Kate Halim
All brides want their wedding day to be perfect. These brides picture their big day to be beautiful and blissful with friends and family around while she holds the hands of her love and they make vows to be with each other for life.
But things don’t always go as planned. Some women have regrets about their big day after it has come and gone. They would love to change a few things about their big day if given the chance.
The women below revealed what they would do differently if they could ‘do it all again.’
Prisca: I would have left for the church service earlier
I was up at 6 a.m. to get my hair done before our 11:00 a.m. ceremony. By 9 a.m, I wasn’t still done with hair and makeup. I thought I had all the time in the world because the church was not far from my parent’s house. I left home by past 10 a.m and didn’t get to the church until past noon. My husband was frantic. He thought I had left him stranded at the altar. There was an accident on our way to church and it delayed us for over an hour as they tried to get the truck out of the road. I regret not leaving the house earlier. But we got married and have two children today.
Chizor: The photographer took photos of the wrong guests
I had the best photographer at my wedding but he went about taking pictures of people we didn’t know well. It was like he was confused or something. He didn’t focus on us and our families. When he brought us the pictures, I was crying. It was like he didn’t know who to snap and who not to snap.
The photo album was full of pictures of people that didn’t come for my wedding because there were two other couples who got married in the same venue. He took photos of the wrong guests. I have not recovered from that blunder till today. I paid him half of his fees. It was one thing I would have changed about my wedding day without blinking.
Jennifer: I wouldn’t have allowed my cousin make food for my wedding
I have been married for four years now. I got married in a court but I shouldn’t have allowed a family member make food for my guests because she messed up the whole thing. I would have gone through the pains of paying a professional caterer to do the job. I regret trusting my cousin with my wedding day food. The rice was stale and my guests complained about stomach upsets after eating at my wedding reception. I felt so bad because this one time I trusted her, she failed me.
Sylvia: I would have loved a better photograph of my groom and I
My photographer took decent photos, but he wasn’t experienced with making the best timeline decisions. For example, my wedding was an evening wedding and the outside setting was gorgeous before the ceremony but dark afterward.
He could have advised us to do our couple pictures before the ceremony to get the most beautiful shots, but he didn’t seem to have that kind of intuition. Pictures are the one part of your wedding that you will carry with you forever, so it’s a very important area not to mess up. He just messed up one of the most beautiful days of my life.
Nora: I would have customized my wedding cake
I got married two years ago. I loved everything about my wedding, but if I had the chance to go back, I would look into customizing my wedding cake. I was young and didn’t know much about cake options. I went with what the cake the caterer offered me. It didn’t come out well though. It was one thing I would have paid more attention to because I love cakes.
Uduak: I would have employed the services of a professional stylist
When my husband and I got married three years ago, we were struggling financially. I had wanted a big society wedding but because of financial constraints, we made do with what we had then. Nothing is as lasting as the wedding photos, and I looked cheap. What happened was a friend in beauty school offered to do my hair and makeup as a wedding gift. I was trying to be supportive and was afraid to ask how good she was. She wasn’t good. I found out late. She made me look like a masquerade on my wedding day. I struggled with tears when I saw my wedding day pictures.
Lilian: I wish I had more time to spend with my loved ones
My husband and I didn’t have a big wedding but I still felt there were too much people around that day. I hardly got to talk to one person because I was saying hello to everyone at once. It also cost us more money which just kept going up as more people needed to be paid for one thing or the other. I wish I had more time to spend with those who were really close to me. I didn’t even get a photo with my grandparents on my wedding day and they have been sweet to me all my life. It was heartbreaking because I love my grandparents more than my parents.
Janet: I would have gone for an outdoor wedding
It was hot on my wedding day. I had sweat dripping from my gel laced hair to my face. It messed up my makeup a lot that I had to leave my groom’s side once in a while to go touch up my makeup. The sun made my guest uncomfortable, made my hair flat, and during the prayer I let go of my husband’s hand to wipe the sweat off my upper lip. It was not good. I would have had an outdoor wedding.
Mojisola: I wouldn’t have worried too much about friends disappointing us
I was totally stressed that no one would come. I had nightmares about it, and the thought that our friends and even some family wouldn’t show up completely consumed me months before the big event. Looking back now, two years after, I realized how amazing our wedding. Our friends and family stood by us, supported us and made our day memorable. I didn’t know why I worried too much about the day not going smoothly. It was wasted stress and energy.
Ijeoma: I would have been happier
I did not want to get married in my 20s. However, my parents did not wish to wait any longer. In Igbo land, it is a common trend to get the daughters married as soon as they get a good wedding proposal. Therefore, when my mom received an excellent marriage proposal for me, she practically forced me to get married, and I could not deny her. This does not mean that I wasn’t annoyed. I was infuriated, to say the least. I performed all the rituals for the sake of it. My mind was somewhere else.
Now, after three years of living with my amazing husband, I regret not being happy on the day of my wedding. I wish I had been more involved in the wedding preparations. My wedding dress was a mess, and the venue was not as glorious as I would have wanted it to be, but I married a good and loving man. He has been my backbone ever since and I have grown to love it.