No matter how well weddings are planned there are so many people and elements involved that something invariably goes wrong. The mishaps are usually small things which are quickly forgotten and most people can laugh them off but sometimes more serious incidents arise which are not so easy to overcome. I talk to brides all the time at my bridal shop and have heard many stories of wedding disasters.

Weather

I remember clearly the tribulations of one of my brides a few years ago when the country was deluged by terrible rain in the middle of the summer. I had visited her venue on the Thursday before the wedding to drop off some accessories. The reception was to be held in a large marquee which was being constructed in a field when I arrived in bright sunshine. I enjoyed a lovely glass of wine with the bride and everything seemed to be progressing well in the idyllic setting. The next day when I was back in the shop the rain started and quickly turned into something approaching a monsoon. The whole area was deluged and I couldn’t help thinking about my bride and that field. I considered calling her but held off and it was a good job I did as I was to find out later that the marquee was flooded. There was water running through the roof and down the chandeliers shorting the electrics and turning the place into a swimming pool. She spent the afternoon in tears as she thought her wedding was ruined but the family worked all night to rescue the situation and the wedding eventually went well.

Accident

One of my brides had to get married on crutches after a freak accident the week before the wedding. She was shopping in her local Tesco supermarket when she tripped and fell breaking her leg in the process. I got a frantic phone call the next day as I still had the wedding dress and the bride was now unable to drive to me to collect it. I took the dress to her house to find a bride who could barely move even on crutches but her mother later came up to tell me that the wedding had been a success in spite of everything. The bride had made it up the aisle with one crutch and the support of her father but it was far from ideal!

Fashion Show

It is not only the brides that flirt with disaster as things can go wrong for bridal shops too. I have endured a flooded shop, late dress deliveries from suppliers and power cuts but the funniest episode occurred at a wedding fair. We were putting on a fashion show for a charity event and the organisers had produced a stunning function room and catwalk. Everything looked spectacular and I was thrilled watching my models show off the gowns when I realised we had a serious problem. There were large candles positioned along the floor and despite a very wide aisle the larger wedding dresses were getting dangerously close. I had visions of one of the girls going up in flames right before my eyes. When the first show was over I politely suggested that the lighting should be changed for the second presentation and the organisers replaced the candles with some attractive decorative lights. I am insured for my shop burning down but not for incinerating the dresses elsewhere!

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Article by Sally Stacey