Mistakes to avoid

Most micro wedding problems are small and avoidable. None of them need a bigger budget to fix. They need a little planning a few weeks ahead, and a clear plan someone other than you can run on the day.

Guest list creep

It starts with one plus one and a cousin's new partner. Ten extra people can mean a bigger venue, more chairs and $500 or more on food. Fix it by writing the cap down in Part 1 and treating every addition as a trade: someone in, someone out.

Creep also happens after invitations go out, when guests ask to bring someone. Decide your answer in advance and use the same words every time, something like we are keeping it to the people on the list, we hope you understand. Saying yes once makes every later no harder.

Booking too few hours

Setup and pack out eat at least an hour, often more. A 3 hour booking leaves about 90 minutes of actual wedding. Book 4 to 5 hours, and price the extra hour before you decide it is not worth it. With an hourly venue, one extra hour usually costs less than a rushed dinner, a skipped toast or vendors racing the clock at the end.

Also check that your vendors' hours line up with the booking. A photographer booked for 3 hours who arrives at the start of setup will be gone before the cake. Map each vendor's hours onto the timeline so the important moments are covered.

Assuming what is included

• Assuming the venue provides tables, linens, plates or food. Ask exactly what is included.
• Assuming the caterer brings serving tables and staff.
• Assuming the photographer delivers in a week. Ask for the date.
• Assuming rentals get picked up after hours. The pickup must fit your booking.

License and paperwork

• Leaving the marriage license until the final week and hitting the 72 hour wait.
• Picking it up more than 90 days early, so it expires before the date.
• Forgetting to bring it on the day. Give it to your point person.
• Not asking the officiant how and when they return it to the clerk.

Day-of mistakes

• Skipping a point person, so you end up fielding vendor calls.
• Forgetting shade and water in warm months, especially for older guests.
• No rain plan in late spring, when afternoon storms roll through San Antonio with little warning.
• A long round of open mic toasts that pushes dinner back 40 minutes.

Guest information gaps

Tell guests the basics. Where to park, what shoes work on grass, whether kids are invited and roughly when things end will save you a dozen texts the morning of. Put it on the invitation or a simple wedding website, and send a reminder text two days before.

Include the address exactly as it should go into a map app, the start time guests should arrive by rather than the ceremony time, and a note on the weather plan. Guests who know what to expect arrive on time and dressed for the day.

Budget mistakes

• Comparing quotes that include different things.
• Forgetting service fees, tax and tips, which can add 20 to 30 percent to some lines.
• Spending the buffer early on extras, then having nothing left for real surprises.
• Paying in full months ahead with no written cancellation terms.

The biggest mistake. Not sending a written timeline. Every vendor should get the same document with arrival times, the ceremony start, the hard end time and the point person's phone number.

Skipping the walk-through

Tour the venue in person and walk the path guests will take, from parking to the door to their seats. Note where the sun is at ceremony time, where the food vendor will park and where an older guest might struggle with steps. Problems are easy to spot on foot and hard to spot in photos.

Tip: Do a 10 minute run-through. On the day, walk the ceremony once with your officiant and point person. Who walks first, where you stand and when the music starts take five minutes to settle and save a lot of nerves.

If you only fix three things from this chapter, make them these: hold the guest cap, book enough hours and send one written timeline to everyone. Those three prevent most of the stress we see on wedding days.

Want to walk a space before you book? You can request a tour.

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