I must begin by first saying that this post is not meant to be depressing — please stick with me through the whole thing (it won’t be that long!) so that I can prove it to you : )

Something will go wrong on your wedding day.

It’s inevitable.

We’ve now photographed over 120 weddings and I can say with confidence that something doesn’t go exactly as planned on every … single … day. There might have been one or two weddings where I personally didn’t notice anything that went wrong but I can guarantee that something did and I just didn’t know about it!!

Things went wrong on our own wedding day. It rained the ENTIRE week leading up to our (outdoor) wedding and on the morning of the wedding. Though it stopped just in time for the ceremony, after all was said and done with pictures, the ceremony, and the reception outside — my dress was completely CAKED with mud.

Things will go wrong (notice that I’m reiterating this). It’s just the nature of planning a big event with lots of moving parts. And, well, it’s just the nature of life — can I get an amen?! Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn this into a wedding-day-as-a-metaphor-for-life example ; )

My point today is simple: not if, but when something goes wrong on your day, don’t stress. Really — don’t. To quote one of my biggest life mantras, simply say “it is what it is” and move on. Take a deep breath and let it go. Don’t believe the lie that you’re the only one who has had XXXX happen to them on their wedding day because it’s simply not true! We have seen bridesmaid dresses rip, days run over an hour behind, bouquets/rings/speeches be forgotten … and a LOT more (just trust me). It’s okay for things to go wrong and it happens to everyone. Every bride.

I know it’s cliche but truly, the most beautiful and radiant brides are the ones who are able to let the problems of their day just roll off their back. You don’t have to let the “wrongs” on your day steal your joy !! I know that you want to be happy and having FUN on your wedding day, so prepare for this now!!

So … what will you do when something doesn’t go as planned?

One thing I can assure you — all of our couples who had things go haywire on their day were, at the end of the day, still husband and wife. This is the whole reason for the day anyway!! Their guests were laughing and toasting them at the reception. They were dancing to their favorite songs with their best friends at the end of the night. It will all be okay … if you let it : )

For more posts in our For Brides series, click here!