You’ve seen the videos of wedding days gone wrong. While they may make for funny viral videos on social media, they’re not usually mishaps you want to see happen on your wedding day. They say the best defense is a good offense, so use these tips to prevent some common wedding mishaps from marring your special day.
Not Having a Rain Contingency
Texas weather is anything but predictable. If you’ve chosen an outdoor venue, it’s best to have a fall back plan in case of rain or other inclement weather. Consulting the Farmer’s Almanac and the local forecast doesn’t always do the trick. Create a plan B, just in case. Better to plan it and not need it than to need it and not have a plan.
Not Anticipating the Awkward
There are so many details to juggle when you plan a wedding that sometimes things that looked good on paper become horribly uncomfortable in reality. This is especially true when either the bride or the groom’s parents are divorced. Who walks the bride down the aisle: dad or step-dad? Who participates in the father/daughter dance? If the bride wants both men to participate, are there any symbolic situations that might inadvertently communicate a rivalry? For example, if both dad and step-dad get special dances with the bride, separate the dances with something else so that neither man has to “give up” the bride to the other.
Once you’ve anticipated and accounted for potentially awkward moments, communicate with all the parties involved so there are no unexpected surprises the day of.
Not Planning for the Unpredictability of Kids
Everybody thinks the flower girl and the ring bearer are precious… until they’re not. They’re a sweet addition to the wedding party until the ring bearer decides to drop kick the ring pillow or the flower girl decides to start picking flowers at the Botanical Gardens. Kids will be kids. The best way to navigate with them through a wedding scenario is to have designated attendants whose job it is to corral them and a plan to release the kids from their duties mid-ceremony (i.e. letting them go sit with mom or dad) should the need arise. Also, make sure they go to the bathroom before the ceremony begins, just in case.
Not Knowing Your Vendors’ Names
The caterer, event coordinator, venue contact, DJ, photographer, and florist will all be coming in and out of your event throughout the day. Know their names. Have their contact information on hand in case you need to contact them. If you don’t have a wedding coordinator, designate a member of the wedding party to be control central and ensure everybody is there on time and doing what they’re supposed to be doing. (Pro tip: have the signed contracts on site in case there’s a dispute. Pro tip, part 2: have signed contracts with all of your vendors.)
A Wedding Day Survival Kit
In addition to having vendor contact information and contracts, have some (or all) of the following items with you in a survival kit. Think of it as wedding day first aid.
- A small sewing kit
- Spare garter
- Lip gloss
- Eyeliner
- Feminine hygiene products
- Tissue
- Band-aids
- Duct tape (great for adding traction to the bottom of shoes)
- Zip ties
- Pain reliever
- A bottle of water
- Backup copy of the first dance song (on your phone)
- Lint roller
- Safety pins
- Bobby pins
- Hairspray
- Brush
- Umbrella
