In a perfect world, your wedding day would go off without a hitch, and you and your newly betrothed partner would have the perfect first dance, the most moving speeches, and ride off into the sunset to begin your new life together. It’s the quintessential happy ending. But, let’s be honest, we live in a modern world where anything can happen. And it usually does.
“One of the issues of planning weddings is it’s such a romantic, sentimental part of your life, and yet you have to look at it pragmatically,” says Marcy Blum, a top-rated wedding and event planner recognized by Vogue and Bazaar. “Consider all aspects that you might not think about if you were a guest.”
Six scenarios come up more often than you might think, and Blum says it is important to plan ahead to avoid disappointment on your big day. From having enough bathrooms to being covered due to illness or COVID, here’s what she says to look out for — and how to fix them.
What You Will Learn
- The Wedding Ceremony/Reception Venue Is Too Hot or Too Cold
- A Structure Leak Could Be Lurking in the Background
- There Isn’t Enough Staff to Cater to Guests
- There Aren’t Enough Bathrooms for All Guests
- A Guest Is Injured During the Reception
- COVID or Other Illness Impacts the Wedding Day
- Protect Your Big Day with Comprehensive Wedding Insurance
The Wedding Ceremony/Reception Venue Is Too Hot or Too Cold
It’s the wedding-themed Goldilocks scenario: ensuring your wedding venue is not too hot or cold but just right. “If your guests are not comfortable physically, they might not have as much fun, and isn’t that the goal of a wedding in the first place?” says Blum.
A standard range is between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit, but you’ll want to consider the season. If you have a summer wedding, you might want to lower the thermostat; if it’s in winter, consider making it a bit warmer. The best idea is to test out the room the day of your wedding, make any adjustments, and know who the point of contact is for any changes needed to the room throughout the event.
A Structure Leak Could Be Lurking in the Background
When you book a venue, you’re putting trust into the space to be as logistically sound as possible — but what if something is afoot that’s not apparent on your venue tour? Or what if something happens during the setup and breakdown process? Structure leaks can be one of the biggest culprits, and they “can be harmful to a wedding,” says Blum. “They can be as destructive as ruining a soundboard, the décor, or guests’ attire.”
Blum suggests always working with qualified vendors that you have vetted ahead of time to ensure they won’t cause any damage to the space, as well as talking with venue representatives and asking any questions you may have. If your wedding includes a tent, Blum says to set it up early in the process “so you can test it in a rainstorm.”
There Isn’t Enough Staff to Cater to Guests
No one wants to wait at a wedding. In an ideal scenario, the service flow is uninterrupted, and guests can enjoy the event fully without getting annoyed by any delays. “If there are lines at a bar or it takes too long for the food to come out of the kitchen, it will impact the timing for everything else on the wedding day,” explains Blum. “It’s similar to eating at a restaurant; if there aren’t enough servers, the experience is ruined.”
To avoid this, you’ll want to be upfront with the venue about how many guests you plan to host on your wedding day so they can adequately staff it. As a general rule, according to Marcy Blum, you’ll want to have 1.5 waiters for every 10 guests at a sit-down dinner or cocktail event and one bartender for every 25 guests.
There Aren’t Enough Bathrooms for All Guests
Similar to the above scenario, you’ll also want to ensure enough restroom facilities for the number of guests you anticipate RSVP’ing for your wedding. “Your guests want to be on the dance floor, not in line for a bathroom,” says Blum. A good standard is one restroom for every 50 guests, especially if the event will last four hours or more.
Of course, the number of stalls in each bathroom makes a big difference. If you are planning a large wedding, the number of facilities the venue has should be a big deciding factor in whether you book it or not.
A Guest Is Injured During the Reception
It sounds like a worst-case situation, but the truth is, “People get hurt at weddings all the time,” says Blum. Whether someone falls on the dance floor, trips over a waterfall of flowers at the end of a table, or accidentally cuts themself with a steak knife, it happens. The best option, says Blum, is to protect yourself with a good wedding insurance policy that offers liability coverage so you aren’t held financially responsible for any medical bills or even a lawsuit.
“Clearly, none of this is fun,” says Blum. “But it makes it a little bit easier if you know you’re not gonna be out thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.” BriteCo offers wedding insurance with both liability and cancellation coverage that can protect couples in the case of an accident or injury and with zero deductibles.
COVID or Other Illness Impacts the Wedding Day
Imagine planning your whole wedding day, invitations are sent out, RSVPs are in, caterers and florists have your final orders — and then someone in your bridal party or you and your partner wind up sick. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this became a huge issue. “So much money was lost, and there was so much panic around wedding planning,” says Blum. “Nobody knew what they would get back or not get back, or if they could change the date. I had couples who had to change their date three times because there was a resurgence.”
While the pandemic has eased from those early days, it’s still a lingering problem, and illness, in general, can derail your big day. But there is a difference today; you can protect yourself with wedding insurance. BriteCo’s cancellation coverage protects against a range of illnesses, and BriteCo is one of the only companies to safeguard against cancellations due to COVID-19. “It’s a must-have in case a mishap happens.”
Protect Your Big Day with Comprehensive Wedding Insurance
Whether it’s illness, injury, or vendor or venue issues, BriteCo has your back on your big day. BriteCo wedding insurance policies offer extensive liability and cancellation protection — even due to COVID or a change of heart — meaning you won’t be held financially responsible if the unexpected happens. Want to find out more? Get your free, fast quote today!
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