For Better or Worse - Contingency Planning

Weddings are a fun and joyous occasion so it's easy to plan for the good things that come with getting married. But what if something goes wrong just before your wedding or on the day itself? Even though it seems a bit depressing to think about, it's always a good idea to have a plan B.

For a start it you are getting married in Britain, it makes sense to have a wet weather plan. Ideally you will have all of your photos outside in bright sunshine, but if it does rain all day and let's face it with recent summers there's a good chance it could, where will you go? It's a great idea to speak to your venue and photographer in advance about wet weather plans. Scout some indoor or covered locations that you could use in the rain and make sure if you are planning an outdoor drinks reception that the venue has indoor space available too. Make sure to buy a few big golf umbrellas just in case. I've seen some great wet weather photos taken of Brides in wellies under huge brollies.

When you book suppliers, ask them what would happen if they are ill on the day. Many good photographers for example will have a network of other photographers that they would call on if they couldn't attend your day. It's a great idea to give a list of suppliers names and contact numbers to your best man or wedding coordinator on the day and then if someone doesn't turn up, they can start ringing them asap without bothering you.

It also pays to check simple details like can the stretch limo you have booked make it down the narrow one track country lane to your remote country house or can your 16th century venue support your DJ's amps and lighting rig draining all of their power without plunging the whole room into darkness.

Wedding insurance is essential and it will protect you from supplier problems and also the more unthinkable problems like having to call things off at the last minute due to ill health of the Bride, Groom or immediate family member. Apart from that the best thing is to confirm all of the details with suppliers before the wedding, make sure you have contracts with all of your suppliers and ensure that everyone know where they should be and when on the big day.

Don't let worrying about things going wrong ruin the day, especially the small stuff like your flowers matching your table diamonds, but do spend a bit of time thinking about what you would do if any or the big parts of your day like the weather, venue, cars, photographer or caterer let you down at the last minute.