Everyone loves a great wedding film. From My Big Fat Greek Wedding to The Wedding Planner to Bride Wars, these movies highlight (to the hilarious extreme) emergencies that can go wrong on a wedding day. But truly, what happens when the weather isn’t cooperating, or a vendor is running late? Is it possible to keep flexible and stay calm when the last minute wedding emergencies make the day feel like everything is going wrong?
Let’s review some possible day-of challenges that may arise on your wedding day. And let’s do it now, well before the wedding day is here, so you know how to successfully stay calm in the event an unexpected challenge comes your way.
COMMON WEDDING EMERGENCIES
WEATHER
Kansas City’s mercurial weather is almost infamous. It’s happened that we’ve seen all four seasons, just in one day! When planning a wedding in Kansas City, especially if you’re considering any outdoor activities, always prepare a rain plan that you love as much as the original outdoor plan.
This is especially important to remember as you are venue searching! Of course, it’s easy to fall in love with that gorgeous outdoor venue planning for a perfect weather day. But manifesting for perfect weather, yet not preparing a proper backup plan, can quickly lead to last minute anxiety and stress when the radar isn’t giving you the news you want. Eliminate any possibility for weather related panic by ensuring that the venue(s) you are prospecting explains their weather backup plans during your initial consultation. This gives you time to make sure you love both Plan A and Plan B options before booking.
Have you already booked your venue? Don’t fret! All you have to do is reach out to your venue and get familiar with their backup plan. And if you need to reserve a tent to best protect your vision, do it.
Reserving a tent early within planning not only gives you peace of mind, but it ensures you are at the top of the list when inclement weather arrives and every other event in town is scrambling to find a last-minute tent solution.
SICKNESS
All the final details come together in the last four to six weeks of wedding planning; that coupled with your work and personal life can mean late nights and overworked weeks, shifting wellness priorities to the back burner. Prioritize your health first in the last month of wedding planning by focusing on staying healthy, getting plenty of rest and nutrition, and delegating tasks to your wedding planner. Don’t try any new supplements or products in the final months and prepare an emergency kit with any possibly needed medications on the wedding day. And if you are getting married out of the state or country, research nearby hospitals and prepare medical emergency response plans ahead of time.
TRAFFIC DELAYS
There are so many variables attached to traffic delays and their possible disruption of your wedding day, especially if your wedding party, family, and guests are carpooling or driving themselves to multiple locations. Each new location and each separate vehicle increase the opportunity for getting stuck in traffic, an accident, or unplanned stops like gas or coffee. Prepare first to communicate clear expectations on travel plans and timing. When carpooling is the travel plan, note who is driving and at which points in the day allow for any stops. If possible, we recommend booking transportation for the wedding party and VIPs to eliminate this possible variable.
But what happens when there are delays? Change up the schedule! Let the coordinator spearhead this change, allowing for a delayed ceremony start time. When at a ceremony venue (like a church) which doesn’t have any flexibility for change, shift guests to the aisle ends and forward, and save space in the rear for guests to filter in following the processional.
FAMILY DRAMA
It’s important to communicate expectations and have the tough conversations with family members ahead of time to eliminate this common wedding day emergency. Weddings are an emotional day, so it’s best to handle any unresolved family conversations prior to the wedding. We also recommend establishing a point person who knows both parties and can stay levelheaded, communicate kindly, and can spot red flags and triggers to quickly redirect any emotions before they escalate.
Additionally, creating a detailed wedding itinerary and sharing it with key family members can help set clear expectations for the day. Including specific timings, locations, and roles for each individual involved can minimize confusion and misunderstandings.
HOW TO RESPOND WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
- Trust your vendors. You’ve hired an amazing team of professionals who will work together to problem solve in the moment and resolve the challenge, often before you ever even knew there was an issue. This is where we highly recommend you have, at minimum, a wedding day coordinator on your team who can absorb the issues and use their knowledge of your wedding day vision to execute a solution quickly. If you don’t have a wedding coordinator then enlist someone outside of your wedding party and immediate family to assist with day-of challenges.
- “Let it go.” Okay, Elsa, we hear you! Oftentimes, the best reaction when things go wrong is to just let it go. Establish a mantra that redirects your focus to the “why” of the day, shifting the anxiety from emergency to the understanding that it’s a day full of love and laughs even if things go wrong.
- For example, something to repeat and respond with could be “No wedding can be ‘perfect’ so instead I choose peace. I am not responsible for anyone else’s emotions or actions other than my own. Love and laughter are the most important emotions to me today.”
- Outsource all questions and issues to your wedding day coordinator, or, at minimum, a day-of point person who can assist in resolution (never an immediate family member or wedding party member as they have their own duties to uphold throughout the day).
- Focus on each other. Schedule buffer time with moments alone into the wedding timeline, to allow you both to recenter and focus on the moments of the day. Ultimately, the emergencies and the details aren’t the fixture of the day, it’s the two of you and the commitment you’re making to each other that set the tone for an amazing wedding.
- Stay flexible! The timeline will ebb and flow, hair and makeup may run late, dinner may start early… these things happen! Your coordinator will shift the timeline as needed, prioritizing guest comfort and allowing time for your must-have moments.
HOW TO BEST PREPARE
- Pack early! Forgotten attire and details can be an avoidable headache when it comes to last minute wedding emergencies; pack together all your items ahead of time and triple confirm the checklist prior to leaving.
- Reconfirm all the details + timeline with your wedding pros. Ensure your coordinator has added in buffer time for key moments that can and may run over (hair & makeup, getting dressed, family photos, etc.). The timeline ebbs and flows on the wedding day so use your mantra to keep flexible and avoid looking at a watch or your phone.
- Pick your party wisely. Ensure you have supportive personalities around you that promote peace and protect the energy of wedding day.
- Create a calm environment. Pack minimally, eliminating mental and physical clutter that add to wedding day stress. Select vibe-approved playlists to keep spirits high during key moments of the day like getting ready, First Look, or wedding party photos.
- Snack often and drink plenty of water.
- Get a good night’s sleep.
- Communicate expectations with all family, wedding party, VIP’s, and wedding vendors.
Honestly, there is no such thing as a perfect wedding day, only perfect moments during a wedding day. Because of the complexity and detail that goes into weddings, along with the human variable, it’s impossible to account for every possible situation or scenario. Even the most well planned, well orchestrated wedding will encounter last minute wedding emergencies. But we know with these tips, you’ll be best prepared for what may go wrong and how to respond when it inevitably happens. Looking for more planning insight, wedding checklists, or local vendors? Make sure to go check out our Wed KC blog for all the best how-to’s of wedding planning!
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