Beacuse Ceremony Glitches Are Inevitable

Next to remembering to say “I do,” one of the most important things to keep in mind on your wedding day is that something will go wrong. It doesn’t matter how much time you’ve planned, how much money you’ve spent, and how gorgeous your dress looks. Imperfection is going to arise, and how you deal with the unexpected is what’s truly important.

You’ve probably thought about obvious problems: rain, illness, and whether or not you’ll trip walking down the aisle. But there are numerous situations that can arise; you need to be prepared to handle any situation.

Regarding guests, the biggest problems include someone getting lost, inappropriate toasts, and a drunk friend. Whenever a situation arises that involves one or more guests, find out if a trusted loved one (mom, your Maid of Honor) can take care of the situation. If a guest does say something inappropriate during the toasts, go with it. There’s nothing you can do, and if you try and stop him it will add more drama. Guests who’ve imbibed too much need to be cut off (if the bartenders don’t automatically stop serving him, have someone tell the servers), and calling him a cab. If you have to get involved, do so quietly when you’re not in the middle of greeting people.

More pressing problems include things like flowers not arriving on time, a rip or stain on your dress, or a missing bridesmaid or flower girl. For something big like undelivered flowers, or any vendor services being delayed, you have to realize it’s out of your control. If something drastic happens, like the food goes bad, tell your guests ASAP, and order pizza or Chinese (I know a couple who did the latter, and it turned out to be wonderful). While that seems like a horrible alternative, the only real tragedy that could happen on your wedding day is for the affair to be canceled. The two of you are there to announce your love in front of loved ones, and, ultimately, that’s all that matters.

While that advice needs to be heeded for all problems, others have solutions. Make sure you have an emergency kit, which should include sewing materials, and well as stain cover-ups. You should also have a first-aid kit for personal emergencies; you or someone else in the party cutting yourself, a migraine, etc. Petty cash needs to be left with someone you trust, in case you need to run to the store for any number of last-minute things you might have forgotten (dental floss, batteries, even tampons).

When members of the party are absent, either because of illness or traffic, discuss with your Maid of Honor, your groom, and the clergyperson about how to handle it. A flower girl or ring bearer can be left out of the party, and two groomsmen can walk with one bridesmaid. Should an uncomfortable situation arise, like an out-of-control child, take their parents aside and politely explain the situation.

There’s an old expression that for every problem there is a solution. The same is true at your wedding; even if the solution is to relax, breathe, and remember the real reason you’re all there.

-David Toussaint

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