Wedding day drama: scandals, mishaps, and funny moments

 

Undoubtedly, a wedding day contains so many variables that there’s often something that will go awry. From minor mishaps to hilarious hiccups, we asked our readers, our real wedding couples and our vendors to share their dream day dramas. And while some of their stories may leave you a little stunned, in most instances, it’s the little unplanned moments that make a wedding day unforgettable, uniquely yours and genuinely joyous.

 

 

Fit flops.

 

Bride’s dress zip split open 30 minutes before she was scheduled to walk down the aisle! – Anon

 

Kristen, one of Caity’s bridesmaids, accidentally stepped on her veil while steaming her dress and put a rip in it. Both of them stayed very cool, calm and collected and Kristen ended up fixing it with eyelash glue – you couldn’t even tell. Caity & Josh

 

My maid of honour got a little over-enthusiastic doing the worm on the dance floor with the entire wedding cheering her on – only for her to split her dress completely in half down the back! Anonymous.

 

Aside from leaving my bridal lingerie at home (gulp) and having to call in the cavalry to drive all the way to our house in Northcote to collect it, there were a couple of dress mishaps! One of my sisters, who was also a bridesmaid, accidentally wiped some tan on the back of my dress when helping me into it. That was quickly followed by Freya wiping vegemite on it when she tried to climb up to me. All things that were unimportant when I thought about what I was about to do! Luke & Ally

 

By no means was this a disaster, but after purchasing my dress in September, we found out we were pregnant in October! We were so thrilled to be pregnant, but I was TERRIFIED that my dress wouldn’t fit by the time we got married. I was 19 weeks pregnant at our wedding, and luckily, my dress fit like a dream. It’s a good thing it was a size too big when I purchased it off the rack! Tom & Talia

 

I changed into my second dress for the reception, and as soon as I sat down for an entree after the entrance, some of our lovely friends came up to the sweetheart table to drink with us. One guy knocked his glass too hard and spilt his wine, which ended up dropping on one of the entrees that had gravy. And, of course, the gravy splashed a little. The next thing I knew, I was in the bridal room trying to wipe off the stains before we rushed out for sunset photos. We are so glad I prepared a third dress! Hannie & Jackson

 

The dry cleaners burnt down with my Dad’s custom tux and my wedding dress inside. – Anon

 

When I picked up my dress about six weeks out from the wedding (after the gruelling six-month wait), it had been made in the wrong colour (all bright, BRIGHT white, instead of the off-white bodice). No one had ever even mentioned it came in other colours, so I figured it only came in the colourway of the sample I tried, which was the same as on their website. I had been super chill the entire planning process, but I nearly passed out when I saw it. Rach & Xav

 

 

Bodily blunders.

 

My gosh, where to start!

We had a few small incidents the week before the wedding involving plagues of caterpillars & crickets, fallen trees, and rogue racehorses breaking in and churning up the lawns. But the standout was Hayden crashing our wedding car and breaking his nose a week out from the wedding.

His dad had very kindly spent many months restoring his 1930 Ford A-model for us to use. Once complete, Hayden took it for a drive, mistook the accelerator for the break and drove straight through their pergola and into a conifer tree. Thankfully, he made a near-full recovery, with his nose being the extent of the injuries (somehow without a single bruise!) The car also made a full recovery in time, however aged Hayden’s dad a decade in a week. Lucy & Hayden

 

During our photo session, Leisa Rebecca accidentally gave Alex a blood nose while wrapping her arm around him! Blood dripping so close to a white shirt and a white dress during golden hour was a near disaster… thankfully the bleeding stopped after a couple of minutes and we still managed to get incredible photos. Leisa Rebecca & Alex

 

The day before the wedding, Cam managed to fall down the stairs at home, carrying our welcome sign for the wedding. Neither of us was worried about Cam; we were just worried that the sign might have been broken! Caitlin & Cam

 

Not about the wedding, but after I separated from my husband, I was on the dating apps late one night and ended up swiping right on an ex-groom. Whoops!” – Anon wedding vendor.

 

 

Preparation pitfalls.

 

A fun challenge was getting the custom matchbooks sent over from the US – given they are highly flammable and we didn’t have time to get them shipped by sea. Again, we got there in the end, and they looked fantastic! Tessa & Tom

 

Fortunately, there were no major mishaps, but with all the excitement, Justin forgot to pack enough underwear before we left for our Warrandyte stay. His last-minute run to Woolies for some fresh pairs on the morning of the wedding added a funny twist to our memories of that day. Michelle & Justin

 

A near disaster was that we were one day off from a total fire ban. The wedding would have been cancelled due to venue restrictions. Thomas & Tempany

 

Ceremony chaos.

