Happy Thursday! Is it just me, or does time seem to fly lately?

I was thinking about what to post today… and thought back on the last month of weddings we just finished up.  April was an awesome month! Each of the weddings though, had some pretty big unexpected moments or events pop up.

One constant theme was the unpredictable Florida weather. Every single one of the weddings was outside (which I love), but unfortunately, that also meant that every single one dealt with rain. This caused a bit of stress… but in the end, each of them turned out beautifully and the couples had a blast!

If it is weather or something else, I am finding that things don’t always go as planned at weddings.

So, what do you do? Whether you are the photographer or a bride… I hope these little tidbits of advice help.

First up, when something goes wrong, DON”T PANIC! Your first reaction may be to freak… but just take a deep breath (sigh). Weigh out the options and remember what’s important. You love him. He loves you. You are getting married. No matter what. Photographers… just remind your bride of this in a soothing, loving way. And listen, you have to come with a flexible attitude as well. Don’t stress your bride out! You may not get to do photos as planned… but it will be ok! I can honestly say that it really does work out. A lot of times, even for the better.

A small example, Juan and Laura’s wedding. It poured. Like buckets and buckets ALL day. Laura kept her cool. I mean we were even singing Bob Marley’s, “Don’t worry bout a thing.” And the rain did stop. Not only did it stop… the clouds rolled away and gave us this incredible sky. A sky that only came because of those storms. And… it worked out! They were still able to be married on the beach.

Another example, my brother’s wedding. We forgot the rings (whoops). My husband and I were able to let them borrow our bands for the ceremony and now I think it is kind of cool that we were both married with the same rings.

Sometimes when things go wrong, you just have to laugh. Zane and Jenna had a sparkler exit at the end of their wedding. What they didn’t expect was for the sparklers to set off the fire alarm and evacuate the entire hotel. While it wasn’t funny at first… everyone began laughing about it outside. And what a story, right?

Those are just a few examples… but there are so many more. It will work out!

Second piece of advice. Have a BACK UP. Not every problem that pops up on a wedding day can be prevented or solved but, here are some items you may want to have in a little bag in case it is something you can fix

FOR BRIDES-

-A detailed schedule prepared for the day (allow room in the schedule for things to run late, go wrong, etc).

-Friends that can help you with day of problems or even better a Wedding Planner.

-Extra hair items… brush/comb, bobby pins, hairspray

-Makeup

-Tissues

-Mending kit/safety pins

-Aspirin

-Crazy glue

-Double stick tape or fashion tape

-Mints

-Water

-Deodorant

-Mirror

-Baby wipes/Stain remover cloths

-Protein Bar

-Eye drops

-Scissors

 

FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS-

-Lots of Back Up Equipment

-Extra Lighting Equipment

-Snacks (in case you can’t sit to eat)

-Aspirin

-Coke (caffeine always helps)

-A ton of knowledge about the details of the day/schedule

-Umbrella

-An idea of where you want to shoot your portraits and a back up plan for rain

-Arrive early

-Flexible Attitude

Hope this helps in a time of need! And like I said just remember what is important if something does come up. 🙂

Oh, and does anyone want to share some funny stories of something you witnessed at wedding? Maybe something that went wrong… but worked out?