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From see-through gowns to horrible hair, brides share 10 wedding day mistakes to avoid

Even when everything goes (mostly) great, almost every bride can point to little things that she wishes she’d done differently. We asked real women to share the lessons they learned to help you avoid wedding day disasters. Sit Down in Your Gown"My dress was a perfect fit when I tried it on standing up. I never sat in it, but when a girl from work asked me if I lifted my arms in it to make sure
Wedding regrets: Wedding mistakes
Wedding regrets: Wedding mistakesAwkward Family Photos / Today

Even when everything goes (mostly) great, almost every bride can point to little things that she wishes she’d done differently. We asked real women to share the lessons they learned to help you avoid wedding day disasters.

 

Sit Down in Your Gown

"My dress was a perfect fit when I tried it on standing up. I never sat in it, but when a girl from work asked me if I lifted my arms in it to make sure it didn't slide off, I had it adjusted. And then I sat down at the wedding to have the first toast and it was putting pressure on my ribs and stomach—so I ended up wearing it half unzipped the whole night! –Margot

 

Make a List of Must-Take Photos

"I didn't get a photo of just me and my brothers. And no photo of my bridal bouquet. Can you believe it? On the day that I, the event planner, married a photographer, we didn't have a shot list." –Sarah

 

Know Where Not to Penny-Pinch

"Wish I had spent more money on my wedding band! Seemed like a lot of money then, but it is one of the things that lasts."Morgan

 

Don’t Cave to Pressure

“I’m pretty good at doing my own hair, but I let a pushy wedding planner harass me into using her recommended hairstylist. $400 later and a half hour before my walk down the aisle, I was the owner of a head of crunchy ringlets from circa 1989. Fortunately, my friends were able to brush through the scrunch spray and help me style it to look passable. I still can’t flip through the photos, though, without wishing I’d just done it myself from the start.” –Katherine

 

Test Your Gown in Different Lighting

"I should have tried my dress on outdoors, in sunlight, before wearing it to my sunshiny outdoor wedding. Turns out that what seemed like such a heavy silk was a tad sheer. Luckily: small wedding, good friends, great photographer who worked a little Photoshop magic." –Amanda

 

Time Your Wedding to Work For You

“My dad was in poor health when I got married, and while he was able to walk me down the aisle and give a toast, he wasn’t physically up for the traditional father-daughter by the time the toasts (finally!) ended and the dancing started. In retrospect, I realize there’s no reason why we couldn’t have done that dance immediately after his toast. It was my wedding, and I could have done things in whatever order I wanted to!” –Erika

 

Lock Down Some Post-Wedding R&R

“I should have honeymooned earlier rather than waiting a whole month. You gotta get on vacay stat." –Margot

 

Learn to Dance in Advance

“Dance lessons would've been nice—we looked really awkward during our obligatory first dance." Karen

 

Plan For Problems

“Sadly, our photographer had a family emergency and wasn’t able to shoot our wedding. We had never met with the photographer who worked our wedding and didn’t get many of the family pictures we wanted. It sounds extravagant but having a two-person team is well worth the investment.” –Dina

 

Don’t Dash From The Scene

"I wished that we hadn't left for our honeymoon on Sunday morning after getting married Saturday night. A nice, relaxed brunch and more time to spend with out of town guests would've been lovely. Karen

Now, let's hear from you: Do you have any nagging regrets from your wedding day? Let us know in the comments!

Alesandra Dubin is a Los Angeles-based writer and the founder of home and travel blog Homebody in Motion. Follow her on Twitter: @alicedubin.

A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage