Fires we extinguished on wedding day and how to avoid
It’s story time again!
If the intro to this post sounds familiar, it’s because it is still very relevant to the details listed below. Wedding planners are indeed so much more than the people you hired to execute the happenings of your wedding day. We do more than create timelines, tell people when to go, and hold the bride’s dress when she walks. Believe it or not, we put out unseen fires. Yes, along with our capes we carry fire extinguishers. We have had things to happen at weddings that were not expected, and we do everything in our power to handle things and make sure the couple know nothing about any of it happening. Gather around and allow us to share a story with you that we can now laugh about.
The Old Lady Gang +2
Picture this: Our couple just got married and it is now time for the reception to begin. We have opened the doors to the ballroom and the wedding guests are searching for their assigned seats per the seating chart that was beautifully displayed during cocktail hour. We have a guest’s who has someone sitting in their seat. We gracefully approach the table to ask the person sitting in the guest’s seat for their name to assist them, as we simply believe that they may have found themselves at the wrong table. They begin to explain that they aren’t on the list and that they are taking the place of someone who is not in attendance. Not a problem because the couple had seating at a table for a small number of guests they anticipated would show. That should have been the end of it, right? Nope.
The uninvited guest who was taking the place of the invited guest wanted to sit with the people she came with. The issue is that the invited guest didn’t have a seat at that particular table. So, she was still in someone else’s seat. The four other people she came with wanted her to sit with them. Meanwhile, the guest who followed the rules is still standing behind me and wondering why this person who is in their sear won’t move.
As much as we don’t want to, at this point we have to involve the couple. The five now unruly guests have given us an ultimatum. They said either they all sit together or they leave. We aren’t in the business of throwing out wedding guests unless permission has been previously granted (joking…maybe). Doing something we try never to do, we went back to the couple to explain the situation. At first, they were okay with the guests leaving if they want to. But then, the groom remembered that three of the five guests use to baby sit him while he grew up with the other two. He knew how hard it was for his beautiful bride to finalize the seating chart, he requested that an exception be made. We were happy to place them at the table that had been set aside for the unexpected guests that were anticipated to show. They understood that was their only option if they insisted on sitting together. They were upset with us as we ushered them to their table, but by the end of the night all of us were on the dance floor together. They even gave us hugs before they left.
Here is the lesson to you the reader from this story:
We are not the enemy. Whatever rules are put in place in advance are there for a reason. These aren’t our rules, but the decisions that the couple has made together. It was unfair for the guest who RSVP’d to have to stand there, watching and waiting as someone defended their seat at a table they had been assigned to. It is also unfair to have the bride and groom deal with something like this on their wedding day. People think long and hard while contemplating these ever-growing details while planning the best party of their lives together. They paid for you to come and enjoy the moment with them. All you have to do was show up and follow directions. This couple even made arrangements for those who they knew would crash the wedding. They did their parts. Do yours. RSVP. Follow the rules. Celebrate the couple.
Until next time…
be sweet & happy planning!
~Tish
(photo credit: Simone Elise Events and LVSTRY Photography)
Premier Wedding Planning and Event Studio Owned by Husband and Wife Planner and Event Designer Team Darius and Tish Clay. Simone Elise Events offers Wedding Day Event Management Services, Full Service Wedding Planning Services, and Wedding and Event Design Services for all your Wedding, Social, and Corporate Events. Simone Elise Events caters to Weddings and Events in Memphis Tennessee and surrounding Tennessee areas.
For more about us, visit: simoneeliseevents.com/about-us
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