It’s no secret that wedding planning comes with tons of emotions, but sometimes there are also either hilariously awkward moments or truly uncomfortable moments in planning. The former makes for a fun story and usually a laugh while the second provides a great learning opportunity for other brides and grooms. Keep on reading for some seriously relatable awkward wedding planning moments that you’re sure to get a giggle out of!
One bride of mine, Rachel, has an extremely funny story about her awkward moment and I couldn’t resist sharing it here. She says, “Before my fiancé and I got officially engaged we lived in different cities (him, here in San Diego and me in Las Vegas). I was visiting for the weekend and he told me he had a surprise for me. He picked me up from the airport and took me to the cutest little jewelry shop in Mission Hills to TRY ON RINGS. Now usually this would be very exciting but I had eaten an entire bag of Hot Cheetos on the flight over. We get there and I’m trying to act natural trying on these beautiful rings and there are my fingers, with bright red Cheeto dust stained fingertips! Needless to say I now plan my Hot Cheeto snack habits very carefully.”
“My fiance’s aunt had an agreement with his uncle when they got married, she and her children would not have his last name. So I’ve never actually seen it written anywhere. I was rushing to get save the dates out and was relieved when I was done. A few days later I got a text from his aunt telling me they received theirs and it was beautiful, but she thought she should let me know her husband is Doctor DickHoff, not Doctor Dickoff! I was mortified, but everyone was able to laugh about it – so I didn’t let it stress me out. I did make sure it was correct on the invite though ;)”
“I vaguely noticed a flashing light coming from the ceiling about midway through the reception. And a passing thought that whoever decided a strobe light at my classic Boston wedding was a good idea was a lunatic ran through my mind. I didn’t put much more thought than that. The next morning, I discovered that the fire alarm had gone off and the entire hotel – minus my reception – had been evacuated. All of my guests that had gone home before 11PM, even those with little kids fast asleep, had to leave their rooms and stand outside in the chilly weather while I danced away not a care in the world!”
For another great story that has one of those we’ve all been there moments, my bride Margaret had me laughing over her most awkward moment that her husband found hilarious. “My husband always says I have a ‘professional’ speaking voice whenever I am working or want something versus my normal banter. One day, I was dealing with chaos after coming home to find my two puppies had gotten into a bag of groceries. I was going crazy on them and saying very ‘unprofessional’ things to them; come to find out, I had dialed one of my prospective wedding venues the same time this was going on. I quickly changed my tone after hearing a voice repeatedly saying ‘hello’ on the line so that I could inquire about the venue. I didn’t want them thinking I was Bridezilla so I never made an appointment to tour their venue during our call. My husband couldn’t help but laugh during the entirety of my conversation. As soon as I got off the phone he was chuckling and simply told me ‘I can’t wait to marry you’.”
My cousin Laura has a multitude of hilarious and awkward moments from her wedding. She recalls, “The night I got engaged, my mom had already set the date and booked the church before Jay even asked my dad!” Kind of crazy… but also kind of cute!!
“I had had to ride in the back of the sheriff ‘s car to the reception because the traffic to my reception was so bad and the bus could not get around the cars on the skinny roads at our venue.” Talk about an unforgettable wedding entrance!
“As a weddings Editor, planning our actual wedding was right up my alley, of course. But when it came time for a hair and makeup trial, I as a little less enthused (I hate getting my hair and makeup done)! I ended up bringing two of my bridesmaids with me for a girls day, and I had selected a really incredible hair and makeup artist in the nearby area of our wedding. After showing her some inspiration from Pinterest (of course) we decided to go with an updo and airbrush makeup. Although the result was lovely, I felt nothing like myself because I was trying so hard to do something ‘fancy’ for my Big Day. Afterward, I sat through an entire lunch with my girlfriends with this ‘look’ that was SO not me, but one that I had asked for. I’m so glad I did that trial and had the awkward experience that day instead of on my wedding day. For my actual wedding, I ended up choosing to do my own hair and makeup, with a down, loose-curled hairstyle and natural makeup. Biggest takeaway—don’t feel the need to go over the top just because it’s your wedding day. Do you, with a little extra!”
