Behind the Scenes: Tales of Wedding Crisis Management by Wedding Planners — The Double Knot | Certified Planners | Weddings and Events

David & Tania Photography; The Castaway Burbank; Suzann’s Flowers

Ever wondered what actually happens behind the scenes to pull off a wedding even when disaster strikes? When you have a professional team in place, you can rest easy knowing that they will make pivotal decisions for you so you can still enjoy your day! Whether it is inclement weather, vendor hiccups, or miscommunications, your team is there to solve problems and still shape your event to your dream wedding!

The Uninvited Weather: Rainy Day Resilience

What do you do when the weather throws you lemons? We help you make lemonade! A few settings might change, but remember that you will still get married, and your vendors will still arrive. Not to mention that the guests will still show up and still be excited to party with you! Some tweaks may need to be made to keep everyone safe, dry, warm and happy! Always check your weather in advance so you can have a backup plan and adjust altars, add tents, or find an alternative space. When moving a ceremony indoors, remember that you may need to add an arch last minute and use the sweetheart table space for the ceremony like in the above photo. Our team can pivot the plan on the week of the event and lead the rest of the vendors on the event day, so you don’t have last minute stress as a bride and groom. With a professional team, just focus on enjoying the adventure and you will get incredible photos capturing the day (even if they weren’t exactly as you envisioned).

Larissa Bahr Photography; The Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace

The Dress Dilemma: Stitching Together a Solution

What do you do if the gorgeous mother of the bride slipped and fell in the bathroom and her dress is suddenly sporting a gaping hole in the back? We whip out our pre-threaded sewing kit from our emergency kit, sew it back up, and have her back out on that dance floor in minutes! We have hemmed dresses with fashion tape, cut dresses shorter with scissors, sewed a bride (and bra) into her dress, altered a dress down two sizes with safety pins and so much more. When you hire a professional coordination team with an extensive emergency kit, and tons of experience like ours, they will be ready for anything!

David & Tania Photography; Occasions Laguna Beach

The DJ Disaster: Spinning Out of Control

Do you notice anything different about the photo above? Yep! It’s dark. We had NO power! But we still kept the party going! That’s right! The story went like this: the staff were passing out cake slices, and suddenly the entire city of Laguna Beach lost power. We commandeered a nearby drone to provide some lighting above the party while they ate some cake, and I ran to my car to grab my battery-operated portable speaker. Within minutes we had our DJ playing music from his phone through our speaker and the dancing continued (and so did the outage). When things go wrong, our team is quick to think on their feet and provide a solution. In other past events we have fed a novice DJ his script, corrected DJ’s when they play the wrong song, and guided guests during moments where there was no DJ. Make sure your coordination team is ready to fill in the gaps wherever needed so you can enjoy your event! You never know what things will arise, but you will have peace of mind knowing you have a team of professionals on your side!

Eric Doolin Photography; Temecula Creek Inn

The Mysterious Marriage License: Crisis Averted

There are specific rules for filling out marriage licenses and having a professional team can help make sure you get it right. The license comes with strict instructions but very few actually take the time to read it. For example, if you don’t use black ink, keep your signatures inside each box, or write clearly, you may get your license sent back. Also, you need to make sure your officiant returns the signed license within 10 days of your ceremony. Did you know it is a misdemeanor to perform a ceremony without a marriage license? Real story: We once had a license go missing between the couple’s house and the venue. It was literally no where to be found. So, we had to call a special notary to issue a new one within an hour of the ceremony or they wouldn’t have been able to get married! We made it happen! I’ve heard of a couple who found their unfiled marriage license under the seat of their car six months later… don’t be that couple!

Although every wedding has the same structure, they are ALL completely different and NONE of them are perfect. Something WILL go differently (notice I didn’t say wrong) than planned but if you have a professional team in place, you will BELIEVE that your day was perfect. Let the professionals take care of the drama! You just focus on enjoying your day! Cheers!