By MELINDA SEMADENI
Your wedding day. Estee Lauder calls it “The Most Beautiful Day of your Life.” But for many star-crossed lovers, wedding day plans can run amuck.
“It is one of the most important days of you life, one that you will always remember,” said Cindy Jarvis, wedding decorator and owner of Classic Weddings.
Tina Hansen, mother of five and homemaker, recalls her wedding day as a day of disasters. “We planned an outdoor reception and, just as everything was set up, the wind came up. We had to move everything inside,” she said.
“Then, as we were traveling from the reception around 3 a.m. with my in-laws, the chain pulling the trailer with our wedding gifts punctured the gas tank. Someone in the car noticed the trail of fire and everyone got out just in time, as the car went up in flames. Everything was burnt to a crisp. It was one disaster after another,” said Hansen.
However, not all wedding days end in flames. Amanda Lindsay, a junior majoring in sociology and a recent newlywed, said her wedding day went like clockwork. “You hear about the horror stories and the last minute disasters, but we didn’t have any problems,” she said.
Jody Liston, wedding consultant and owner of Liston Weddings said, “Almost always something goes wrong. You can try to be 100 percent sure, but you can’t guarantee it.” What kind of last minute problems occur on wedding days?
“It’s the little things, like dress problems, caterers that show up late, problems with the flowers (and) who does the clean-up,” Liston said.
Liston was left at her wedding lunch without a ride to the ceremony. She had to call someone to come and take her to the wedding, and they decided to stop along the way because they needed to pick up something. Liston arrived a half-hour late to her wedding.
Other problems include dealing with weather conditions. Outdoor receptions pose the biggest problems according to Jarvis. “You can have everything perfectly set up in the morning and have an unexpected microburst that afternoon.” Last-minute beauty blunders can also cause stress. Becky Prestwich, a stylist at Scizzors salon, suggests that brides should come in at least a week before for a consultation. Reta Patterson, homemaker and mother of three, experienced a last-minute beauty disaster on the eve of her wedding, when her stylist blundered highlighting her blonde hair and gave her a bleached Billy Idol hair-do.
“Every possible root was bleached white. The stylist put three solutions on my hair and when she realized she couldn’t fix her mistake, (she) said she had to leave to go to Salt Lake City. I just went home and cried.”
Albert Smith, wedding coordinator and owner of Cinderella Weddings, remembers one client’s last minute disaster. The couple forgot their wedding license and were due to be married the next day. Smith called all over the state to find a justice of the peace or town hall that was open. After extensive phone calls to numerous city police stations and a last ditch plan to fly the couple to Las Vegas, Smith found a city clerk in Manti.
“I called the Manti city clerk at home around 1:30 a.m. and got her out of bed and got the couple their wedding licence.”
Smith said that was the first time he had a couple without a wedding licence, recalling the experience as fun. Smith wanted the wedding to go through as planned and didn’t mind the inconvenience.
So what should one do with those rattled nerves on the big wedding day? Liston suggests, “You have to roll with the punches.”
INFORMATION BOX: Troubleshooting for Wedding Day Disasters
Remain calm and try to relax.
Eat something.
Don’t forget to bring the wedding rings and your marriage license.
Check with florist to ensure that flowers will be delivered on time.
Apply make-up and style your hair slowly.
Have an emergency beauty kit with all the basics.
Start dressing two hours before the ceremony.
If pictures will be taken before the ceremony, the entire wedding party should be dressed and ready about two hours before the ceremony.
Have the music start 20 to 30 minutes before the ceremony begins.
Have the guests seated as they arrive.
Make sure your photographer is not double booked.
Don’t overschedule, give yourself enough time.
Make sure there is a safe spot for wedding gifts.
Delegate someone else to keep everyone on schedule.
Have friends help.
Don’t worry about anything. This is your day. Relax and have a great time.
