Wedding Day Disasters and How to Avoid Them

Ah, the wedding day! A magical and joyous occasion filled with love, laughter, and…disasters? Yes, you read that right! Even the most meticulously planned weddings can sometimes take a detour into disaster town.

But fear not, for we have gathered stories of real wedding day disasters from the brave wedding professionals who have seen it all, and we’re here to give you some tips on how to avoid those dreaded “I do” hiccups.

Picture this: The bride’s dress gets caught on a door handle as she’s making her grand entrance. Cue panic! But don’t worry folks. Savvy wedding planners suggest having an emergency sewing kit on hand in case any wardrobe malfunctions decide to gatecrash your special day.

From your veil down to your shoes, we’ve spoken with the wedding experts to bring you all the helpful tips and tricks for the most common wedding day disasters involving your OOTD.

The Bridal Finery provided us with pro tips to manage your wedding dress bustle stress.

“A common wedding day disaster that brides often face is their dress bustle breaking on the wedding day. It’s extremely important for brides to invite someone, ideally who will be bustling on wedding day, to the final dress fitting. Understanding how the bustle is supposed to be done and what happens if it breaks is key!

We recommend practicing the bustle on the hanger the day before or the morning of the wedding to speed up the process when it’s time for the real thing. Taking a video is also a really great tool if no one is available to attend the final fitting. Having large safety pins on standby is super helpful if the bustle does in fact break.”

The bustle isn’t the only wardrobe challenge brides face. Wedding dresses can be heavy and awkward. Let’s be real, we don’t wear outfits like this regularly! So the chances of us tripping or slipping increase quite a bit when we don our wedding dress and shoes for the big day.

Taylor Kuperberg Photography shares, “I had a bride fall during her entrance into the reception at Ever After Blueberry Barn. She laughed about it right away!” 

There are big wedding day disasters and little disasters. You’ve got to be able to laugh off the little ones because we are certain either your guests won’t notice, or it’ll make for a memorable story down the road.

An emergency sewing kit, first aid kit (for those feet blisters trying to ruin your day), safety pins, and Tide to Go pen should all be accessible on wedding day. Check out this wedding day checklist with over 70 essential items to have handy. Experts recommend confirming this task is handled by your wedding coordinator or another trusted vendor you’ve hired because you and your bridal party have a packed schedule day-of!

We all know a wedding reception is nothing with the DJ and the DJ is nothing without functioning technology and electricity. Although an unlikely scenario, power can go out (even when the weather isn’t to blame) so it’s important to ask your venue about generator capabilities and back-up plans.

You can relay this info to your other vendors so that they can be personally prepared. Additionally, you’ll want to confirm that your vendors have a plan in place if their technology fails.

Lucky for one couple, the Tipsy Traveler Bar came fully equipped with enough power to save their reception!

Kari tells us, “Just as the guests started showing up at the reception venue, a power transformer blew and the whole area lost power. With quick thinking of the Tipsy Traveler Bar team we used our car power inverter to not only power ourselves but also the DJ, effectively keeping the party going!”

DJ Renier has seen similar tech malfunctions and offers some expert-level questions to ask when booking your wedding DJ.

“A DJ’s laptop shutoff mid wedding and would not turn back on. This DJ did not have a backup system to play from and had to wait for another DJ to arrive and provide them with their laptop. That laptop did not have all the specific music the couple chose. This created a very bad situation and outcome for all parties.

You can avoid this unfortunate situation by asking the DJ you are interested in using the following questions:

The DJ should be able to answer with confidence, and no hesitation, the above questions, by listing which backup items they bring.  The most obvious answer should be a secondary laptop that mirrors their main one.”

When you’re working within a wedding budget we know it’s tempting to cut corners by choosing the cheapest options. But remember, you get what you pay for. When it comes to the big things, you can’t afford to go with low quality vendors.

At Wedding Venue Map, we’ve done the research for you. Following a Trusted Vendor standard, we are your one-stop-shop for finding vetted wedding pros in Central Florida. Use our Trusted Vendors Guide to avoid booking unprofessional vendors.

Kristin Hubbard of Our DJ Rocks tells us why selecting high quality entertainment companies is so important.

“Choosing your entertainment company and dreaming of all the ideas that bring emotions on your wedding day can be SO exciting. One of the biggest disasters I have seen is couples choosing solely based on price. Sometimes that price comes with consequences that end up costing you even more.

One of the most popular requests we get is cold sparks for a first dance, which is an indoor fire effect and although it’s  “cold”, it can still cause damage to some thin or super dry materials if not properly set up.

I have seen companies catch dry floral or pompous grass on fire because their sparks are too close. Make sure you choose a reputable, reliable entertainment company, because the savings of a hundreds of dollars isn’t always worth it if it leads to a wedding day disaster.”

Imagine the stress of realizing moments before your wedding that your guests have food but nothing to eat with. Lee, with BLB Hacienda, recalls an outsourced catering disaster that lead to venue changing their rules!

“A client tried to save money by hiring an inexpensive but unprofessional catering company. It was a mess. The Caterer showed up, dropped off all the food on buffet tables then left… just like that. Gone. No cutlery, plates, napkins, or people to set up, serve guests or clean up.

