The most common wedding planning mistakes are small ones: a running order with no slack, portraits scheduled in harsh midday sun, a speech with no microphone, a family photo list nobody wrote. Each is easy to fix months ahead and impossible to fix on the day.
We see weddings from the one position where every one of these shows: behind the camera. Here are 21 we see most, grouped by stage, with a practical fix for each. If you are earlier in your planning, start with our month-by-month wedding planning checklist, then come back here.
Booking and budget mistakes
1. Booking on price alone
A low quote can mean fewer hours, no second camera, no backup equipment or no insurance. The fix: compare what each quote includes, hour for hour, and ask what happens if the photographer is ill. Our questions to ask your photographer and videographer make the comparison fair.
2. Judging from a highlight reel
Every studio’s best twenty images look good. The fix: ask to see two or three complete galleries and a full ceremony edit, ideally from a venue or a kind of wedding like yours.
3. Leaving photo and film until last
Venues get booked first, then couples find their favourite photographer is already taken. The fix: book your photographer and filmmaker straight after the venue. Our guide to when to book has the lead times.
4. Cutting the video, then wishing you had not
Bridebook reports that over 90% of couples hire a photographer, but only about one in three hire a videographer. Photographs cannot keep your vows in your own voices. The fix: if a full film is too much, a simple wedding film of the ceremony and speeches costs far less. Read whether you need a videographer for an honest view.
5. Spending the contingency early
According to Hitched’s January 2026 report, 56% of couples spent more than they planned. The fix: keep around 10% aside from the start, and treat it as untouchable until the final month.
6. Booking a photographer and filmmaker who never speak
Two teams who meet for the first time at the ceremony end up in each other’s shots. The fix: book one team, or introduce your two suppliers weeks ahead so they agree positions for the aisle, the vows and the speeches.
Legal and ceremony rules
7. Assuming the ceremony makes you legally married
Many religious ceremonies, including a nikah outside a registered mosque or a Hindu ceremony at a hotel, are not legally binding on their own. The fix: check with your officiant and register office, and give notice at least 29 days before, as GOV.UK explains. Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales sets out the routes.
8. Not checking photography rules
The vicar has the final say on photography and filming in a Church of England service, according to the Church of England, and register offices each set their own rules. The fix: ask your venue and officiant early, or ask your photographer to. Our guide to ceremony photography rules covers each kind of ceremony.
Timeline and light mistakes
9. No buffer in the timeline
Hair runs late, the car hits traffic, the receiving line takes 30 minutes. The fix: add 10 to 15 minutes between each part of the day. Our sample wedding day timelines build the buffers in.
10. Ignoring the sunset time
A 4pm ceremony in December means dark portraits, because sunset in London is around 15:50. The fix: check sunset for your date before fixing the ceremony time. Our golden hour guide lists times month by month.
11. Portraits in harsh midday light with no shade
Midday sun in summer means squinting, dark eye sockets and bright foreheads. The fix: keep portraits short at midday and do them in open shade: a tree, a covered porch or the shaded side of a building. Save the longer session for the hour before sunset.
12. Forgetting the family photo list
Without a list, the photographer spends the drinks reception looking for a great-aunt who has gone inside. The fix: write the groups with names, aim for eight to ten, and appoint a confident relative from each side to call people. Here is how to plan the family photo list.
13. Underestimating hair and make-up
A schedule that looks fine on paper rarely includes touch-ups, dressing or a late bridesmaid. The fix: ask your artist for a written schedule, put the person getting married second to last, and plan to be ready 30 minutes before you leave.
14. Getting ready in a dark, cluttered room
The preparation room appears in more photographs than people expect. The fix: choose a room with a big window and move bags, bottles and chargers out of sight. Our guide to getting-ready photos has more.
Ceremony mistakes
15. Guests’ phones in the aisle
The most common thing in the way of the walk down the aisle is a guest’s phone. The fix: ask your officiant to make a short announcement before you enter. We explain how in our guide to an unplugged ceremony.
16. Rushing the aisle and the first kiss
Nerves make people walk fast and kiss quickly. The fix: walk slowly, pause at the top of the aisle, and hold the kiss for a count of three. Ask the officiant to step aside for the kiss so they are not in the middle of the frame.
Reception and sound mistakes
17. No microphone for the speeches
Speeches without a microphone are hard to hear in the room and harder on film. The fix: confirm a working microphone with your venue or DJ, and ask speakers to hold it close to their mouths. Our guide to filming speeches covers the details.
18. An unlit evening venue
Some reception rooms are lit only by the DJ’s coloured lights by 9pm. The fix: ask the venue for warm, dimmable light on the top table and dance floor, and add candles or festoon lighting. Our cinema cameras handle low light well, but a face needs some light on it.
19. Surprise changes nobody told the suppliers about
A speech moved before dinner, a surprise dance, a cake cut while the photographer is eating. The fix: share every change with suppliers, and ask the venue to serve supplier meals during a course, not during the speeches.
20. Being your own point of contact
If suppliers call you on the morning, you spend it on your phone. The fix: give one calm friend or your planner the running order and contact sheet, and hand them your phone.
The contract mistake
21. Not reading the contract
Delivery times, cancellation terms and how your images may be used all sit in the contract. Under section 85 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, a studio needs your permission to show commissioned wedding photos publicly. The fix: read every clause before you sign, and ask about anything unclear. Our wedding photography and wedding films pages set out what we deliver and when.
From behind the camera
Almost none of these mistakes are about money. The weddings that look and sound best on our screens are the ones where the couple made a few decisions early: a realistic ceremony time, a family list with names, a microphone that works, and one person in charge of the phone. None of it costs much, and all of it gives a photographer and filmmaker the chance to be in the right place before a moment happens.
The one mistake we cannot help with on the day is light. We can work with rain, delays and a room full of people. We cannot move the sun, so a quick look at the sunset time for your date is worth more than almost any other five minutes of planning.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest wedding planning mistake?
In our experience it is a running order with no slack. Hair and make-up overruns, a car is late, the receiving line takes longer than expected, and with no buffers every delay comes out of the drinks reception, the family photos or your portraits. Adding 10 to 15 minutes between each part of the day solves most of it.
Will I regret not having a videographer?
There is no reliable UK survey on this, so be wary of the regret figures that circulate online. What we hear most is that couples miss the sound: the vows, the speeches, a grandparent’s voice. If a full film is not in the budget, a short film of the ceremony and speeches keeps the words of the day for much less.
How long do wedding group photos take?
Allow about two to three minutes per group when someone is calling names from a written list, so eight to ten groups take around 20 to 30 minutes. Without a list and a caller, the same groups can take twice as long, because the photographer spends the time searching for people who have gone inside.
What time is best for wedding photos in the UK?
The softest light is in the hour or so before sunset. In London golden hour starts between about 20:15 and 20:30 in June, and around 14:50 to 15:00 in December. In the middle of a summer day, the light is hard, so look for open shade such as a tree, a covered terrace or the side of a building.
Keep reading
- Wedding day tips for brides: what to do, and what not to, on the day itself.
- Wedding day tips for grooms: the aisle wait, the rings, the speech and looking after your partner.
- Wedding day timeline UK: sample schedules with the buffers already built in.
If you would like a second pair of eyes on your running order, book a call and we will talk it through with you.
