How To Avoid A Wedding Day Disaster

You want your big day to be perfect, you’ve spent months, perhaps even years secretly planning what your wedding day will be like and if left entirely to you it would be fantastic, there’s no doubt about it, but unfortunately others do tend to get in the way and there are bound to be issues arising that threaten to spoil the entire day. Such as your mother’s insistence on inviting Uncle Derek with the drink problem and your sister’s demands to make her spoilt little brat a bridesmaid; so here are a few tips on how to deal with the most common of problems to avoid a wedding day disaster.

1. Don’t expect perfection. Relax a little instead because no day can be entirely without problems even if you are royalty! It may rain, a little red wine may be spilt on the drink, a child may be crying all the way through the ceremony. If you accept that there will inevitably be a few issues throughout the day then you’ll be able to deal with them with grace and a sense of humour.
2. Delegate. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Some family members are bound to want to take over so give them tasks to keep them happy, such as overseeing the flowers, keeping the rings safe, ensuring the venue isn’t double-booked, sorting out the entertainment. This takes pressure off you and keeps interfering family members busy.
3. Bridesmaids. It may be every little girl’s dream to be a bridesmaid but you can’t please everyone. If family members are insistent that their precious princesses are given the role, then suggest they pay for the extra bridesmaid dresses or suggest they get a flower girl outfit instead. A host of little flower girls carrying posies behind you won’t affect you but will make them and their parents feel special and part of the day.
4. Dummy Run Dress. You may have practised for the ceremony but it’s very different when you are encased in layers of chiffon, silk, lace and a whale-bone bodice. So for your last fitting make sure you practise sitting down, kneeling, walking at a fast pace, dancing etc. If you can’t get up from a kneeling position then make sure someone is assigned to help you! Same with the shoes; remember you will be doing a lot of standing during the day so it might be an idea to take a pair of pumps along too.
5. Seating Arrangements. You may want your divorced parents to sit together and put their unpopular new spouses on another table but is this really fair on them? A great wedding is one where everyone is happy, so don’t be stubborn just for the sake of uniformity. Allow guests a say in where they are seated and if possible, try to compromise. The atmosphere will be a lot nicer if warring couples are not forced to spend time staring daggers at each other.
6. Schedule. Do a practice run of everything that needs to happen on the day. I remember on my wedding day the hairdresser spent so long doing complicated twirls with my hair that I had 10 minutes left to get into my dress and get to the church. I was so late there was no time for make-up. Don’t cut it too fine, if the hairdresser thinks she’ll take an hour, allow her two. Then if you are early you can spend more time perfecting your look and having a chill out session instead of rushing off to the venue.
7. Wedding Breakfast. You may not feel like eating the morning of the wedding day, but do make sure you fill up with something. It’s going to be a long day and you don’t want to run out of energy halfway through. Something like porridge or scrambled eggs are ideal for their slow releasing carbs that should see you fine until lunch.
8. Photos. Wedding photos can look a little stiff and awkward, so make sure that guests bring a camera each and take plenty of natural photos. Pictures of the bride getting ready and the groom being encouraged by his mates are priceless and cannot be staged.
9. Thank You Speeches. Make a list of those who have helped and ensure that they are properly thanked in speeches on the day. There is nothing worse than suddenly realising that you forget to thank Aunty Carol who handmade all your invites.
10. Emergencies! Get an emergency kit and enlist someone to keep it in their bag. The kit should have a needle and thread, safety pins, aspirin, scissors, plasters, tampons, a spare pair of stockings, some nail polish remover for stains and a few make-up essentials.

Remember that your wedding day only becomes a disaster if you allow it to be. If you relax a little and take a huge dollop of humour with you on the day, your guests will be more relaxed in turn and any little slip-ups will barely be noticed. What you will have instead will be memories of a wonderful wedding day that was enjoyed by all.