Tips On Avoiding Wedding Disasters 

For the average bride, throwing a wedding isn’t without its mishaps. These are usually rather minor; perhaps the cake is a little dry or you get stuck in traffic on the way to the ceremony. But for some brides, disaster strikes.

This month, I have been helping two brides who have been in tears; it’s pretty devastating to witness. The first bride  had to change her entire venue two months before the big day, due to the hotel cancelling on her because of an alternative event: The issue? She has not signed an official contract or paid a deposit. The other bride to-be, unknowingly booked her wedding on the day of the Islamic new year and was informed 10 days before, that the wedding will have to be dry event; invites had already been delivered and out of town guests had confirmed their travel plans.

Here, our real bride contributor Camilla Hassan, who married at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi last year, has put together some top tips to help you prevent any major wedding day crises and minimize stress ~ Rio x

Be Organised & Sign Contracts

When it comes to dealing with your suppliers, keep a file with contracts, receipts, payment deadlines and quotes. There is nothing worse than thinking you’ve paid for the flowers and then realising as your wedding day looms that they haven’t even got your booking. Make a note of when things need to be paid for and final amounts due.  And sign contracts – unless you do, nothing is binding.

TOP TIP: For your final payments, usually paid on the day, make up envelopes for all of your suppliers (photographer, cake, flowers) with the correct monies, and leave them with your maid of honour or trusted member of your bridal party. Make it their job to distribute them to the correct people so everyone is promptly paid.

Choose Carefully

The cheap DJ may be tempting, but you generally get what you pay for. Be wary of choosing any items online where you can’t see, touch or feel the product. I picked some cake boxes online thinking I was making a great saving, but when they arrived, they were the size of match boxes; a false economy! Read reviews and the small print rigorously and if possible, meet each supplier several times.

TOP TIP: Make sure your honeymoon travel agent is ATOL / ABTA protected. I lost $1,000 when I booked my Maldives honeymoon through a travel agent that went into liquidation. It was devastating to lose such a significant sum because I hadn’t done my research properly.

Size Matters

You may think that you can slim into a wedding dress two sizes smaller in the next six months but in reality you may not. Do you really want to spend your big day unable to breathe and watching every canape as your diet plans were too ambitious?

TOP TIP: Ideally buy your dress a size or two bigger and then a dressmaker can fit it to size. Having several fittings will ensure it fits perfectly depending on whether you have lost (or even gained) weight.

Bridal Party

Your bridesmaids will be your key supporters and helpers on your wedding day. Use them! Learn to delegate and assign different duties to them so that your day is all about you and your husband enjoying yourselves. Make their tasks clear so everyone knows what they should be doing. Let them and your planner handle minor issues, such as looking after elderly relatives, intercepting vendor deliveries, and keeping a travel make up kit handy for you.

Above: Image credit – JvR Photography

TOP TIP: Remember to thank your loyal bridesmaids with a lovely gift at the wedding. A necklace or jewellery they can wear on the day and then keep is a nice idea.

Emergency Kit

You never know when the unexpected might happen. Keeping an emergency supply with a sewing kit, breath mints, safety pins, deodorant, paracetamol, a nail file and tissues will help avert disasters.

Above: Image credit – Ohhappyday.com

TOP TIP: Keep a piece of chalk handy for removing marks from your wedding gown

Rain Rain Go Away

The UAE has a fairly predictable climate but that said, it is not unheard of for a sudden sandstorm to blow in or rainclouds to appear. Make sure your venue has a back up plan to deal with weather changes, such as a ballroom if you are having an outdoor wedding. BCME Founder and Director Rhiannon Downie, had to change the location of her wedding from outdoors to undercover when the heavens opened on the morning of her big day.

Above: Image credit – Enchante Studios

TOP TIP: The rain can actually create some spectacular photo opportunities – maybe you will be blessed with a rainbow, or the sight of the sun appearing from behind the clouds. It may not be what you imagined, but you can’t change Mother Nature, so use these photo opps to your advantage.

Time Flies

Chances are, your guests will be having such a great time sipping cocktails, gazing at the beautiful setting and mingling that they won’t stick to any rigid schedules. When making your timeline with your events coordinator, add an extra 30 minutes to each activity to allow for things overrunning.

TOP TIP: Use a master of ceremonies, or even your DJ to usher things along. They will manage to keep things on track in a firm but relaxed manner.

Beauty – Fancy a new look?

Thinking of going brunette after 10 years a blonde? Don’t use your wedding day to showcase a new style. You may end up hating the results and not have enough time to put things right. Keep hair colour and length the same, and have trials with both hair and makeup so that there are no big surprises on the day. If you’re a natural girl, then a full face of heavy makeup will make you look and feel not yourself. You want to look like you, just an amazing version of you.

TOP TIP: No facials within 2 weeks of your wedding day. If you suffer a breakout, you need time to allow your skin to heal to look flawless in pictures. The same goes for acid peels or other invasive procedures!

Have A Sense Of Humour

A flawless wedding is practically unheard of. So the napkins don’t quite match the tablecloth colour? Or the cake is a bit dry? Chances are nobody will notice except you. And if the worst does happen, it can end up being a talking point and part of the celebrations!

TOP TIP: Some of the best wedding memories are when things don’t go exactly according to plan. Smile, have another drink and get on the dancefloor. But take your 6 inch heels off first.

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