Photo: Birds of a Feather
Planning a wedding is a lot like having a baby, in the sense that everyone warns you how hard it's going to be and how stressed out you're going to get, yet nothing can stop you from looking at the future with rose-colored glasses on. In your eyes, it will be the most amazing, romantic, special experience ever, and in many ways it will. In others, however, your expectations might not always match up with reality and that can be a big bummer. The good news? You're definitely not alone.
"I love fashion and interior design so I had always envisioned my wedding as the ultimate styling project. I couldn't wait to design the save-the-dates and bring my entire vision to life. But boy was I naive about how much work actually went into planning a wedding! It's exhausting, and sometimes it's hard to even muster up the energy to do the things I was so excited about." — Jessica
"I definitely thought my bridesmaids would be more interested in my wedding than they are. I get it, they're busy and have lives too, but it hurts when you get canceled on and have to go dress shopping alone or whatever else. Wedding planning makes you emotional, for sure." — Alexandra
See more: Wedding Planning 101: What to Do First
"I expected wedding planning to be this blissful bonding experience with my fiancé. In reality, I can hardly get him to give his opinion on anything wedding-related, much less talk flowers and décor ideas with me. It's all, 'Whatever you want babe.' And I'm like, I want your help!" — Amber
"I now understand why everyone says you need a year plus to plan a wedding. There's so much that goes into it and so many details to consider. It's literally insane!" — Tiffany
"I definitely wasn't expecting other people to have so many expectations. Everyone says it's your day, but in reality, you have to make some sacrifices to keep the peace in your families and learn to pick and choose your battles." — Lane