Expect The Best, But Plan For The Worst
Article & Photos Provided By | Amy Kujawa, Party Time Rentals
It’s here. . . the day that you’ve been dreaming of since you were a child. You’ve spent decades captivated by Hallmark love stories, Royal Weddings, and happy endings. You’ve made a list and checked it twice; laid out your timeline and confirmed with all of your vendors. There is nothing – absolutely nothing – that could go wrong. While we would all love to think this will be the case, it’s best to have a plan of action to overcome the little bumps in the road that may feel like massive boulders in the moment.
First things first – hire a planner or a coordinator. This will be your person. Your professional wedding problem solver. Planners have been through every beautiful and disastrous wedding situation you could think of, and have handled it with grace. Amy Rodriguez with All Things Planned talked to me about a time in her event planning career when a family member offered to bake the wedding cake. “It looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! It was incredibly lopsided and we were all mortified as it was the statement piece and the first thing guests would see when they walked in to the reception space.” But have no fear, Amy called in a local baker to the rescue to stabilize the cake. Disaster was avoided. Had it not been for Amy’s experience and quick thinking, the cake may have been an eyesore, or even worse, it could have come crashing down. Could you imagine having to deal with that on your wedding day? Hire a planner to take the stress off of you!
Next up – the seemingly most difficult part to nail down. . . the dreaded head count. The RSVP date was a week ago and 50 people still haven’t responded. What now? Will you have enough seating? What about flatware? A current funny trend is to add onto your invitation: “No RSVP? Bring a chair and a sandwich”. But of course, you have more polite options. If you are planning on making a seating chart, have one table strictly for overflow guests. An image came across my Instagram feed recently that included a picture of escort cards for a table of 10 saying, “I didn’t RSVP, but showed up anyway”. Reach out to the guests whose attendance is in doubt. It’s always best to give your family and friends the benefit of the doubt– that perhaps the invitation was lost in the mail. If you’re unsure, order an extra package of flatware or an extra crate of wine goblets. It’s never a problem to have too many.
Lastly – one of the most unpredictable factors of your wedding day. . . Mother Nature. Although you can do your best keep your eyes on the forecast, there are a few ways to plan for your wedding weather in advance. Here in Texas, if you’re doing an outdoor wedding in mid-July, shade and cooling 
devices are an essential. The chances of it being a cool day are slim to none… but a rain shower on the other hand? That might catch you off guard. Speak with your venue about a back-up indoor ceremony location. Talk to your local event rental company about a Tent Rain-Plan. The chances of a rental provider having a tent to accommodate 300 people on your wedding day are slim, but the odds 14 days out will be much more favorable. A perfect time to have this conversation with your rental provider is when booking your linens and tableware a few months in advance. Ask your event rental provider about their policies and protocols on adding a tent at the last minute. Check to see if they offer tents large enough to accommodate your guests to get a plan together before crunch time.
Planning a wedding can be fun but also overwhelming at times. Discuss with your planner or coordinator all of your backup options. By creating plans for scenarios such as the final head count or the unpredictable weather, you can expect the best but plan for the worst. This will take the worry out of the big day so you can enjoy the magical memories you’ll have for a lifetime.