Upon approaching the bride to explain the situation, she said she was under the impression they were setting up, serving, and cleaning up at the end. As this was not the case, the BLB Hacienda team stepped in and handled all the tasks this company neglected to do.

Never again! This wedding day disaster actually caused us to change our policy about outside catering.”

So how do you avoid this? Do your research. Read reviews and ask specific questions to ensure you know exactly what you’re getting and what you’re not. Cross check that the services you are told you will receive with your package is in writing via some sort of contract. A good price does not always yield good service.

Another tempting way couples try and save money is by outsourcing tasks to friends and family or taking it on themselves. Our advice? Leave it to the professionals. Andie from The Flower Studio Altamonte shares a real nightmare that lead to a flowerless wedding.

“The couple was looking to save some money and declined the $100 delivery fee for us to deliver their flowers on wedding day. Instead, they asked the Best Man to scoop them up. We agreed we would help pack, load and give him all the instructions to make sure the flowers arrived safely. They signed the pickup agreement and we were good to go.

A few days later, after the wedding, I got an email from the bride. The Best Man had apparently stopped at his house and take a shower to get ready for the wedding, leaving all the flowers inside his car. Without AC, in the Florida heat, they all died.

The bride said she pulled out the dead blooms and was only able to salvage the greenery. She stated they regret so much not paying the $100 fee because the amount lost in florals far surpassed that.

When the Flower Studio is responsible for your flowers, even if something happens you will not know, because we can fix it. All you will see when we deliver them is the beauty of the flowers. Nothing else. We guarantee it!”

Jose Martinez with C2 Catered Events shines light on the importance of not only professionalism but experience. Heed his advice and ask the suggested questions before solidifying your wedding day caterer.

“Choosing an experienced caterer is always the first step to having a stress-free and unforgettable day. Recently I was at a wedding where the caterer was not experienced in catering, only running their dine-in restaurant. One of the greatest wedding day disasters occurred – they ran out of food!

This can be a pretty big “oops” when it comes to wedding day mistakes! Wedding guests are usually hangry and feeding them keeps them happy and lets everyone enjoy the event. Some tips I would share is asking your caterer if weddings/large events are something they commonly cater.

Also, be sure to ask for a tasting. Most caterers will include that as part of the planning experience, but, when you are booking through a restaurant or a nontypical caterer they may not include the tasting as part of their package. Lastly, check their reviews! Often times there are photos, clients honest reviews, and even see the responses from the business if there are any less than stellar reviews.”

Of course, no wedding disaster story would be complete without mentioning the ever-unpredictable weather. Imagine planning an outdoor ceremony only to have Mother Nature unleash her wrath in the form of torrential rain or scorching heat; both of which we are all too familiar with here in Florida.

To avoid this dilemma, wedding experts suggest having a backup plan in place – whether it’s a backup indoor venue option or giant umbrellas or tents that can double as stylish accessories. Don’t let a little rain get you down, a couple clear umbrellas make for stunning wedding day photos.

It’s not just the Florida weather we have to keep in mind, there’s also… the bugs. From Love-Bug season, to the flies of summer, to the mosquitos of rainy season, it’s almost impossible to avoid them all on your wedding day.

Crystal Porter of Ceremony by Crystal recalls a wedding day bug disaster for a groom who was just trying to get through his vows.

“The couple, looking radiant, were standing before me, looking slightly nervous yet very excited to say their “I do’s”. Since they were less than three feet in front and facing me, I had a front row seat to witness the moment disaster struck!

For it was right then that a gnat (one with a lot of nerve) chose to kamikaze dive right into the groom’s eyeball!

The bride, focused on looking at me, and on not fainting, was oblivious to the attack on her man. I saw a look come over the groom’s face, “I got this! I can power through! No big deal!” as he blinked furiously.

Based on years of experience of being a professional (and a mom) I stayed relaxed, in charge and was prepared. With a touch of humor, I asked the guests to please pardon us for a moment, while we dealt with a little gnat intrusion situation.

Taking one of my ever-present tissues from the ceremony binder, making a little point with it, the bride and I extracted the uninvited guest from the groom’s eye. I then wrapped it up oh-so-carefully and presented it to his mother as a keepsake of the day. And we proceeded through the rest of the ceremony without issue.

Can this wedding ceremony disaster be avoided? Not really. Not all imperfect moments can be avoided on your wedding day. But, by hiring professional, trusted wedding vendors you can rest assured that if those moments happen, they are handled with tact and converted into human and humorous memories rather than negative or embarrassing ones.

I often tell my couples to wake up on their wedding day with a sole focus that today they get to marry their best friend! The details don’t matter! No matter what, they are going to be your memories, your story — one you will remember and treasure forever.”

Here’s a way to avoid a Dance Floor Disaster:

Never open your Dance Floor with the Anniversary Dance. For those who don’t know what the Anniversary Dance is: The DJ invites all the married couples to the dance floor, and every few seconds (during the song), the DJ asks couples to sit back down in order of years married. “Please sit if you’ve been married less than 10 years! Now, less than 20 years… 30 years..” etc, until the longest married is the last couple standing. It’s actually a great way honor that couple. However, it EMPTIES the dance floor! Not a great way to “kick off” the night, as we just had the dance floor packed a few moments ago… it’s a wasted opportunity.

