3 Wedding Day Disasters and How to Avoid Them
We are here to help you avert these three more-common-than-you'd-think planning crises. While not a comprehensive list of wedding day disasters, these are some of the most cringe-worthy!
1. Unexpected Weather
Photo courtesy of The Reflective Bride.
Outdoor events, and even partially outdoor events, are the ones that risk get affected by weather the most. What's your best defense strategy? A rain plan, of course! As event planners, we cannot stress this enough! Despite the name, your "rain plan" encompasses so much more than that. Make sure your venue has backup generators to power your event incase of extreme wind or power-outage, heating and cooling options are a must, as well, and be sure to invest in wedding insurance to protect all the thousands of dollars you have already spent on your Big Day. It's always a good idea to have cute rain boots and umbrellas on hand for photos, too, just in case!
2. Friend of Family "Planners" Dropping the Ball
Photo courtesy of The New York Post.
You're mom's friend can handle a clipboard, right? She is an office manager, after all... Or, how about your bridesmaids? They have all been in 3 weddings each! They will surely know how to wrangle the crowd, and how to help with directing the rehearsal...
Sound familiar? We see it all the time, a couple wants to save money, so they ask friends and family members to shoulder the burden of planning and executing the logistics of the wedding day. Only, the couple doesn't know that they are actually cheating themselves. This decision not only cuts down on that person's fun, but also adds stress and strain on to your officiant, caterer, and DJ, because vendors have to pick up the slack when an appointed coordinator doesn't have all the tools or know all the steps to execute a wedding day seamlessly.
It may sound harsh, but a friend or family member is never a good substitute for a professional planner or coordinator. Not only are you taking the risk of hurt feelings that may have long term effects during your interactions, but you are removing your advantage of keeping it impersonal and really getting what you want out of your wedding day... You may not want to sound mean or demanding when working with a relation on your dreams for your wedding, and doesn't family always thinks they know what is best for you, despite your point of view? Also, what happens if that designated person is late or gets distracted by other friends and family members, or what if you have a vendor not show up? Do your bridesmaids have contacts in the wedding industry to call someone last minute if the DJ's car breaks down? If your transportation doesn't show up?
Do yourself a favor, and avoid these possibilities altogether. A once-in-a-lifetime day that is so important and expensive shouldn't be left to chance. It should be left to your professional wedding planning and coordination team!
3. Forgetting to Follow Up with Vendors
Photo courtesy of Etsy Shop, BriarwoodCo.