Honestly, we had so many epic failures on our wedding day, it’s almost laughable. In fact, a lot of the time there was nothing we could do but laugh. Even though I’d been in the wedding industry for years, I had numerous problems pop up throughout my wedding day that I didn’t see coming.
What I learned, is that no matter how much you plan, or how many contingencies you have, something will inevitably go wrong. So the best thing to do, is have a solid plan in place, and then try your best to be flexible (or just laugh it off) when something goes wrong (because something will).
If you want a good laugh, scroll down to see 8 wedding fails you won’t have seen in my wedding photos.
Hey! My name is Rebekah Brontë and I am the Creative Director of Bronte Bride.
I love inspiring brides and wedding vendors, and sharing educational and inspirational content on the Bronte Bride Blog!
As a professional in the wedding industry, I felt a lot of pressure to make my day perfect. But I learned that all the “fails” and problems that happened, are what made our day truly special and memorable. Perfect is overrated (and honestly, it’s not attainable).
So my advice for any of you brides stressing about your big day: know that a problem will come up, or a groomsman will go off book, a design may not work, or something unplanned will happen… and then figure out how to be okay with that!
one.
It was an incredibly windy day. The wind was so strong, in fact, it knocked over our large-scale escort display wall, which was filled with little glass jars of jam, some of which ended up breaking in the fall.
Luckily I had an amazing group of family and friends with me that morning who helped me clean up & reassemble the wall.
two.
Our ceremony was at the edge of a picturesque valley in the countryside of Alberta. I had pictured the setup and setting for over a year, and it was so beautiful. BUT that beauty came with some issues. It was so windy, the florist couldn’t design everything she had planned; a lot of the dried elements kept blowing off in the wind. My florist, Hen & Chicks, even told me afterwards, that she stood at the ceremony spot, holding the arch for a while to make sure it didn’t blow over! But look at how beautiful it turned out!
three.
The plates I ordered for the dinner were made from composted leaves (find them at Dryleaf). While I loved the sustainable aspect, I didn’t think about how they would react to the windy weather. They were very light-weight and ended up being a flight risk in the windy weather. So my planner, Moments by Madeleine, had to rework and figure out a new place setting layout last minute. I loved the look of them, but recommend using these plates indoors or weighing them down with cutlery like we did!
four.
My plan for an outdoor cocktail hour didn’t really work out as planned… or at all. Because of the weather conditions, all of our 40 guests squeezed into the main floor of my mother’s house, watching me style flatlays, and my bridal party get ready. It was not ideal haha. Plus all the vintage glassware we had ordered and set up outside for the bar and lounge went completely unused.
five.
Because of all the issues that came up, we ended up starting the ceremony an hour later than originally planned. Whoops…
six.
Two of my bridesmaids tripped while walking down the aisle… Yes that’s right, not one, but two of them! One of which ended up in a fit of giggles during the ceremony.
seven.
My extra-long glorious train was bustled up throughout the whole ceremony and 99% of the portraits! Due to the craziness of the morning and starting the ceremony late, no one caught the mistake, especially with my back veil covering it up.
A huge reason I purchased this stunning Martina Liana gown was for its extra long and regal train. But as we were running late, the walk to the ceremony was very rushed and I unfortunately didn’t have time to readjust my dress, or have my sister fix it for me. I also didn’t realize my dress had been bustled previously to help me walk to the ceremony, and so it stayed bustled as I walked down the aisle, as I said my I do’s and for most of our portraits afterwards. My back veil did look fabulous though!
eight.
My husband’s hair was a HOT mess.
He decided to show up to the ceremony on our windy wedding day without putting anything in his hair… Yeah, you can laugh. It’s pretty funny.
Luckily we still got some beautiful photos from Kadie Hummel Photography.
On top of these “top 8” wedding fails, we had a caterer quit, our booked caterer forget to put our order through, and my dad fell off a bench and hurt his back while helping set up. We also had a huge issue with our reception venue that we had to pull out of the venue a month before the date of our reception, and a couple more things came up that definitely complicated the planning process…
Inspite of all these issues, I loved my wedding day. It was a beautiful day filled with so much love and laughter. And my vendor team did an INCREDIBLE job pulling everything off (especially considering all the surrounding weather issues).
So now that you know 8 of the major things that went wrong on my wedding day, I want to share 3 things you can do to make sure they don’t happen at yours.
one
Hire a stellar vendor team (with experience in problem-solving) and especially hire a planner so not everything is left up to you when things do go wrong.
two
Have contingencies in place!!
three
Know that no matter what you do, something will go wrong. It’s inevitable. I’m sorry to say that you can’t make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong, because something will. Whether it’s something small like a vendor showing up a few minutes late, or one issue after the other, just do your best to be laugh it off, move on, and enjoy your special day. Because one thing I can guarantee you is, there will be more things that go right that day than wrong (and marrying the love of your life will outweigh all the little failures I promise).
See more inspiration from this special day here.
Vendor Credits
Stylist: Brontë Bride // Coordinator: Moments by Madeleine // Photograph: Kadie Hummel // Videography: The Toth’s Photo & Film // Florals: Hen & Chicks // Event Rentals: Special Event Rentals, Lotholz & Co, Rustic Rentals by JL, JM Wilkinson Co, Prairie Bazaar, Orange Trunk // Hair Stylist: Jessie Liao // Stationery: Bexley Design Co // Makeup: ML Artistry // Cake: Pretty Sweet Co // Robe: Monograph // Boutique: Bridal Boutique // Gown: Martina Liana // Suit: Indochino //Bridal Hairpiece: Davie & Chiyo // Bridesmaids’ Hair Pins: Joanna Bisley Designs // Monogram Pins: Lark & Ives // Ring: Anna Sheffield // Favours: Bronte Bride x Preserved
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