Sometimes people think this is a good way to start because we are bringing all the guests to the dance floor right away. But then they forget, we end with everyone sitting down. If you ARE going to feature this dance, better to do this just before the cake cutting, as we usually need the dance floor cleared for that. Want to begin your party correctly? Do a a Group Photo instead. Have everyone gather on the Dance Floor for the photo, then BAM- kick in the music. Everyone is partying from the very start! 

-DJ Chuck

On a chilly Saturday in February, I arrived to the ranch wedding venue early as usual, ready to connect with the coordinator and find out where I’d be performing for the couple’s wedding. Upon arrival, the coordinator was tied up arranging the incredibly gorgeous sprawl of floral decor in the reception area. After finally getting a few seconds to connect with her briefly to find out where to set up, I reviewed my song list ensuring I had everything in order to bring a streamlined and enchanting ambience for the couple’s ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. 

The ceremony went off without a hitch and I was feeling excited for the rest of the evening until just before dinner, the coordinator came up and let me know the bride would be headed onto the dance floor for her dance with her father. I let the coordinator know the bride did not pick out a song for the father/bride dance and asked which one she’d prefer. The coordinator said, “I don’t know, that’s your job, but they’re headed out now so let’s go.” Caught off guard and pushing past my worst nightmare of playing a song the couple did not want, I did the best I could to put together a fingerstyle instrumental song for their dance. After talking with the bride later on, I learned that she hadn’t picked out a song on purpose because she hadn’t wanted to dance with her father, and that the coordinator is the one who rushed them onto the dance floor. 

From then on I have always encouraged couples to make sure their coordinator knows exactly which songs should be played and when. I also encourage them to hire a planner/coordinator who can be focused on their main priority of coordinating with vendors, organizing the timeline, and keeping in step with the events of the day – instead of decorating extensive floral displays on top of those responsibilities. Since then, I also always triple check for myself the song list with couples before their wedding day, just to ensure there are no surprises.

Nina about face design team The day started like any other wedding day, bright, warm, and cheery, and then BAM, it all went sideways with one miscommunication between the bride/groom duo and our team.

We usually love glamming at an Airbnb home due to the sheer size of the residences we typically are in and parking has never been an issue… until that day. 

When checking in, the groom forgot to relay to the bride that there was a parking limit on the street per home and they had already filled up all the parking spaces. Once our team of four arrived at the residence, they were greeted by the bride frantically running out into the street in her robe, letting us know that we couldn’t park there and would have to park about .5 miles down the street. Sure, it doesn’t seem that far to walk, but when one stylist is bringing a hair and makeup kit, a director’s chair, and extra lighting, walking is simply not a viable option. 

With sharp thinking skills the stylists quickly unloaded, moved their cars and then piled into the Bride’s SUV to get back to the house. By this time the team was about 20 minutes late to start and somehow needed to make up for that time. By the grace of all things holy, they not only finished on time but also with enough time to spare for touch-ups. 

The moral of our story is that communication for even the smallest details is so important and having buffer time in your schedule to help offset any delays is also key. Hiring a true professional to help navigate through all the minutia will help put your mind at ease when it comes to such a special day! 

Leslie Ochoa with The BEV Event Center

Pastor Mike Cassara reminds us of the importance of confirming with all vendors before the big day. Thankfully, he was able to save day for a couple who had a no-show vendor responsible for the ceremony music!

“I was hired as the officiant for a high-end wedding, with added pressure due to the bride being a corporate event planner. Unfortunately, the Four-Piece string quartet contracted for the ceremony failed to show up, leaving us with no music for this exclusive ceremony.

I always travel to my weddings with a portable PA system in my car and a playlist of ceremony music on my phone. So, I was not only the officiant for that ceremony, but I also was able to provide ceremony music at the last moment. Although the bride was displeased with the missing quartet, she thanked me for being prepared and capable of resolving the situation.”

What’s your best resource for avoiding wedding day disasters? Hiring a wedding planner/coordinator. Their expertise and experience in the industry can help you avoid potential disasters that could ruin your special day. By entrusting the logistics and execution to a skilled professional, you can focus on enjoying every moment without worrying about any unexpected hiccups.

SMS Event and Design expert Caleigh says, “As Wedding Coordinators, we are there to help in all situations. Being that we work weddings all the time, we are ready to jump into action whenever the scenario is presented to us. We always keep our emergency kit handy for any situation.

Your caterer failed to mention they didn’t offer cake cutting as part of their service? We’ve got you covered. One of your bridesmaid’s dresses has torn? We’ve got sewing kits for that.

Having someone there that is equipped with the right materials & can swoop in to make the emergencies just an inconvenience is why everyone should have a Planner or Coordinator!”

So there you have it, real-life tales of wedding day disasters and some handy tips on how to steer clear of them. Remember, even if things go awry on your big day, just keep calm and carry on dancing down that aisle. After all, sometimes it’s those unexpected moments that make for the best memories!