A classic one – my father stepped on my veil as I walked up to meet Brandon; I felt like I had whiplash. When I tried to walk further, he then stepped on my dress. Natasha & Brandon

 

I’m a celebrant, and I was about to start an outdoor ceremony. I’d checked in with the bride and was walking back down the aisle to begin (all eyes on me) when I was swooped by a magpie so hard that I nearly fell flat on my face. The venue manager ended up weaving an umbrella over the bride’s head as she walked down the aisle to keep the bird away!
It wasn’t until the ceremony finished I realised my hair was sticky with blood. – Anon

 

For something funny – My two-year-old niece and flower girl, Ivy, started walking down the aisle and just tipped her whole basket of flowers out mid-way. It was adorable and hilarious and so fun to watch back. Elly & Darcy

 

We had to evacuate from the venue just before the ceremony as a fire was about to hit – we only just got out in time. The story ended well and the amazing community of wedding vendors came together to make the day happen, albeit elsewhere. – Anon

 

 

Bling blunders.

 

My maid of honour’s partner was chauffeuring my Dad, my maid of honour and myself to the venue. We were about ten minutes away from arriving at the venue when all of a sudden, l looked down at my hand and asked my maid of honour if she had collected my wedding band from the box. The car fell silent, she turned to look at me from the front seat eyes wide, whispered to her partner and in a blink of an eye the car stopped made a swift u-turn and her partner Tom turned into the Stig from Top Gear. Crisis was averted, we arrived five minutes late to the ceremony with everyone probably none the wiser because I am always late. Usually, it’s the best man who has the ring mishap! Meg & Joel

 

As the Monday check-out commenced at Mount William Station, Brendan was struck by a sinking feeling: his brand-new wedding band was nowhere to be found. Despite the entire crew scouring the area extensively, the elusive ring remained elusive. Just as they were about to resort to rifling through the skip bins, Brendan’s Mum made a suggestion regarding its possible whereabouts. Fortunately, her intuition proved correct, and the precious band was located. It was swiftly resized the following day, just in time for the honeymoon. SJ & Brendan

 

A week out from the wedding, my car was broken into, and the wedding jewellery was stolen along with other possessions. We arranged for the replacements to be sent to the bridal house; however, due to the public holiday, the package was delayed. One of my dear friends came to the rescue and went to the store on the morning of the wedding. He drove all the way to our house in the Yarra Valley just before the first look and then had to rush to his accommodation to get ready. He’s a lifesaver, and we are so grateful that he dropped everything to help us on the day. Gerardine & James

 

 

Reception rampages.

 

Our first dance was definitely memorable. Max was adamant he can’t dance, I told him it’d be fine we could just hold arms and slowly turn. On the day, Max started spinning me around in the air – without a plan to lower me back down. I got a bit too high and a bit too fast and next thing you know we crashed in front of all our guests. We’ve had more people than not tell us that it was exactly the kind of thing they could never expect somewhere but our wedding! Alex & Max

 

Thankfully, the lead-up and the day of went smoothly without any hiccups, but – Kuming (the groom) got locked out of the venue at the end of the night and was stuck outside for about 20 minutes! The wedding party had all gone down to our rooms to start the after party, and we didn’t realise the groom had been left behind! Sarah & Kuming

 

The groomsmen all had a sleep over the night before the wedding. After a few too many drinks, they decided to make a dance routine to a well known trumpet song (Trumpsta) for their entrance. Our DJ agreed to change the song at midnight the night before and it was hilarious! Emily & Luke

 

Our wedding was at a private property, so we didn’t have a curfew. At about 2 am, our groomsmen hit the dance floor wearing only the caterer’s aprons. It wasn’t until we received the wedding gallery that we realised the best man had a lot more on display than should be evident in wedding pics! Our poor photographer. – Anon.

 

Sarah’s veil got caught in the wind, and was dangerously close to catching alight on a gas heater. Happily, the day didn’t go up in flames. Sarah & Mitch

 

Someone turned up who wasn’t invited! Luckily the venue could accommodate one more! – Anon

 

On the wedding day after the ceremony and our portrait photos, my wedding planner came up to me and said, ‘I have some bad news’. I remember my heart dropping and thinking, oh no, I’ve missed someone on the place card settings, or someone has an allergy I haven’t accounted for, but she said, ‘the croquembouche has melted and tipped over, but one of the guests caught it so we will still be able to serve it, but it won’t be on display’ and I just laughed and thought wow if that is the worst thing to happen it’s going to be an epic night. Lotti & VJ

 

Deren having so much fun his pants ripped on the dance floor (luckily, the hotel room was upstairs). Mel & Deren

 

The groom was missing during the final dance and then walked out of the bathroom looking rather dishevelled with a lady friend… – Anon.

 

 

Planning surprises.

 

Dress shopping. I was surprised when I went shopping ten months before the wedding, and I was told I was leaving it late! Most shops advise eight months for the dress to come in, and you want to make sure you have enough time for alterations. Elly & Darcy

 

I was surprised how easy it is to get sucked into all the shows and the glitz of a wedding. Instagram and Pinterest can be so addictive and I wish I had set myself clearer boundaries on scrolling time.  The lead-up to your day should be exciting and fun, not filled with stress and feeling overwhelmed. Comparison culture can suck the joy out of planning your own day, so make sure every month to have a reset, sit with your fiance and remember what your values are, not just in the day itself but in your marriage, as that is what it is really all about. Emily & Matt

 

 

Love hearing from real wedding couples? Here are some of our favourite words of wisdom imparted by newlywed couples and expert vendors, to help you plan for a smooth celebration!