Oct 31 2008
Helping your bride plan for the worst
After much searching your bride found a venue she likes and managed to lock in the date. But, in all the excitement over the venue, the two of you overlooked a major conference in town, an important life event, or the unexpected natural disaster arises.
Brainstorming tonight, I realized all three of my brides had something in common. Each deal with the unexpected outside event when planning their wedding.
Thought I’d share their stories and how we dealt with it. Hopefully, no one encounters any of these, but after going three for three with huge problems cropping up, I’ve learned to always learn to deal with the unexpected.
Problem No. 1: Bride No. 1, Rose, booked the church and venue only to find out a conference, taking place across from the church, was slated for the same weekend. Parking was already limited, and soon we realized guests were in for a mile hike just to see the nuptials.
Solution No. 1: The bride’s parents did most of the work on this one. They hired shuttle buses to bring guests from the reception site to the church, and back from the church to the recital site. The shuttle coordination was a bit of a pain, but all went smoothly.
Problem No. 2: Bride No 2, Erin, was engaged for over three years, and caught some flake for it. But, her excuse was good, she planned a wedding in New Orleans, before Hurricane Katrina. Luckily, she didn’t put down any deposits.
Solution No. 2: The only fix for this besides postponing her wedding for five years was to get married in her small home town. Well not the party she planned, her laid back attitude helped her pull of a gorgeous wedding in a non-ideal location.
Problem No. 3: Bride No. 2, Kim, was pretty far into the planning process, looking at venue telling families and friends she was getting married Fall of 2009 when her fiance and her realized that wedding date meant he would be taking her boards, they would be moving in together, she would possibly be switchingjobs, and they would be getting married, all in one month. Just typing all of that was stressful!
Solution No. 3: Given how important taking the boards were, the two decided enough was enough and postponed their wedding to June 2010. Kim was dissapointed at first, but now, with her love for planning, is relishing the extra preperation time.
Lesson learned: Console your bride when needed, but stress the importance to remain flexible.
