Ten Salvaging Techniques

Have an emergency kit on hand. Always prepare a small emergency clothing repair kit. Include some thread of various colors of the different wedding apparel to be used in your wedding ceremony. Also, include several pins of various sizes, small scissors, and a few paper clips. If something accidentally is torn or needs to be reinforced, you are prepared. One told of leaning over to kiss a relative during the receiving line and he stepped on the front of her gown. When she straightened, the entire front of her dress ripped out. There she stood with a huge hole in her bridal gown. A quick repair job was done with the little emergency kit her mother had on hand and the party continued. These things do happen. Don’t let them spoil things.


Have an auxiliary plan available. Try to spend a little time anticipating what could go wrong with your wedding plan, map out an “alternative route,” or a plan B, and plan C, for each part of your original plan. If someone suddenly drops out of the wedding party, who could slip into the dress or tuxedo and take up the slack? Do you really need to have the same number of female and male attendants if this happens? Asymmetrical can be just as beautiful as symmetrical. Think of the stars in the heavens or an arrangement of flowers. The more variance the more interest and beauty to behold.


Make your family and attendants aware of the flow and their specific job. Provide them with a simple schedule so everyone is cued in and using the same plan and time frames.


Our schedule for our wedding day is as follows:


1. ____________________


2. ____________________


3. ____________________


4. ____________________


Roses are red,


Violets are blue,


Bethany, these are the things


We need you to do:


1. A reading at our ceremony using a poem about love and marriage.


Distribute payment envelopes to everyone as marked on the envelopes.


Thank you for your help,


Jill and John


Try to secure an alternate inside space if you are planning an outdoor ceremony. The ceremony and party can continue in warmth and coziness if the weather does not cooperate with your outdoor theme. One couple rented a tent for their reception. it was carefully laid out on the lawn, ready to be raised on the day before the wedding. Because of extremely heavy rain that night, the owner was unable to raise the tent as planned. We can’t control the weather, but we can find ways of beating it.


Imagine what you would dress in if something happened to your wedding apparel. On occasion, the dress of your dreams may not work out for reasons beyond your control, and this can be a devastating blow. Is there another dress in the background some place that you could use? One bride said that when she went to pick up her wedding gown the Monday before the wedding, the seamstress had ruined it doing the alterations. Don’t let a piece of material ruin your day.


Remember that everything can be fixed in some way. The old adage “adversity is the mother of invention” is sometimes very appropriate for wedding scenes. Something usually goes wrong at some point in the total process. Use your head and imagination to fix it. Make it even better than the original plan. If something is forgotten or overlooked, do not tell anyone and no one will know that something is missing.


Remember your family and guests. It is YOUR day but some special consideration for your family and guests, who may be have traveled far and given up some of their time to be with you, will make your part more loving and fun for you.


Start your plans off on the right foot. If something doesn’t feel just right, pay attention to your instincts.


Keep a small make-up kit with a few essentials in it handy at all times.


When all else fails, whistle. Courage to follow your convictions in the face of adversity is sometimes difficult to summon up. Practice whistling a tune to give yourselves a boost when and if things become difficult with your wedding plans.