Wedding Day Disasters & What to Do!
You are the ultimate organized person and the wedding planning has gone so smoothly, but then a surprise pops up and now you have an emergency on your hands. No matter how organized you may be, sometimes, there are disasters that happen and are beyond your control. First thing to remember is to never panic. Losing your cool will just stress you out even more and cause everything else to suffer. So, remain calm and talk it out to figure out a solution, rather than focus on the problem.
Here are some common wedding day disasters and what you can do to fix them:
There is a spill on your wedding dress.
After a cheers during your makeup, you spill your red wine right on your dress. Avoid this by not having anything colorful near you, like juice, wine or dark lipstick. Grab a stick of chalk and white it out as much as you can. Don’t put soap on it and rub. This will only cause the stain to spread. The chalk should do a pretty good job and remember that all eyes are on you and not your dress.
Someone in the wedding party gets sick.
One of the groomsmen just called to say he is extremely sick and won’t be able to make it. Whether he is truly sick or just hung over, you are now short one groomsman.
What to do? It is not a rule that there must be one bridesmaid for every groomsman. Just have one groomsman have the pleasure of walking with two bridesmaids. If it is the ushering and extra help you need, ask a family member or close friend, and they would probably be more than likely be thrilled to be able to help you out on your special day.
The cake was dropped.
You get a call from the bakery the day before telling you that your cake has been dropped and they cannot make another one in time. Or worse, your cake was dropped on the day-of by the Maitre D?
You can always have a backup baker. Or, when you are selecting your baker, ask what they do if such a disaster should happen.
Most bakeries will have extra cakes that they can quickly assemble and construct a beautiful substitute. There is the possibility that you may pay extra for an emergency cake, but it is possible to get a replacement cake put together at the last minute.
Bakeries also always have display cakes. Borrow or rent a cake from them for photos and have the kitchen slice up a sheet cake to serve to guests. Your guests would never even know.
Where is the Photographer?
Your hair and makeup are almost done. Family and wedding party have arrived. Where is the photographer? He was scheduled to arrive at 11am and now it is 11:15am. No answer on his cell phone, or worse, he says you never confirmed, and he is at another wedding.
Talk with your wedding party and family ASAP. Chances are that someone knows someone, or there is a guest who dabbles in photography or has a big photography hobby and takes pretty amazing photos. Ask this person if he can bring his camera and help you out. Asking family members to take many photos with their own cameras is a good idea too. Take lots, and you are bound to find at least some that you love.
Another solution and fun way to get your guests involved is to purchase a bunch of disposable cameras and distributing them to a few guests to take photos. Make sure you have at least one camera for every table and ask guests to leave the cameras behind after the wedding is over, so you can have photos of your special moments and of moments between guests.
The Band or Dj is MIA.
Make sure you confirm all songs and touch base with your band or DJ at least a week or two before the wedding. If you do find yourself without a band or DJ at the last minute, hook up an iPod or MP3 player to a sound system. You can have a family member or close friend MC the night, if you were also counting on the band or DJ to do this.
Try your best to avoid any disasters on your wedding day as much as you can, by confirming suppliers and going over your checklist, but remember that emergencies do sometimes arise and there is always a solution. So, don’t freak out and let it ruin your day, but think of your action plan to rectify the situation. And, sometimes, it just seems worse than it is, or can be a blessing in disguise.
Written by Rita Wong, Rita Wong Events http://www.ritawongevents.com/
Rita Wong is a wedding and events planner and owner of Rita Wong Events. Based in Montreal, Rita also plans many weddings every year for brides living in Toronto and abroad. She is a dedicated follower of new trends and her goal is to give each bride a wedding that is fresh, unique, and a personal reflection of who they are. She now shares her professional insights with slice.ca.
Read all of Rita's blogs on slice.ca!
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