When Things just don't go to plan with your wedding!
Wedding planning is stressful, no doubt about it! Most people seem to be booking their weddings a year or two in advance nowadays and spend the following months deciding on the perfect centrepieces, shoes, food and then seeing something new and changing it all over again. It makes sense, as it's one of the most important days in your life, up there with having kids, buying your first home and England getting to the World Cup Final, so it needs to be perfect, everything you dreamed it would be. But what happens if it all doesn't go to plan!!
Now a fair few people will know this pain, with the drama that the Covid pandemic caused leaving so many couples to postpone, change venues, cancel altogether. It was heartbreaking to speak to those affected, some more than once, but i recently photographed my now Sister in Laws wedding, which had its fair share of problems, to say the least! Here's the story...
Originally they were due to marry in August 2020, it had like most people, been booked for over a year. Well, as we all know, Covid put a stop to that happening. The second date came around, Covid stopped that too. The third date came along, they'd been finding it hard to get excited about it, they didn't want to get their hopes up, fearing that something would go wrong, and other than my niece; and bridesmaid to be, breaking her leg in a long jump incident and being in a full leg cast, everything else seemed to be going perfectly!
The final week arrived, countdown began 7, 6 , 5..... 4 came with a phone call.... the wedding venue cancelled... with 4 days to go. A Covid outbreak of out of town guests who were having to quarantine in the hotel!!
They had got so close, they were devastated that they were going to have to cancel for the 3rd time. There were tears, stuff was thrown, they considered never getting married, ever, and then someone decided that it was possible to just find a new venue. That would be simple, right?
So with 4 days to spare the hunt began for a new venue, as well as the organisation of the registrars and the official documents, how hard could it be to find a new venue for a Saturday in the midst of wedding season!?
Well believe it or not, a venue stepped up to the plate and hearing the journey they had already been on, pulled out all the stops to give them the best day they possibly could. So the impossible happened, the wedding was back on!
I'd like to say that was the end of the run of bad luck, but the big day arrived and at 7:30am the Maid of Honour received a phone call to say that her dad had been taken ill and been rushed to hospital and that she needed to leave asap, then the makeup artist got stuck in traffic and only managed to arrive an hour before the wedding.
But at 3:30pm against all the odds, the bride walked down the aisle, the moment was perfect, no one would have guessed the run up had been so chaotic.
The day was everything they could have wished for and i think they appreciated it just that little bit more given all they had been through to get there.
There is a reason for this little story.
It's really easy to get caught up in the stresses of planning the day, all the details, the money, the guest lists; whether to invite uncle Jim who never behaves and where to sit guests who dont like each other. It all seems important, but the thing that matters is just getting married, saying your vows, surrounded by friends and family, marrying the person you love.
It's just a little bit of advice as a wedding photographer, who has been at a lot of weddings, enjoy your day, take it all in and remember to smile!
If you are in the midst of planning your wedding and are still looking for a wedding photographer, please contact me on the details below and i would be happy to have a chat.