“I climbed up on the bar in my wedding dress to get my own champagne glass because I couldn’t find a bartender.” You go girl!
“As I was getting my gown on, I realized that I couldn’t find my bra – the very special one that gave me enough boob-age to actually hold my dress up – anywhere. I had my entire bridal party turning my suite upside down. When none of the women could find it, we had to send the men out to the cars to see if it ended up in a bag somewhere. Lo and behold, it had been left behind in the trunk of my mother’s car and having nothing to carry it, my father walked down a very busy downtown boston street, through the large hotel lobby and delivered it to me without batting an eyelash.”
“I didn’t want the party to end so I kept telling the band to keep playing and we would pay them more. I refused to get off stage so my dad looked at Jay and said ‘She’s yours now… good luck getting her to leave.’ No bride wants her night to end – so you bribe the band. I got an extra hour to dance with my friends… totally worth it.” To be fair, I remember her band vividly even years later, so I might have done the same, as they were so amazing!
Sometimes it’s not the bride who experiences awkward wedding moments. My bride Taylor explains, “Greg walked out for the first look and his bow tie had just been wrapped up because no one knew how to tie it!! Lesson learned: Listen to your fiancé when she tells you to have the store clerk pre-tie the bow tie before leaving the store!” The bow tie looked twice the size it should be, albeit, it made for a cute story and very funny moments during the first look. Thankfully Taylor’s mother came to the rescue to properly tie it afterwards!
My college roommate and bride Jenny shares her most awkward moment that had her anxious until the wedding day. She says, “So I am a chronic heavy sweater. I get it from my dad. Before the wedding I asked my dermatologist for botox under my arm pits because I didn’t want to sweat there on the day of the wedding and she told me I didn’t need to do botox because they have an anti-perspiration pill now. It’s pretty great but makes you super dry. I had done some trial runs with it before and realized it was best to take during certain hours (instead of in the morning with the rest of my pills). I figured I needed to take it about 4 hours before the ceremony so I would need to take it before we left for the church. I had it out on the counter with a sticky note for everyone to see “Take at lunch” because I knew I couldn’t remember everything the more nervous I got on my big day. My make up artist saw it and asked ‘what the heck is this?’ and when I told her she was rolling laughing on the ground.”
“I got married on a little overlook of a mountain range in Santa Fe. I “hung out” in a little tent behind everyone, but also up on a hill, during the processional, etc. Classical guitarists were to play a song and then I was to walk down the aisle with my dad to another song (my mom is really into music). But the wedding planner forgot to tell the officiant that was the plan, so when the “solo” song started up, she had everyone stand up, turn around and face the little tent. My dad just stood in front me, blocking me from view, while this darned song played with everyone just watching us. THEN the real song played and I walked down the aisle.”
“The weather was very windy during our outdoor ceremony and, about three minutes into the wedding, my veil took fight! The wind pulled it out of my hair and it sailed off into the sky. It was actually beautiful to watch! My hair was fine sans veil and I just laughed as it flew away. It was truly a special moment and all night everyone was talking about the “flying veil!””
“I had a family member that I invited write in their own plus one. I only invited them, not a date because I didn’t think they were dating anyone anymore. Instead of speaking up, I let it slide to not cause any drama within the family. The only thing more awkward than that – the gift they gave….a black, ceramic vase (I think?) with a lid. It looked like an urn.”
Cavin Elizabeth is a wedding film photographer based in San Diego, California. Her wedding work has taken her all over the United States and abroad. In addition to being a photographer, Cavin is an educator and an avid blogger of wedding planning tips for brides and grooms. She authored the book A Bride’s Guide to a Picture Perfect Wedding, which teaches couples how to make wedding plans that are best for photography.
