No matter how much we fret about our weddings or how “Bridezillaish” we become, there are some things that are positively out of our control. As the saying goes “expect the unexpected.” Although not all surprises can be looked upon with a sense of humor, many of the brides and grooms I interviewed were able to put their wedding day glitches into perspective.
And for some, those unplanned instances made for the most memorable moments of their wedding day.
Just because your wedding isn’t perfect, bridal bliss is still possible.
Little surprises
Sandy and Patrick, who got married outdoors in a park, had one of their biggest worries materialize during their ceremony.
“Being that the park was right next to the fire station we were really worried that they might get a call. Well low and behold, right in the middle of the ceremony, the fire engines started up and off they went with sirens blazing,” says Sandy.
Fortunately, the minister was able to put a positive spin on the situation.
“Our preacher announced that the whole town was celebrating with us!”
Not so ‘nutso’
Leila had to endure some seriously embarrassing moments during her wedding. The good news? She lived to tell about them.
Leila and her mate Ryan both agreed prior to the wedding that they would not have a garter toss. Apparently the photographer wasn’t informed about this decision.
“He started leading me to a chair and before I realized what was going on, people had gathered around,” explains Leila. “I jumped up and yelled, “No, we’re NOT doing this! And I ran to the back of the hall. Everyone was standing around like I was nutso.”
Tennis, anyone?
There was also the issue with Leila’s footwear.
Feeling confined by her wedding shoes, Leila decided to slip into something more comfortable during the reception: tennis shoes. Her dress was long, so she figured no one would notice. She was wrong.
“When I sat down everyone saw and started taking pictures! So, now my family has these “secret” pictures of me in my wedding dress and tennis shoes,” she says.
Getting down
Andrew and Rebecca’s embarrassing moment happened on the dance floor. But, luckily it wasn’t them that ended up on their fannies.
“My father-in-law is a terrific dancer. He twirls and swings and just really knows how to liven up the party. Well, he and his daughter were the only ones on the dance floor at the beginning of the reception and he twirled her and she fell on her butt and slid all the way across the floor,” says Rebecca.
Food flinging Granny
During their evening reception at a classy restaurant, one of Diana and Alex’s feisty relatives got a little out of hand. It was perfect bridal bliss to watch it unfold.
“Alex’s grandmother decided to toss food at one of the waiters,” says Diana. “No, she wasn’t drunk. It turned out to be one of the funniest wedding day moments.”
Blushing bride
Jonita and David are living proof that if everything doesn’t go perfectly during the ceremony – you’ll get over it.
During the ring exchange, Jonita got a bit flustered and put the ring on her husband’s right hand, instead of his left.
“The minister looked very puzzled, then stopped to ask us if we meant to do that. We had a good laugh mid-ceremony,” says Jonita.
Thanks, but no thanks
Tracy’s forgetfulness during her wedding reception made for a blunder that she still hasn’t been able to live down.
“I forgot to thank my new husband in my speech, after he we went into this big thing of thanking me in his. To this day it is still a joke with us,” says Tracy.
Children do the darndest things
If young children are part of your wedding, you can pretty much expect a few surprises.
Getting dumped
One of the most memorable moments of Misty and Michael’s ceremony was when the flowergirl decided to do something entirely unplanned.
“(She) decided to dump her entire basket of petals onto the ground at no particular moment,” says Misty.
A snowy mad dash
One of Debra and Chuck’s winter wedding highlights was “watching the flowergirl in her perfect dress make a mad dash for the snow piled up on the driveway.”
Moonwalking ringbearer
At Jorge and Ebony’s wedding, a ringbearer’s spontaneous dance moves gave them – and all of their guests a good chuckle. Looking back it made for some perfect bridal comic relief.
“The highlight of the ceremony was when our ring boy, which was my cousin, was getting bored in the middle of the ceremony and started to do the moonwalk. He pulled up his pants and swore he was Michael Jackson … Everyone started to laugh,” says Ebony.
Peeping Tom
Shannon had a few surprises at her wedding. One of the most memorable was the “peeping Tom” that caught her in the middle of getting ready.
“As I was getting dressed, one of the guests’ sons (around age 13), came down to where I was changing and saw me pretty much naked,” she says.
That’s one surprise she says she could have done without.
