When you are planning your wedding, some things don't ever cross your mind. But, over the last 20+ years, I have found that certain things happen that no one imagines. And, THIS is when the brides- and in one case, the groom, in these examples are so glad they had me by their side. For their privacy, I am not using names, nor photos of these specific weddings. The collage in this post are merely a small selection of some of my weddings for aesthetics. These are all true stories- some more intense than others, but all of them are unimaginable and could have been disastrous to the day. These were all upscale weddings in beautiful venues. These were all lovely families with real issues. These were all situations that I was able to diffuse and fix before disaster struck.
** The wedding was 2 days away and I got a frantic call that the wedding may be in jeopardy due to a culture clash that the couple felt the situation was beyond going forward with the wedding. I got in my car and drove to their home to talk this out. Two families from two cultures could not agree on these two amazing people getting married. After several hours of working through this, the wedding happened, everyone was cordial and the day was perfect. Both cultures were represented and both families felt included.
** This was a small beach wedding at a private home. The day was beautiful and the couple was very happy with perfect weather and a gorgeous setting. As the party was coming to an end and everyone was gathering for a sparkler send off, a very drunk guest accosted his girlfriend and dragged her down the stairs. She was ok, however, it caused many guests to be frightened. I was able to diffuse the situation, have 2 other guests remove this person and we managed to keep the whole incident from the couple until after the celebration. This could have been a very ugly situation. But, I was there and it all worked out.
** After a very tumultuous morning with an incredibly difficult bride and her family, we arrived at the venue for the ceremony and reception. The groom and his family, a lovely family, were there, as were most of the guests. The bride, her bridesmaids and the bride's father were late- very late. The bride insisted, though it was a hot day, that the photographer walk the girls to a particular location for photos- again, it was hot and one of the bridesmaids had a broken foot. When they finally arrived, the bridesmaid was in pain and the bride was hungover, verbally abusive and demanded a drink. When the bride's father arrived, he was not dressed for a wedding and had his fishing hat on. I felt so horrible for the groom and his family- they were mortified. I did my best to move things along, got a tie for the dad and had him remove his hat. I calmed the bride down and we got her some water. The ceremony went forward and the party ensued. The bride was very aggressive all day and resistant to most of the formalities. I had to run interference all day to try and salvage what I could for this poor groom's family. This was probably the most stressful day ever, but I did my best to make sure it didn't turn into a total disaster.
** After a perfect morning, a beautiful ceremony in a historic church and the bridal party off for photos, I made my way to the venue to make sure everything was ready for the arrival of the bride and groom. When I got there, the florist had flowers, boxes, water and trash all over the floor. She was still putting centerpieces on tables. In the meantime, the custom favor boxes and the napkin folds were all wrong. I rolled up my sleeves, refolded all of the napkins and placed the favor boxes as they were to be done. I also hustled the florist along, as the live painter had arrived and was trying to set up around the mess. When the couple arrived, everything was perfect and they never knew of the impending disaster that was averted.
** An antique car, a careless photographer and a bride in an expensive satin gown could have been a horrible combination. But, with my baby wipes and a hair dryer I was able to save the day. When taking photos, the photographer had the bride up against the antique car. After the photo, the front of the dress was streaked with grease. To the ladies room we went. And, no one ever knew her dress had been soiled.
These are just a few examples of things that happen that you could never anticipate. And, because these couples had a seasoned planner, who thinks on her feet and isn't dazzled by the "fun" of wedding planning, but who takes her job seriously, disasters can be averted. So, please, think about the "what ifs" as you plan your big day. You never know what could happen. And, knowing there is someone who has your back is more important than you will ever know. Happy Planning!
