Wedding DiasterMost couples put a lot of time and effort into planning their wedding and making sure that every single detail is planned within an inch of its life. With so much thought and painstaking preparation put into every detail, having a disaster occur at your wedding can ruin the mood in a big hurry. Nothing can turn an enjoyable wedding celebration into a nightmare faster than something terrible happening, and it can make the entire event seem cheap and unpleasant. Fortunately, there are 3 tips to help you prepare and deal with potential wedding day disasters that can give you peace of mind and ensure that you are prepared for anything that life throws at you on your big day.

1. A Vendor Doesn’t Show Up

One of the worst feelings in the world is to be standing around on your wedding day waiting for a vendor to show up. You call them several times, but you can’t seem to reach anyone and they are very late to arrive. The best way to handle a vendor catastrophe is to avoid it all together by properly vetting your vendors in advance. Make sure the vendor has a great track record and that you specify exactly who will be in charge of delivering your services and obtain their direct contact information.

Though vetting your wedding vendors will help eliminate the risk, what do you do if you find yourself in this situation anyways? The best contingency plan is to buy wedding insurance. Wedding insurance will make sure you are completely reimbursed if you have a problem with a vendor not showing up, and typically it only costs less than 1% of your total wedding bill. While it won’t make your flowers show up on time, at least you won’t be out the money you spent on the flowers in the first place.

2. When It Rains, It Pours

One of the worst-case scenarios for many couples is to have severe weather make an appearance on their big day. Besides being considered “bad luck” to many people, having rain or other severe weather show up on your wedding day can seem like a disaster and quickly ruin the fun. The best thing to do is plan ahead and make sure you are as prepared as possible in case Mother Nature unleashes her fury.

Make sure you have some umbrellas for the people in the wedding party. It is also a good idea to have some sort of small canopy on hand to put of the altar to keep the bride and groom dry. The best idea is to have a location inside such as your reception hall to act as the ceremony venue in case of rain, but this isn’t always feasible. Just keep in mind that bad weather is always a possibility and that you should be prepared just in case it happens.

3. An Unexpected Death

Having a friend or family member die unexpectedly in the days or weeks leading up to your wedding can be an overwhelming disaster. Depending on how close the person was to the bride and groom, it can cause stress and hardship to what would otherwise be an exciting time.

If the person who passed away was in the wedding, you should find someone who was close to them to take their place. This not only fills the spot, but also pays a great homage to the absent loved one. Also, many couples choose to put an additional element into the ceremony such as lighting a candle for their loved one or releasing a wish lantern after they say their vows. It is very common for couples to recognize those who couldn’t be there with them in person at a ceremony, so including your friend or family member in this way can help to make the day seem whole again.