Illustration by Christiana Sandoval Woodard
Couples have enough to worry about when preparing for a wedding than to think about all the little what-ifs. “What if my zipper breaks?” “What if the wind starts to pick up during my outdoor wedding?” “What if the flower girl loses her basket?”
That’s where the professionals come in.
An experienced wedding planner comes equipped with emergency preparedness items that can get you out of these jams and many, many more. You might even be surprised by what they carry. The savvy wedding professional totes much more than scissors, tape and safety pins, all to ensure a beautiful and stress-free event.
We spoke with four local planners to get their take on those must-have day-of items and their advice for being prepared and enjoying the big day.
Honey Armstrong, Kim Moody Design
Honey Armstrong
Kim Moody Design
Full-service
804-887-0171
Must-have: Zip ties
They’re small and plastic, flexible and unobtrusive, and they can secure just about anything … which is why Armstrong says she and her colleagues go through gobs of black and white zip ties every year.
“They’re so much faster than Command hooks, and they’re easily hidden,” she says. “It’s a great tool to secure things quickly.”
Armstrong recalls one outdoor wedding that featured a professionally designed floral installation. Moments before the bride was to walk down the aisle, a gust of wind created a very different look than the one the florist had intended.
“I was worried about running behind and didn’t want to stress the bride out,” Armstrong says. “A staple gun wasn’t an option. We were able to grab a handful of zip ties and fix the arrangement without anyone noticing.”
Advice for the couple: Take a break
Armstrong isn’t Jewish, but she appreciates the traditional Jewish wedding custom of the Yichud (or Seclusion) room, in which a newly married couple retreats to a private room where they can break their wedding fast, perhaps exchange gifts and spend a few minutes alone. She encourages all her couples to include five minutes after the ceremony“to just be.”
Nica Lewis, Every Little Detail
Nica Lewis
Every Little Detail
Full-service
804-539-2180
Must-have: Those pesky extras
Lewis and her team begin each wedding day by running through their checklist, making sure everything that is needed for the ceremony is on hand. She remembers all too well one instance where her team went looking for key reception items — the flutes for the Champagne toast and the wedding-cake server — only to have the bride realize they had been forgotten.
“Thank heavens our studio was right around the corner” from the wedding site, Lewis says. “We sent someone to the office, and she picked up what we needed.”
While those particular items haven’t had to be replaced since, they and a host of other accessories are now always on hand. “We just try to think of every single thing that can go wrong,” Lewis says. “Our emergency kit covers the gauntlet.”
Advice for the couple: Live in the moment
Lewis encourages her couples to find time during the day to enjoy the experience. She is especially fond of that first instant when the couple comes together for a “first look” on their wedding day. “It’s a prelude to the pre-ceremony photos,” she explains. “It’s that moment when the bride and groom have their first look of one another. It’s very, very private, no family, no attendants.”
Setting aside time for special moments can be key to enjoying the day as a couple should, Lewis advises. “Emotions are running high, and everything is happening at the speed of light,” she says. “Take advantage of the team you have hired to enjoy the moment.”
Denise Johnson, Made Weddings and Events
Denise Johnson
Made Weddings and Events
Full-service
804-412-5252
Must-have: Socks and blow-dryer
Johnson says this one wedding-day slip up can easily happen: The bride purchases a lovely pair of shoes for her big day and then puts them aside, to keep them clean and ready. But while the wedding dress has been worn and fit a few times, those unworn shoes are still new and tight — too tight for a long day of walking, greeting and dancing. Luckily, there’s an easy fix. “If you put on socks and blow-dry the shoes, it will stretch the fabric of the shoe,” Johnson says. She remembers one wedding where a helpful bridesmaid, whose foot was the same size as the bride’s, actually did the stretching, so the bride could stay on schedule with her pre-ceremony preparations.
Advice for the couple: Keep your eyes on the prize
Johnson, who was a high-school counselor for 12 years before opening her business, encourages her client couples to keep the big picture in mind. “I try to get my couples to hold onto the ‘Why,’ ” she says. “I ask them, ‘Why are you getting married? Why are you having a wedding?’ ”
Keeping the focus on the “Why,” Johnson says, helps couples look beyond the hype and overcome the last-minute issues that may arise. “There’s always some kind of situation that causes drama,” she notes, “but a wedding shouldn’t be about fluff. Weddings are about celebrating love. You want to be able to go back to the calm of the ‘Why’ and stay focused on the love that you have.”
Elizabeth Palmer Singleton, Events by Elizabeth Palmer
Elizabeth Palmer Singleton
Events by Elizabeth Palmer
Full-service
804-305-6997
Must-have: Everything (within reason)
“I can replace anything but your dress and the ring,” declares Singleton.
Noting that her team always carries the basics — safety pins, Band-Aids, WetOnes (for blood removal) — Singleton says the key to keeping everyone calm is to have whatever might be needed.
“We have hairpieces, garters, a basket for the flower girl, pillow for the ring bearer, even jewelry,” she says. “We have backups for all the major items.”
Singleton recalls one wedding where the groom arrived in slightly less-than-perfect condition. “It was a rambunctious bridal party of groomsmen,” Singleton says. “The groom was dressed, but without cufflinks. He didn’t know where they were.”
Singleton dispatched someone to a nearby department store and sent the groom down the aisle fully attired, the bride none the wiser.
And cufflinks were added to her inventory.
Advice for the couple: Keep your eyes on the prize, part deux
While the bride and groom can’t control everything — the family member who’s fussing over a perceived slight, guests who arrive with uninvited children in tow — the couple can keep their own nerves in check during the ceremony by keeping an eye on one another.
“The No. 1 thing to do while walking down the aisle is to focus on your partner,” she says. “If you lock eyes with him or her, then you will be fine. Everything and everyone fades away.”
Singleton notes that while medication might seem tempting, it’s best to stay away. “If you really have an anxiety issue, then by all means,” she says, “but the wedding day is not the best day to try Valium.”
