It gave me the chance to get the nerves out of my system (aka shed a few tears and share a few laughs) before my walk down the aisle, which meant I enjoyed my entrance far more! I’m pretty sure I would’ve been a blubbering mess otherwise.
Wedding Regret #3: Not enjoying the experience of their wedding day
“If I had my time again, I’d slow down.”
This is the wedding advice we hear most often from newlyweds, and for good reason!
Once your wedding day arrives, it’s essential to make the switch from being a host to being a guest of honour. If you’re too busy running around trying to find this or organise that, it’s impossible to be truly present in the moment. There comes a time when that to-do list should be folded away, or at least handed to someone else to look after.
So after all your hard work putting this amazing party together, don’t miss out on the eating, drinking, mingling and dancing. That may be the biggest regret of all.
Wedding Regret #4: Letting other people dictate their wedding plans
Okay, this one’s a biggie.
Want to know the number one way couples cave in to other people’s demands? They let them decide who should and shouldn’t be invited to their wedding. To the point where their guest list is bloated with distant cousins and random plus ones, or missing people they really want to be there. Holding a loved one to ransom is the quickest way for your wedding invitation to “get lost in the mail”, just saying.
These couples are so busy making plans to please their family, they end up resenting that their wedding day is not what they wanted. It’s so important to stand your ground on the things that really matter to you! Think of it like your wedding music playlist. Saying yes to too many requests leaves little opportunity to listen to the songs you love.
Wedding Regret #5: Drinking too much alcohol at the wedding
Whether they’ve gone a little heavy on the champagne while getting ready or knocked back a few during their portrait session after the ceremony, some couples regret the memory loss (at worst) or blur (at best) that comes from partying too hard on their wedding day. It’s easy to get caught out when the celebrations start so early and go for so long!
Wedding Regret #6: Not having professional wedding photography or videography
“Our wedding went so quickly. I feel I have forgotten so much and wish I could be reminded.”
They don’t call it your “big day” for nothing! It can be an overwhelming experience to get married and those precious few hours go by real fast, especially after months of build up. This can make it hard to remember parts of your wedding you wish were better stored in your memory. For some couples, they feel like that backup drive in their brain switched off – and it’s not always due to alcohol!
Let’s put it this way. No couple we’ve spoken to has ever said they’ve regretted spending that bit extra on wedding photography and videography to document their day. Ourselves included!
Wedding Regret #7: Not doing enough wedding supplier research
One bride said she felt embarrassed that she didn’t really understand or appreciate the skill that went into the services her wedding suppliers offered. She and others lamented that they would’ve chosen differently if they had known and not just gone with the cheapest they could find. In hindsight, they said it would’ve been worth the extra expense for a better outcome!
Others didn’t realise the importance of making a connection with their suppliers and taking the time to get to know them a little more before booking. Doing so would’ve made them more confident these suppliers were the right fit for their wedding, and given them a better idea of what was really involved!
Wedding Regret #8: Not spending their wedding budget on the right things
This is exactly what Emily Blunt is talking about! There are lots of couples that regret spending a tonne of money on things that weren’t important and less money on things that were (professionally applied fake tan, for example).
It’s not always easy to know what’s going to matter to you most when you look back on your wedding. But I can tell you that the moment you see yourself in the mirror, the moment you exchange your vows, the moments you share with the people you love and the way all of these moments are preserved will be what stands out.
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