Singaporebrides | Weddings 101

February 2020

10 Common Wedding Day Disasters And How To Fix Them

By Audrie Soh

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There is no such thing as a no-problem, foolproof wedding, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to perfect it.

Let’s get this straight – the perfect wedding where everything goes according to plan does not exist no matter how meticulous you’ve been to make sure that it does. Accidents and unforeseen circumstances do happen, so don’t be too upset or hard on yourself when things don’t go as you’ve planned them to. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, focus on how to fix the problem so that your wedding can proceed.

To help you prepare for any mishaps or unforeseen circumstances that you may encounter on your big day, we’ve put together a list of 10 common wedding day disasters and solutions that you can easily implement to save the day.

1. Sudden Breakouts

Waking up to a pimple or splotchy skin is the last thing any bride wants on her wedding day, especially after you’ve painstakingly maintained your diet and kept to a skincare routine.

Solution:

The best thing you can do for yourself is to leave the blemishes alone. To reduce inflammation and redness, put on a cold compress on the affected area. Doing so will make it easier for your makeup artist to conceal the blemish with the right product and tools to give you a natural wedding glow. To minimise your chances of a breakout at the last hour, try not to use any new products or beauty treatments a month before the wedding.

2. Makeup Smudges

It’s your wedding day, the day you’ve finally been waiting for ever since you said “Yes” to your fiancé, and emotions are bound to run high on such a joyous occasion. With all the crying and tearing up you might be doing, your makeup might end up messy and runny before you can even say “I do”!

Solution:

Keep the panda eyes and streaky makeup at bay by smudge proofing your makeup as much as you can. Check with your makeup artist to ensure that she will be using waterproof makeup and setting your makeup in place to make it last longer throughout the day. If your tears (or facial oil – yes, tears are not the only thing that will cause your makeup to run) prove too much for your waterproof makeup, blot lightly with a piece of tissue at the affected areas before touching up with foundation or powder.

3. Wardrobe Malfunctions

Stains, rips, missing buttons and the likes might just be every bride’s worst nightmare. After spending so much time and effort to ensure that your dream wedding gown looks perfect for your walk down the aisle, a wardrobe mishap happens despite all the care taken.

Solution:

First, stay calm. For tears or missing buttons on your gown (or your groom’s suit!), take out your emergency sewing kit (you should pack one with needles, thread, safety pins and fashion tape, as well as other wedding day necessities!) and mend away.

For food or wine stains, do not to rub or scrub at the spot. Instead, use a white towel to blot up any moisture before scrapping away any solid pieces with a dull edge. If it is an oil stain, sprinkle baby powder on the spot immediately to absorb the oil. Then, spot treat by dabbing gently from the edges towards the inside of the stain. Lastly, cover any remaining stain with calk or baby powder.

4. You’re Running Behind Schedule

You’ve planned your wedding right down to the last second and made sure everyone from your bridal party to your vendors has a copy of it and yet on the actual day, things goes awry and suddenly you find yourself running behind schedule.

Solution:

If a vendor is late, talk to your wedding planner or maid-of-honour and see what can be done to rectify the problem. If you are running late, consider cutting out an item on your program or shortening the game time to make the day work. Remember, flexibility is key! You can also assign a timekeeper in your bridal party so that he or she can keep an eye on the clock and make sure that your program is on time so you don’t have to worry about running out of time or behind schedule.

5. Bad Weather

It has always been your dream to exchange your vows against the warm, romantic glow of the sunset and take your first dance as husband and wife under the stars, but come your wedding day, dark clouds gather and the threat of rain hangs overhead – or worse, it starts pouring before you can even say “I do”!

Solution:

The weather can be quite unpredictable at times, making planning an outdoor wedding or having part of it outdoors tricky. Always discuss with the venue and set up backup plans for bad or wet weather and make sure all your other vendors affected are aware and agreeable to the plans. You should also check with your vendors if a top-up is needed if Plan B were to be activated.

6. Vendor No-Shows/Cancellations

Vendors make up a big part of your wedding and if one or more of them fails to turn or cancels on your at the last minute, that would be disastrous.

Solution:

Speak to your other vendors and recruit their help in finding a replacement for the vendor who bailed out on you. If it happens on the day of your wedding, try not to panic and seek help from the venue to see if they are able to tap on their network of vendors to help you out.

When looking for wedding vendors, it is best to go with reputable vendors who are known to be responsible and responsive to avoid such a unfortunate scenario from happening. Always ask for a contract and request for all details discussed to be included in it, and have it signed by both you and your vendor. This is to protect both your interests and make sure that neither of you will back out before the wedding, knowing that there’ll be some consequence for doing so.

However, unforeseen circumstances do happen, so do check with them what backup plans they have in the event of such a happening so both parties know what to expect or do when it happens.

7. Wedding Guests Go AWOL on The Wedding Day

You can ask anyone who has gotten married and they’ll tell you unanimously that having guests who either cancels at the last hour or simply don’t turn up on the day itself is very common and to be expected. And when that happens, you’ll end up having a bunch of empty seats here and there.

Solution:

There’s nothing you can do about the guests who cancels on you at the last minute, so don’t stress over it. Instead, focus on filling up the empty seats by rearranging the chairs and place settings, and spreading them out so that each guest has more space at the table. You may also consider relocating one or two guests from another table to those with many empty seats. Alternatively, if the empty seats are not obvious, you may simply remove the extra chairs from the table.

8. You Hate The Way Something Turned Out – Whether It Is The Colour of Your Flowers or The Way The Room Is Set Up

Every bride has a vision of how she expects her wedding to look like, and it can be disappointing when it doesn’t match up to reality. Unless it is something major like an obvious defect on your wedding dress, you shouldn’t get worked up if your florist got the colours of your flowers wrong or if you wedding hairdo is not as loose and dreamy as you imagined it to be.

Solution:

None of your guests is going to know that your flowers were supposed to be in a Spring colour palette of blush and peach or that you were supposed to have loose, soft curls intentionally left untucked, framing the sides of your face. So, don’t sweat the small stuff and smile; your guests already think you’re beautiful the way you are.

9. Your Feet Starts To Kill You/Blister

While a pair of high heeled shoes might make you look and feel taller and leaner, it may also tire and hurt your feet if you are not accustomed to wearing it for long hours. Your wedding day is going to be a long day, so try not to go for a pair of heels that is too high for you to comfortably walk and be in if you do not have the habit of wearing them on a regular basis.

Solution:

Whether you are used to being in a pair of high heeled shoes or not, always pack along a pair of pretty flats or preppy sneakers so that you can change into them when your feet gets tired or develops a blister. That way, you can fully enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime without grimacing in pain.

10. Technical Difficulties

You’re just about to say your vows, only to realise that none of the two microphones is working, or that the series of videos you’ve created for your guests aren’t playing on the big screens in the ballroom.

Solution:

Nothing kills the moment more than the AV equipment failing to work when it is supposed to. To prevent that from happening, always have someone do a test run of the AV equipment before your wedding starts. You should also discuss an alternative plan with your planner or bridal party in the event of equipment failure, such as switching up the activities in the wedding program or having the emcee fill in the gap while the problem gets sorted out.

So, there you have it – 10 common wedding day disasters you may encounter and how you can fix them on the spot! Remember, always remain calm and focus on the solution rather than the problem so you can enjoy your big day to the fullest!

Credits: Feature image from Jolyn and Michael’s Scenic Destination Wedding at Stoneridge Estate in New Zealand by Jen from Alpine Image.

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