Photo: Villetto Photography and Debra Eby
Even from early youth hood, many imagine what their wedding day will be like. No matter the décor scheme, no matter the dress, no matter the venue, there’s one commonality among everyone’s wedding day dreams: it’s a perfect day that goes off without a hitch.
Once the planning process begins, many soon-to-be-wed couples go above and beyond to prevent snafus, mishaps and embarrassing moments, scrupulously going through every minute detail to ensure it’s all been covered. No matter how hard you try, though, something inevitably goes wrong.
Potluck Wedding Gone Wrong
Trista Crass and her husband, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, opted for a pitch-in style reception. Come the big day, they quickly realized they probably should have given people more direction about what food items bring. “We had a very ‘medieval’ meal when people brought only moose, salmon, fried chicken — and a giant plate of sausages,” she says. At least there was a lot of protein to go around to fuel the dancing!
Bad Photo Positioning for the Entire Ceremony
It’s ultimately the photographer’s job to think about how photos will look. However, if the bride and groom are insistent on having things set up a certain way, there’s not much the photographer can do. Wedding officiant Aidan Rogers was the unfortunate victim in one of these cases. “I did this one wedding at a couple’s house, and they thought it would be cool to have me standing on the fireplace ledge with them standing on the floor in front of me,” she says. Sounds cute, yeah? Not so much. “Every wedding picture is my crotch between their love-stricken faces. That’s all you can see of me — just a horribly misplaced crotch.”
Open Mic for Guests Turns Roast
“I knew a couple who’d had a somewhat tumultuous, and somewhat public, romantic history,” says Sandra Mitchell of Miami. “I couldn’t help but cringe when a drunk guest got her hands on the open microphone and started blabbing about the couple’s rough times. I get that every couple goes through ups and downs, but everyone was horrified.” Lesson: open bars and open mics don’t always mix.
Forgotten Toasts
All that said above, some of the most important and heartfelt moments of your wedding day come from toasts by people who are closest to you. It can be easy to get caught up in the general partying that takes place on your wedding day, though, as experienced by Andrea Hipps and Todd Zuercher of Phoenix. “I would say our only regret was that — in the excitement of wanting to be married and wanting to be in the partying moment with our friends from near and very far — we skipped over doing toasts,” says Hipps. “A number of people had something heartfelt to say, and while they shared it with us afterwards, it would have been even more special in the midst of the crowd!”
See More: The 7 Worst Wedding Planning Tips Every Bride Should Avoid
Guests Who Can’t Get Their RSVPs Together
Here’s one for the guests: be very considerate when RSVPing. Each head you RSVP for costs the couple real money, so pulling a no-show or miscounting your party is not only noticed by the bride and groom, but expensive, as well. Faz Gaffa-Marsh of Los Angeles says they had one guest “RSVP to a wedding for three people — when we only inviting him — and not show up. No apology, no heads up, nothing.”
Forgetting to Do the Garter Toss
Everyone gets a kick out of wedding day traditions, but they don’t always go according to plan. “I forgot to put on my garters and didn’t realize it until after the DJ made the announcement to gather everyone around for the tosses,” says Christine Toler. “One of the groomsmen rushed over and looped his tie around my leg so that we could complete the tradition.” The lesson learned here is that even if you make a mistake, the show can still go on without a hitch.
At the end of the day, this advice from Steph Kaiser Bowers of Indiana is what you should live by: “Never forget what matters most: Being married at the end of the day. Never forget that the wedding really is for the guests and the marriage is for life. Never forget that graciousness is always in fashion. Never get so wrapped up in perfection that you can’t be present.” #TRUTH