Anyone who has planned a wedding can tell you that the most minor flaw on a wedding day can feel like a disaster. And while no celebration is immune to an unanticipated crisis, keeping the problems at bay is the key to wedding-day success. With a little sage advice from seasoned Minnesota planners, the most common big-day disasters can be avoided.
Braving the Weather
It’s no secret that Minnesota likes to put on a show when it comes to weather: snow in May, extreme heat in October, we’ve seen it all.
“With Minnesota weather you just never know,” says Julia LaCroix, owner of Julia LaCroix Styled Events in Minneapolis. However, if your dream is to have an outdoor wedding, then the fear of inclement weather shouldn’t stop you. While most planners agree that outdoor weddings in Minnesota run the highest risk of ruin, you can help forestall that with a solid back-up plan. “If you are opting for an outdoor wedding, there has to be a plan B,” says LaCroix. “That may mean that the venue has an indoor space available in case of inclement weather, or that there is room in the budget to put a tent on hold.”
Kirsten Fischer, owner of Fab Event Design in Minneapolis, emphasizes that having appropriate and durable shelter is critical to avoiding outdoor wedding disasters. She specifically recalls an outdoor wedding that nearly left the guests out in a storm. “The wind was so strong, it began to blow the tent sides and ceiling around like a parachute,” she states. Luckily she had called the tent company prior to the wedding to reinforce the structure. “I know the tent would have collapsed on everyone,” she says, had she not had the foresight to plan ahead.
Validated Vendors
In her years as a wedding planner, Sarah Trotter of Lasting Impressions Weddings in Minnetonka has learned that the team hired to pull it all together is a crucial element for preventing wedding-day mishaps. “When you hire key vendors, make sure that they are reputable and that you will not be stuck scrambling to find a new vendor” or trying to solve a problem, she says.
Fischer echoes the sentiment. “The biggest disasters I’ve seen are no-show vendors,” she says. “I’ve seen a client miss the opportunity to have their wedding filmed when they hired a hobby videographer who in the end said he just didn’t feel like showing up that day.”
While asking friends and family to help out in lieu of professional vendors may seem like a money-saver, there are potential drawbacks, and the idea should be approached cautiously. “Most couples aren’t aware of the amount of time it takes to load everything, set it up or troubleshoot on the spot,” LaCroix says. “If possible, always opt for professionals to carry out your vision and deal with the nitty-gritty details.”
Caitlin Wolff, lead planner at the Simply Elegant Group in Minneapolis, says that hiring vetted wedding professionals is the best way to ensure that your big day will go off without a major hitch. “We are all about saving money,” she says, “but we recommend thinking twice about ‘hiring’ your friends and family members for wedding tasks. Give yourself peace of mind by putting your wedding in the hands of professionals, and let your friends and family enjoy the wedding.”
Trotter agrees, recalling some clients’ panicked moments. “I have had clients that had a ‘friend’ that could do the flowers, and the week before the wedding the ‘friend’ had something else come up and could no longer help.”
Maintaining a good line of communication with your vendors throughout the planning process is another way to avoid major pitfalls. Planner Kristin Houck of the Simply Elegant Group recalls dodging an accidental vendor no-show. “I talked to the DJ for a wedding and realized he actually had the wrong location noted,” she says. “Since we call every vendor to confirm the timeline and locations the week of the wedding, a huge disaster was averted.”
As planner Sally Berry of Sally Berry and Co. in Minneapolis can attest, hiring a wedding planner with good vendor relationships can also save the day. “I rented dishes and glassware from an out-of-state vendor, and when the china arrived, 92 plates were broken,” she recalls. Thankfully, she was able to quickly call a local vendor to assist with the replacement rentals.
Ashley Eber, owner of the Simply Elegant Group, recounts the flip-side: the tale of a vendor who saved the day. “Every single groomsman forgot their ties at home. Luckily, we were able to call in a favor to a local men’s store that we have a relationship with. They lent us all of the ties and let us return them after the wedding.”
Time Crunch
Hair, makeup, photos, ceremony, reception—and so goes the list of everything that must be squeezed into a wedding day. Top that with the fact that it takes time to get from point A to point B—and all those little unexpected things that can pop up—and suddenly your schedule is a catastrophe in waiting.
Trotter stresses the importance of being realistic with the timeline of the wedding day, specifically when it comes to transportation. “A lot of people forget how long it takes to get from different locations when you figure in traffic, loading and unloading times, and the speed that large vehicles can take,” she says. “I always go through the schedule and add a lot more buffer time than couples originally think they need. Wedding days need a lot of buffer time to help account for incidents we cannot control.”
LaCroix recalls an incident of a timeline almost gone wrong. “I recently had an acquaintance get married, and although she had hired all the right vendors and taken care of most of the details, she hadn’t thought of putting together a day-of timeline,” she recalls. “Once I really dug into the day, it was clear that it was a disaster waiting to happen. There was not enough time allocated for all the hair and makeup, there wasn’t enough driving time allocated to get from the ceremony to photo locations to the reception, and given that situation, the limo was booked for the wrong time and not enough hours.” LaCroix sat down and made all the necessary timeline changes. “Unless you have the entire wedding day laid out on paper and all the details have been verified and double-checked, you have no idea what your day will look like and what disasters are lurking around the corner, only to surprise you at the most inopportune time.”
The ‘Perfect’ Day
Let’s face it: There is no such thing as the perfect wedding day. “Little things will go wrong on your wedding day,” Trotter reminds us. “But with good vendors, a good timeline and good back-up plans, the little things will not turn into disasters.”
Berry emphasizes putting your trust in your vendors and staying connected with them. “If there is a good line of communication from the beginning and everything is double-checked, then everything should fall into place.”
And regardless of the mishaps that may or may not occur, remember not to sweat the small stuff. In the end, you married the love of your life, and that’s all that really matters. *
Tips from the Pros
Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. Minnesota wedding experts share the small, yet often over-looked, planning details that can save your big day from disaster.
“Feed your wedding party throughout the day and make sure you always have a lot of water on hand during photos and getting ready, especially in warm temperatures. We have seen a lot of bridesmaids and groomsmen get heat stroke or faint during the wedding day. This can be prevented with food and water.” —Sarah Trotter, Lasting Impressions Weddings
“Hire professional bartenders, even with at-home weddings. Hiring professional bartending services puts pros in charge of pouring crafted cocktails and monitoring those guests who hit the bar too many times. It can take just one belligerent guest to make a scene that can bring the party to a screeching halt.” —Kirsten Fischer, Fab Event Design
“Having a well-stocked emergency kit is a lifesaver. We always bring ours along so the bride or maid of honor won’t have to worry about assembling one. We have everything from toothpaste and deodorant to duct tape and extension cords.” —Kristin Houck, the Simply Elegant Group
“Share your wedding-day timeline with everyone in the wedding party and immediate family.” —Julia LaCroix, Julia LaCroix Styled Events
“Limit alcohol intake before the wedding. Also, never, I repeat never, lock your knees during the ceremony.” (It can decrease circulation and lead to a fall.) —Caitlin Wolff, the Simply Elegant Group