Whenever you hear a Wedding Horror Story, you think it will never happen to you. Your groom will not go missing ala The Hangover, you will not end up in some Bride Wars situation with your bff etc etc.

The reality is, here at Wedded Wonderland, we hear the same stories again and again. Sorry to say, some of these could happen to you if you’re not careful.

So, to avoid a Wedding Horror Story of your own, here are our tips for how to avoid the top 10 disasters we see at weddings!

1. Do not organise the Hens or Bucks the night before the wedding. Just don’t. If nothing else, there’s a high risk of a wedding hangover if you do.
2. Set expectations for your bridesmaids and groomsmen to ensure they do not just disappear on the big day. (We know what they might be doing and no, we don’t want to know.)
3. There’s fashionably late and so late your guests think there’s a runaway bride situation happening. Know the difference between the two of them. You want people to see you walking down the aisle, not to walk down the aisle surrounded by empty chairs because everyone has left.
4. Eat something on your wedding day to avoid fainting. Try and eat something on the morning of your wedding as well as at the reception if you can. We can’t overstate this. The number of brides who faint is crazy.
5. Have a program for your suppliers so they know where they need to be at what time. This should mean they don’t wander off for a cigarette when they should be filming your bridal waltz.
6. Be wary of jealous friends. Be even more wary of jealous friends who are also getting married. Try and create a little distance between you and only give them small details.
7. Think twice and then three times about anyone you choose to be in the bridal party. Consider your relationship with them and their relationships with each other to avoid fights and fall outs.
8. Brief the wedding MC on what is appropriate to say at your wedding. Be specific. As specific as you can.
9. Do NOT use tealight candles in flammable areas. Do not use any candles in flammable areas actually.
10. Give directions to your guests if your ceremony or reception venue is hard to find. It might seem unnecessary, but not even Google Maps knows everything.