Top 10 Wedding Disasters from a South Dakota Wedding Planner

Whenever I tell people that I am a wedding planner, they usually respond one of two ways. Either, “That sounds like the most fun/beset job ever!” or “Bless your heart-I could never do what you do.” The first reaction usually comes from someone who automatically associates “wedding planner” with a Jennifer Lopez/Matthew McConaughey rom-com and assumes that I wear cute suits and always have an earpiece in. I usually share a few juicy stories to give them the less glamorous version of what the job actually is…like these, my “Top 10 Wedding Disasters”. Enjoy!

Wedding Disaster: Banquet Chairs Missing

If your venue says it has a capacity of 300, it is a pretty safe assumption that there are tables & chairs for 300, but I learned the hard way not to make that assumption! Half way through setting the room, when asked for the next rack of chairs and not being able to find any, I jumped on a cordial call with the venue manager and kindly requested that our remaining chairs get delivered asap!

Wedding Disaster: Forgotten Bouquet

Those final moments before I send a wedding party down the aisle are usually filled with last minute checks and reminders. I always remind my groomsmen that only the top button of their suit should be buttoned and give my bridesmaids a quick pointer to drop their bouquets from their chins to their belly buttons. I also give them a little trick to help hold back those happy tears. But on this particular occasion, I was also making a mad scramble to assemble an extra bouquet for my bridesmaid who left hers on the party bus! It never hurts to have a handful of extra flowers from your florist!

Wedding Disaster: Groomsman Pants

I am always a fan of fun wedding party photos-it is a great way to show off the personality and your connections to your wedding party. But, sometimes fun photos (for example, a Jedi battle between a groom and best man) and rented suits don’t always play nicely together. Having a planner who also knows her way around a needle and thread saved the day!

Wedding Disaster: Personal Attendant Dress

Speaking of sewing skills, this one really pushed my skills to the limit. I had a personal attendant show up with a dress she rented (which is a super cool way to find a fun, wear-it-once outfit!), but this dress was definitely not her size. After sewing her into the dress as best I could, we were still left with a considerable gap to the top of the zipper! A deep dive into my seamstress/creative skills had me grabbing a table runner (!!!) and giving her a super cute sash with a trendy bow.

Wedding Disaster: Catering Late

One that required more deep breathing than a quick sewing job, was when the catering team showed up over an hour late! I always check with my catering team in the prep for the wedding to document their arrival time (I certainly don’t want noisy catering equipment getting unloaded during a sentimental ceremony!), so when we were a half hour from dinner and I hadn’t seen the caterers arrive yet, you bet I jumped on the phone. They told me they were going to “rush”, but I was left with a hangry bride and a room full of guests expecting dinner. So, what to do? A quick consult with the photographer and DJ, and we adjusted a few timeline details, filled in with some other crowd interactive games, and managed to keep the bride from gnawing off her new hubby’s arm! Needless to say, this caterer won’t be on a recommended list anytime soon.

Wedding Disaster: MIA Stylist

Sometimes a vendor emergency gives me a chance to shine and save the day. Our vendors are human, and I always know that they may have a personal circumstance that prevents them from fulfilling contract. In this particular circumstance, I arrived to the venue to the update that one of the hair and makeup team was unable to make it to the wedding. Thankfully, I have developed some really amazing vendor relationships in my years in the market, so a handful of SOS text messages was all it took to find a substitute stylist, much to my bride’s relief!

Wedding Disaster: Wrong Seating Chart

In wedding planning, there is no way to avoid the last minute details. One of those is a seating chart-after you finally track down all those RSVPS! Usually this is just a minor to moderate pain in the butt, but on this occasion, my bride grabbed an outdated floor plan and was basing her seating assignments on a floor plan with a handful of extra tables. As I started organizing and displaying her escort cards and table numbers, I quickly realized the issue and thankfully had an assistant with me to help me sort through the cards and update table numbers as needed. Not a fun fix, but better than a guest without a table!

Wedding Disaster: Flower Girl with Grass Stains

Kids at a wedding is always a wild card. As a parent, I can promise you that unique food, no nap and dress clothes is not a recipe for a happy kiddo. At this wedding, my adorable flower girl made the best of the situation be running off her extra energy (somebody found the candy buffet early) outside in the sunshine. Too bad that sunny day also had vibrant, freshly cut green grass…which nicely complimented her fluffy white dress. Shout wipes and determination to the rescue! I think she ended up watching a Disney movie until the ceremony started…

Wedding Disaster: Weather-Wind, Rain, Cold, Heat (sometimes all in the same day!)

It’s South Dakota, so I always tell couples that I can’t guarantee friendly weather and we always need to have a back up plan. It can often be like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears…too cold and we end up with frozen diesel lines in the party bus or flowers that can only be outside for photos in 10 minute increments. Too hot and we are monitoring guests for heat stroke and reminding the bride to put on sunscreen before she goes out for her first look. And, don’t get me started on the wind…that pain in my butt has ruined more cute set ups than I can count!

Wedding Disaster: Flooded Tent

At the very top of my list is my all time wedding disaster, but also one of my proudest career moments! Imagine a beautiful tented reception, set on a gorgeous golf course driving range overlooking the mountains. In spite of multiple verifications (in person, over email, etc), I am still caught like a deer in the headlights, or in this case a wedding planner in the middle of her sprinkler soaked venue. And here I thought I was going to be done setting up early enough to grab lunch! Ha! Credit to the golf course staff for stepping up and swooping in to help save the day-wiping chairs, helping strip linens and run them to the nearest dry cleaner, dumping water out of candles. It was a tense couple of hours, but there was nothing to match the feeling of success when I looked around the tent and it was better than ever just a few hours later. At the ceremony the bride was delighted that she had no idea what everyone was fussing over-some of our guests had golfed/had lunch at the course and saw the whole thing go down! Of course, having my best friend and her hubby as my assistants for the day also helped me roll with the punches. The mimosas the next day tasted especially delicious!