Nobody really dreams of an imperfect wedding. The pristine immaculateness the happy couple usually associates with their special day is understandable yet is rarely executable in real life. Don’t get us wrong – we are sure it is more than possible to leave the bride, groom, and their friends and families happy and satisfied! It is just that sometimes such a result costs extra nerve cells that could probably be saved and used somewhere else.

Today, we are discussing the top-five wedding mishaps and the creative prevention ideas that could save both the planner and the newlyweds a few grey hairs.

1. Money, money, money…

Even the strongest of us have committed the following fallacy at least once in life: underestimating the costs of whatever it is we are deeply engaged in. When the case in point is the best day of your life, the stakes are even higher, and it is only natural that the temptation can become truly unconquerable. What to do in this case? One option is to let the newlyweds enter the new phase of their lives with a (sometimes) nasty debt behind their shoulders, but another one – both for your karma and future referrals – is to go out of your way to help the happy couple plan ahead and stick to the budget in the most rigorous way possible.

Some tools to do that include a thorough brief for the bride and groom about each vendor (including a special emphasis on the fine print), honest conversation on how to say “no” in cases it is really necessary, and if the relationship permits, even a handy spreadsheet to help the couple stay in touch with their agreed-upon limits.

2. Sewing Stories

In the age of metaverse and Amazon Prime, something as simple and deceptively unnoticeable as the grandma’s sewing kit has all the chances of slipping out of our collective mind. We recommend fighting the urge and not letting that thing out of your wedding day essentials list! The kit could become an absolute saver not only for the bride and groom but also for the bridesmaids and family members that sometimes get too excited in expressing their love for the newlyweds.

We once heard a story where the bride was literally sewn into her dress as a zipper broke down and was no longer usable. For the heavily risk-averse couples, another solution may be to have a spare dress/suit on hand. Since not everybody is prone to think of that option, it may become the wedding planner’s responsibility to communicate such an idea.

3. Dancing in the Rain

Unless the wedding you are working on is taking place in Sahara, chances are (and no matter how negligible they are), it may rain (or even snow) during the ceremony. While for the majority of wedding planners a contingency plan for such a scenario goes without saying, it may sometimes be tough to persuade the happy couple that they do indeed require one.

If this is the case, it is still a good idea to have a solution up your sleeve but another way around the situation may be to ask the relatives or another figure of authority to speak to the wife and husband-to-be and prepare them psychologically for such a turn of events. After all, couples are all different in terms of their temperaments and some of them may quickly adapt to the situation and treat the previously unwanted precipitation as a sign of good fortune.

4. 1+1=3

Another common wedding mishap is probably related to the affection humans exhibit towards wishful thinking. Just because the happy couple hopes that some of the guests they felt socially obliged to invite will not turn up at the end of the day, does not mean that it will actually happen. In fact, the situation is usually the reverse: even those who have not RSVPed are likely to turn up at the last moment.

Communicating these details and encouraging the bride and groom to slightly overestimate their guest count could be a helpful strategy.

Another pro hack is to see whether the husband and wife-to-be are open to the idea of mentioning the type of catering (appetizers only vs a full meal) in their invitation cards to avoid misunderstandings and manage guests’ expectations.

5. The Pumpkin Express

Last but not least, Cinderella’s story may seem romantic in the movies, yet few brides would probably subscribe to a similar fate, especially when it comes to logistics. Since it is impossible to predict and plan for everything, a good idea may be to stock up on Uber vouchers to give to the guests, so that they could leave without too big of a deal in case of an emergency.

Another great pro-hack is to minimize the amount of alcohol served at the event for safety’s sake. Be sure to walk the happy couple through the potential consequences the excess booze could lead to and work together on the best possible solution.

While some of the above scenarios could seem unnecessarily gloomy, we are firm believers in mitigating risks the best way possible! After all, prevention is always better than hectic damage control, especially during such an important event as a wedding! Have we forgotten anything, or do you have a planning story to share? Feel free to contact us and get your ideas featured in one of our next newsletters.