Wedding expert sparks a debate after revealing things she’d never do on her big day

A wedding expert sparked a debate after revealing a list of things that she would never do at her own nuptials.

On TikTok, Kat Williams, who is the editor of Rock N Roll Bride magazine, frequently posts videos about planning a wedding. In a clip posted earlier this month, Williams, who has been married for 14 years, went on to list five things that she wouldn’t do if she was getting married again.

First, she addressed how she would never “have a friend or family member take the photos,” as she’s heard “horror stories” from people who didn’t get a professional photographer for the event in order to “save money”.

“It very rarely works out,” she said. “I’ve heard so many stories of people hating their photos, and then there’s nothing they can do about it. So, for the love of god, put your budget into a wedding photographer.”

For her second rule, Williams said that she wouldn’t “let people get their phones out during the ceremony” or take photos, as it would capture the event at a “terrible angle” and ruin the professional photos being taken.

“When you get your professional photos back, all the photos have people behind their phones,” she said. “It looks like s***. So put up a sign or get an officiant to make an announcement in the beginning.”

Williams then explained that she would not “have [her] ceremony too late in the day” and that she would aim to have it between 12:30 and 2PM, especially if it’s during the winter. She noted that if the ceremony goes into the night, it could ruin the photos.

“If you have the wedding late, it’s partly going to be getting dark by the time you’re finished,” she said. “So unless you do the photos before, the photos are going to be dark and crap.”

She also expressed that if the ceremony is late in the day, then there’s even less time to spend at the party and with your guests.

For her fourth rule, Williams emphasised that she would “never ever” want to buy a wedding dress that she couldn’t fully fit in and would ultimately have to “slip into”. She described this type of purchase as “f***ing toxic” and something she’d never “encourage” people to do, before explaining how it can cause problems prior to the big day.

“It’s going to add extra pressure to you to lose weight, and then if you don’t do it, it’s going to make you feel bad about yourself,” she continued. “And potentially be very expensive to get it refitted or buy a new dress.”

Her fifth rule was that she’d never “order too much food” at her wedding, as it can “cost too much money” and end up in “loads of waste”.

“You don’t need canapes, and an ice cream bar, and a taco station, and a sweets table,” she said. “People just don’t need that much food, skip the evening buffet. Your bank balance with thank you.”

As of 11 August, the clip has more than 14,300 views, with multiple TikTok users agreeing with Williams’ tips.

“All of this is on my things I won’t do too,” one wrote. “Photography especially. Most important part of the day aside, the future husband!

“As a guest, I hate it when people have their ceremonies too early. I’m usually hungry and haven’t had enough time to get ready,” another wrote.

A third person added: “Totally agree! Esp about the food. So many evening meals or cheese boards get left behind!”

However, some viewers said that didn’t take Williams’ recommendations, since they had late wedding ceremonies and asked friends to capture their photos.

“I had a friend take my photos and I love them. Way more candid and less staged, which suits me!,” one person wrote.

“I’m having a 5pm ceremony because I hate waiting around at weddings and I don’t want my guests to feel the same. Also it’s saving so much money,” another added.

Williams has also posted two follow up videos about even more things that she wouldn’t do at her wedding. Some of her tips included not having too many bridesmaids and not setting a dress code for guests.

The Independent reached out to Williams for comment.