A few months ago one of our members read my article on this blog about Elvis at weddings. He wanted to share a story with me. This man, a hypnotist, had been hired to perform at a carnival-themed wedding reception. He was following an Elvis impersonator. Unfortunately, the Elvis impersonator took it upon himself to involve the pathologically shy bride in his act and she wound up vomiting in the bathroom before the hypnotist could take the stage.
I published the whole story on our wedding blog, but it made me think about all of the brides who are convinced their wedding will be a DISASTER if the napkins don't match or a bridesmaid's tattoo is showing. So, I'm helpfully providing these true wedding disaster stories to offer a little perspective.
• A friend of mine told me that her husband's aunt died, in the middle of my friend's ceremony. Stood up, clutched her chest and died during the ceremony.
• Vegas DJ Kevin McHugh once went to find the groom for the garter toss only to discover the groom leaving in an ambulance. Turns out the venue had ignored his repeated mentions of his peanut allergy and used peanut oil in one of the dishes. The band kept playing until the groom returned from the hospital (shortly before morning) so that the bride and groom could finish the reception.
• Back in the LP days Michael Graves dropped a flashlight on the record of the first dance song, shattering the record. The experience was traumatic enough that Michael gave up DJing and is now a magician in Minnesota.
• John Fischer of the band The Wonderfuls was hired for an outdoor Texas wedding in mid-July. The band knew it would be hot but no one was expecting the huge thunderstorm that came, destroying the tent, cake, and food (as well as much of the band's equipment), and shutting off all power. By the time the storm had ended there were no guests and no food. The band gamely played an acoustic version of the couple's song so they could have their first dance and has offered to come back and play another party for the couple.
• Weather was also an issue in a Nantucket wedding that Anastasia Rene played in. The waters were so rough that half the wedding party got sick on the ferry on the way over. Once there, the rain started and the bride wound up drenched in mud. The power went out in the middle of the first dance and the band had to play acoustically, walking around tables in a New Orleans style line. To make matters worse, a week later the mother of the bride actually tried to get out of paying the band because they did not "play in the expected manner."
There are two points I'd like you to take from these disaster stories:
1. Wedding professionals will almost always go above and beyond the call of duty to save your day in whatever way they can.
2. If no one leaves in an ambulance or a body bag, your wedding was not a disaster!