Our friends are getting married. Hurray for them and there is another new family in the process of being set up.

I remembered I was so excited when I was finding the hotel venue, contacting them and making appointments with them.

As I was going deeper into the wedding planning process, I noticed that part of the wedding planning is actually a dirty business out there. Some squeeze you hard while others squeeze you dry. The worst part was the liaision staff left and every freebie that had been agreed upon are now void.

They put up their best show to persuade you sign the contract and threaten to launch a report if you fail to pay the installments on time.

Money still talks. If you have money, you can talk louder. If you have no money, don’t even think of having a wedding.

So, What are some of the wedding pitfalls you should learn to avoid?

1. Magazines seldom tell you the dirt of wedding planning

You read all about the glamour side of wedding gowns and lavish decoration of the ballrooms for your wedding banquets.

Some are big household names. I’m sure they provide quality services.

However, there are also other big names which gave some of the wedding couples really unpleasant experience.

I know of one couple who signed up with this very popular wedding studio only to realise that the staff gives quality service only to those who pay alot or know their employers.

So if you pay “this much”, you may only get “this much” service.

So don’t always trust what a bridal magazine says. Check it out for yourself if it really true.

How?

Call them up, vist their studios and gather feedbacks from their customers.

2. Some hotel coordinators are unprofessional

My friend shared with me her first contact with a hotel coordinator, supposedly from the business department.

She gave my friend this impression that “okie, this is what I have” and “take it or leave it. Just don’t waste my time.”

She never explain to my friend about what the contract means and just tell her to sign here.

Perhaps, a mom-and-pop shop may commit such innocent mistake but not a 5-star hotel.

3. Theft of the Ang Pow Box

To benefit the readers who are non-Chinese, guests come prepared with red packets when they attend the wedding dinner.

The money in the red packets or “ang pow” can amount up to US$10,000 to $30,000 or even more, depending on the scale of the weddings.

There are times that some con men may pose as “close relatives” who are told to look after the box. Thus, the box with the money may disappear.

So make sure you openly announce to your wedding helpers helping out at the registration who is supposed to take charge of the ang pow box at all times.

4. All guests are here to give you their blessings

I remembered I don’t really know some of the guests who attended my wedding. So if I don’t know them, I think most likely they may have seen me for the first time.

I remembered at my cousin’s wedding 5 years ago, I overheard two guests who rudely exclaimed that the first dish had been delayed and they were hungry.

Behind my mind, I was questioning their purpose of being here: to eat or to give their blessings?

5. The bride is the main focus

The main star of the day is the bride. There are also times when the bridesmaid dresses in a more extravagant fashion, stealing all the attention. If she is unintentional, I think it is still ok. However, there are some who are hard-core attention seekers who did it on purpose and pretended they didn’t know about it.

So, do subtlely ask your bridesmaids what they intend to wear. Explain to them that other bridesmaids are asking too and may want to wear a matching color.

How useful or interesting is this post to you? Do share with me in the comments or discuss this in our Romance-Fire Wedding Forums.