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Surely you've been told this already, but just in case, let us break the news: Something might go wrong on your wedding day, but the good news is that a disaster doesn't have to ruin your big day — in fact, it may actually make it better! Need proof? Here, three brides share how their worst case scenarios turned into fond memories.
A groomsman went MIA — and missed the wedding ceremony! "I didn't even notice, to be honest," recalls one bride. "Everyone who knew had the good sense not to tell me that [the groomsmen] was missing, and when I walked up the aisle, I was completely focused on my husband. It wasn't until after the ceremony was over that I thought, wait, where is [he]?" It turns out the groomsmen had made a last minute dash to the restroom, and managed to lock himself inside the single stall room. During the ceremony, an usher stepped into his place. "Because I didn't notice he wasn't there, it was hard to get upset after the fact," the bride explains. "And trust me, the guys are still giving him a hard time about being trapped in a bathroom for a half hour!"
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A bridesmaid wiped out on her entrance to the reception — and took a groomsman down with her! "We asked our DJ to introduce each pair of bridesmaids and groomsmen as they walked into our reception," explains the bride. "And when [this bridesmaid] walked in, she lost her balance and fell flat on her butt. The worst part was [the groomsman] tried to catch her, and ended up falling down himself." While the tumble was embarrassing for the pair at the time, they got right back up and kept walking, to the applause of all the guests. "No one laughed at them," the bride says. "But they were able to poke some fun at themselves later by taking a recording of their fall from someone's phone and making a blooper reel. They posted it on Facebook and everyone got a good laugh with them."
A phone shrilled during a couple's closing ceremony prayer — and the phone belonged to the groom's mother! "I was livid," recalls the bride. "There we are with our heads bowed, moments from being declared man and wife, and her cell phone starts ringing to — of all things — a Britney Spears song!" The pastor continued on with her prayer, as the bride snarled to her husband, "that's your mother! I guess the pastor heard me, because she added in a line to the prayer, asking God for patience!" The bride says that while she still wishes a phone call hadn't interrupted such a special moment, it was a perfectly-timed reminder that over many years of marriage, she and her husband would have to deal with unpleasant surprises. "I look back on that moment to remind myself to try to have more patience when things don't go my way."
Have you witnessed any wedding day worst case scenarios? Share them with us on Twitter at @Brides!