8 More Wedding Day Disasters (And How To Deal With Them!)

Tips on more wedding day disasters, coming your way!

Look, wedding day disasters are never fun. In fact, just thinking about what can go wrong on your wedding day is enough to give you nightmares. However, disasters are still out there. And, they can happen. Because of this, I recently published a post all about wedding day disasters, and what to do about them. However, there’s more I want to explore.

The number one way to deal with wedding day disasters is to prevent them from happening at all. And, you can’t prevent what you don’t know about. The key is educating yourself on what can go wrong, before anything happens. If you do this, you will thank yourself later on.

8 More Wedding Day Disasters (And How To Deal With Them!)

This post is going to delve into eight more wedding day disasters. These are emergencies that can happen to just about any wedding. How you prevent them, or deal with them, is important. I’ll try my best to give you sound advice, but if you come across something and you have a better way of handling it, go for your own way. You know your situation best, and you’ve got your wedding planning handled.

Let’s get into it!

1. SOMETHING CRITICAL GETS BROKEN OR RIPPED

Weddings are filled with delicate and special items, aren’t they? The nice thing is that everything is meaningful. The not so nice thing is that delicate and special items can break or rip.

For example, your veil. Or your gown. Perhaps an important piece of jewelry isn’t clasping correctly. Or, your centerpieces dropped and some of your vases are cracked. None of it is fine, none of it is ideal.

If something important breaks or rips at your wedding, see if it can first be repaired or replaced. In some cases, a well-stocked emergency kit can save the day. However, if nothing can be done to repair or replace, you’ll have to go to the next best (or worst) thing. Skip it, or use it anyway. Yes, broken or ripped items are not ideal, but the wedding has to go on, with or without it.

2. TOO MANY GUESTS SHOW UP

Surprisingly, this may be a cultural thing, but a lot of wedding have more guests than expected show up.

Now, it may be that those who RSVP’d “no” decide to come at the last minute. Or, it could be that invited guests have brought some additional people. In either case, it’s most ideal if you’re able to graciously accommodate the extra people. See if your caterer can feed everyone. Make sure that your venue is able to provide extra seating. Delegate coordinating for these guests to another person, like your day of coordinator, if you’re able to.

Now, of course, you can tell extra “guests” that they have to leave. Or, tell them they can stay but there’s nowhere for them to sit. And nothing for them to eat. However, make this the last possible resort. Being welcoming and gracious will make your wedding day so much better than the alternative.

3. YOU OR YOUR FIANCE DON’T FEEL GOOD

Colds, ear infections, fevers, allergies. . . there are lots of reasons why you or your fiancé may not feel good on your wedding day.

Your first line of defense? Take care of yourself ahead of your wedding. Stay away from crowds. Wash your hands. If you feel a bug coming on, hydrate, take proper medicine, rest, and see a professional if needed. If you wake up on your wedding day with a full-on sickness, try and do the same. Load up on medicine, take it easy. Get through the day.

However, if you’re really sick, you may need to postpone. Especially if you have something nasty or contagious. It may be last minute, and it may cost you money. However, postponing will allow you and your guests to safely enjoy your wedding day when everyone is feeling better.

4. YOU’RE RUNNING LATE TO YOUR OWN WEDDING

Time management can be difficult for the best of us. It’s easy to run behind, especially on your wedding day.

If you are the kind of person who is typically late for everything, let’s attempt to prevent that on your wedding day. What’s the secret to staying on time, you might ask? Well, you need to work backwards, and plan accordingly.

For example, if you have to be at your wedding venue by 2:00, work backwards all the way to the moment you get up. This will help you create a schedule. Factor in transportation, gathering all your items, getting ready, others who are getting ready with you, breaking to eat, etc. Be realistic about how long all these things take, and give yourself some buffer time just in case. Have a solid transportation plan, and stay organized. These two things will help.

However, if you are already running late, there’s really not much you can do. Of course, you can shift your wedding day schedule to accommodate. Or, you can cut something out of your timeline. Don’t stress out, though. Stay calm, and enjoy the day for what it is.

5. A BUNCH OF GUESTS FLAKE AND DON’T COME

There were a lot of people getting married over the pandemic who experienced this wedding day disaster.

Flakey guests.

And look, sometimes guests flake for good reason. And, sometimes guests flake for annoying reasons. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re receiving a lot of last minute cancellations right before your wedding, try and let the disappointment go. Ask someone else to deal with communicating the changes to your venue. Remember, your wedding is not about your wedding guests. It’s about you and your partner starting your married life together.

If you have some flakey guests and want to make your venue seem a little less empty, there are some things you can do. For example, have your venue rearrange your tables so it doesn’t feel like people are missing. And, you can have men put their jackets on the backs of seats so it looks like more seats are taken. Is this kind of cheesy? Yes. However, it will work to making your wedding seem more full.

Last but not least. If you have a lot of last minute cancellations, please don’t dwell on it. Remember to appreciate the people who are there to celebrate with you, and enjoy yourself anyway.

6. YOU’RE UNHAPPY ABOUT SOMETHING

Wedding day disasters mean that you’re unhappy about something. It could be big. Or, it could be small. However, it’s something, and it’s not good.

If you find yourself less than thrilled about something important to you on your wedding day, see what can be done about it. Politely ask those who can help if the thing can be changed. Suggest something different, if needed. For example, you may not like the placement of some décor. Or, your hair doesn’t seem quite right. If nothing can be changed, it’s time to accept what it is and move on. Some things, like the weather, aren’t in our control. Just accept what it is and enjoy your wedding anyway.

7. THERE’S A POWER OUTAGE

Oh my. I have to admit. A power outage during my wedding was one of my biggest fears.

I mean, what a major wedding day disaster a power outage would be. If your wedding is in the evening, you’ll have the potential to lose all your lighting. And, your caterer would have a hard time cooking dinner if they need electricity. Of course, any microphones or electrical equipment needed from your DJ or band would be useless. Let’s not forget heaters and air conditioning.

It would not be fun, to say the least.

If your wedding will be heavily reliant on electricity, talk to your venue about potential outages. Find out if they have a back up generator and if they have ever dealt with an outage in the past. See if they have a plan to deal with it. Hopefully there’s something they can do to mitigate this issue if it comes up.

Of course, power outages happen, and there isn’t always something that can be done about it. If you find that your wedding is experiencing one, be prepared to have fun anyway. Be sure to bring a wireless (and well charged) speaker to your wedding so you can get the music going. Bring along some battery powered lighting, like flameless candles or twinkle lights. Tell your bartenders to keep the drinks flowing. Make the best of it.

8. PEOPLE AREN’T DANCING

Okay, the last of the wedding day disasters we’ll review in this post.

People aren’t dancing at your wedding.

You’ve paid for a DJ or band, and want people to have fun. Maybe they are shy. Maybe they are tired. Perhaps they just need to get started. And you want the dance floor packed. What do you do? Well, you need to get out there. Start dancing yourself. Grab some friends. Have fun. I promise your guests will join you. Request some great songs and be the one to get it started.

And a back up plan for this disaster? Again, start dancing and have fun. It’s really the only way.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Friends, wedding day disasters happen all the time. It’s best to prevent them from happening at all. Be sure to bring a well stocked emergency kit to your wedding. Be gracious if guests show up unexpected. And, be gracious if they flake on you. Have a realistic wedding day schedule, and keep to it. If the power goes out, bring on the candles and have fun anyway. No matter what, enjoy every minute. It goes by fast, disasters or not. Happy wedding planning!