Contingency Plans for Weddings

Outdoor Ceremony

You have the perfect location, you booked your vendors, figured out your lighting and décor, and then bam…mother nature takes those perfect plans for a spin and you find yourself scrambling to make alternate arrangements. This is one of those situations you hear more often than not that couples already have a backup plan in mind because they know Kansas weather can be very unpredictable. If you are doing an outdoor location be sure to book a nearby indoor option that can host all your guests comfortably. However, just having an alternate location is not all the planning you need to do.

• • Be sure you know when you will make that call. The sooner the better so all your plans can come together with less stress.
  • Delegate someone(s) to oversee communicating the change to your vendors, your guests, and your wedding party.
  • If the decision is made the day of it is best to stage a person at the original location to be sure no one is left going to the wrong location.
  • Delegate someone to oversee moving your décor and other items to the new location.

Changing Your Date

A subject we are very familiar with after this last year of craziness and still, something we are battling as certain locations in Kansas are slow to open. Whether you are moving due to a pandemic, family matter, pregnancy, budget, or you just are not ready to move forward, know that the decision is ultimately yours, and communication with everyone involved is key. Your wedding day is one you want to remember as a happy time and hopefully, one that does not leave you stressed out. Whatever the reason is the best advice we can give you is:

• • Read all of your contracts thoroughly so that you know the cancellation and rescheduling policies.
  • Know which vendors get priority when choosing a new date and which vendors you are willing to replace if needed.
  • Be sure to communicate with all your vendors, guests, and wedding party as soon as possible to avoid any scheduling conflicts.

Replacing A Member Of The Wedding Party

This can obviously be a tricky situation and if the reasons are not pleasant then that can make for an even harder situation. Our first advice would be to not get caught up in the idea of both sides of the wedding party need to be even. We often see odd numbers and trust us we have not had a groomsman complain yet about walking down with two ladies. 😊 When making the decision to put in a replacement consider these things:

• • Make the decision as soon as possible.
  • Attire: If the replacement will need to get a suit or dress be sure you give them ample time to do so and do not forget about time for possible alterations.
  • Communicate with your vendors that will be impacted by this decision such as program designer, hair & makeup, DJ, photographer, etc.
  • Be sensitive when asking the replacement as their feelings may have been hurt when they didn’t make the cut the first time.
  • Again, remember adding a replacement is always the right choice, choose what brings you less stress.

Vendor Arriving Late or Not At All.

Hopefully, if you are reading this blog you already know the great thing about Complete Weddings + Events Kansas is we have multiple staff members and always have a backup in place for the unexpected. However, that is not the case for many of your other vendors. We have had cover for other vendors due to cars breaking down, medical emergencies, and even for some that had no excuse at all. Our wedding planners have seen unfortunate events such as the caterer running out of food, the cake falling over before the couple cuts it, and limo buses running out of gas just to name a few. All situations we hope you never have to endure, but once again having a backup plan in mind is how you overcome these stressful situations. The best advice we can give you is:

• • Hire a Day of Coordinator to handle all these possible nightmares so you can focus on the more important thing….Getting Married!
  • If a coordinator is not in your budget be sure to delegate out different tasks and over-communicate with your vendors during the planning and day of.
  • Be sure you are getting contact information for the person that will be onsite with you and not just the office number.
  • Be sure you have chosen vendors that can roll with the punches and as changes arise, they do everything in their power to assist in making it right.
  • Be ok with altering your schedule and if needed ask vendors especially the DJ how they can help you stall till problems are fixed.
  • Handle any refund or disgruntled phone calls on Monday, not the night of your wedding.

To recap, we cannot stress enough how important it is to read over contracts, communicate with your vendors, communicate with your wedding party and family, and most importantly know that things happen, and plans change…just roll with it and breathe! Again, you are getting married, that is all that matters!!! 😊

Event Experts at Complete Weddings + Events Kansas

Whether you want one service or all six, we specialize in creating custom packages for our couples to meet their needs and budget. Tailoring each of our services to reflect your style and vision and allowing you to be a part of the planning process every step of the way. The best part is you get a team of professionals to help with all the details from our knowledgeable office staff, in-house full-time wedding planner, and experienced event staff, we have you covered and want your planning process to be a stress-free experience.

Check out our service pages to learn more about how we can COMPLETE your event!

Complete Weddings + Events, Kansas’ leading provider of event and wedding photography, videography, day-of coordination, lighting, DJ services, & photo booth rental.