Photo: Katy Gray
Let's face it: No matter how much planning and preparation you put into your big day, there's bound to be a few surprises that pop up — for better or worse. From the aww to the aww sh*t, these five brides are confessing their biggest wedding day surprises.
See More: 7 Real Brides Reveal Their Biggest Wedding Planning Regret
An Unexpected Gift from Dad
"My biggest surprise was a gold coin necklace that my dad gave me right before we walked down the aisle. My now husband's dad had given it to me the day I was born when he and their family came to visit me. My dad had kept it in our safety deposit box all those years, and I never knew about it. It was such an amazing reminder that I was truly about to marry my soulmate!" — Sarah, 26
No Time to Eat
"My biggest wedding surprise was how I didn't get to eat any of our wedding food. I was expecting to sit down and have a meal with my new hubby, but between all of the guests it was such a whirlwind that it was time to go before we could enjoy our food. We ended up ordering room service later because we were so hungry." — Heidi, 28
It Went By Too Fast
"No matter how many people told me the wedding would fly by, I wasn't ready for it! Looking back, I felt like there were so many people that I don't know if I even said hello to them all. I had short term wedding memory loss, I guess because of the adrenaline." — Melissa, 26
See More: 6 Wedding Traditions You Shouldn't Feel Bad About Skipping
So Many Emotions (And Tears!)
"My biggest wedding day surprise was probably how weirdly emotional I got before the ceremony. Everything was fine and I felt great. Then while I was getting my hair done and my sister asked me what sandwiches we were ordering for lunch, I suddenly felt a sea of emotions and just started crying in front of all my bridesmaids. They didn't really know what to do, and I had no idea why I was crying — scared, anxious, happy? Just too many weird emotions going on at once and they decided to come pouring out at that moment. I had no idea that would happen. I thought if anything I would cry at the ceremony, but I was totally calm and composed for that." — Vanessa, 27
A Last-Minute Change of Venue
"Everyone seems to get a kick out of this. I got married the day before a hurricane at the beach! The venue literally had to be changed two hours before the ceremony was supposed to start. I was amazed by how calm I remained. It's a lot of work for everything to change and then be over in the blink of an eye." — Megan, 29