Do you know what people want to know most from you as a bride? They want to know what went wrong on your wedding day. Somehow, that's the biggest fascination – and I admit, the best stories to tell. So, here are the five things that went sliiiiightly different than we planned on our special day.
1. The carriage never came
It's October 13th. I'm getting ready in the wedding suite, feeling blessed and the luckiest of girls. Then comes the dress, the first look, our parents' blessing. And suddenly it's only the two of us, him and me, waiting together. By now, all our wedding guests are already in the church close by. We have a few minutes left to ourselves, holding hands, feeling each other's heartbeat. Pure bliss.
From our room, we could see the horse getting ready, all shiny and beautiful. It would take us down with a horse carriage to the doors of the church. Every time I heard this buddy's neighing I had to smile, which in return made the groom smile
By now there are seven minutes left to the ceremony, and there is still no sign for us to leave. Suddenly, a phone call. I could hear the voice of our slightly nervous wedding planner. There was not going to be a horse carriage. Apparently, the coach driver just had an accident on his way to the location and was tied with some paperwork in the next village.
By now there are five minutes left. (Not that I ever care about punctuality. I'm known for always being late…) There is nobody left in the hotel who could give us a ride. #challengeaccepted
We stepped out in the sun and there was the solution. A car. The only car in the parking lot. An 18-year-old Volvo. In a 'stylish' Bordeaux color. Our car. We smiled at each other, I lifted my dress, and we ran. Giggling, we squeezed me and my dress into the seat. Let me tell you, it left glitter EVERYWHERE in the car, and those shiny sparkles accompanied us for many more weeks after the wedding. #bestsouvenirever And that's how the story ends. Something went wrong but it couldn't have ended better.
2. The mystery carpet
If you're a bride yourself, or a maid of honor, or if you're simply someone who knows the business, you know that specifics matter. We actually loved our wedding preparations. It was a great time, and I'm very thankful for it. We knew exactly how we wanted our church to be decorated. A few green branches on the sides, and a bouquet in front of the altar. That's it. As simple as that.
However, as we step through the doors, there's suddenly a long white carpet lying on the floor, running from the main entrance to our chairs in the front. Surprise! Where did this mystery carpet come from? We don't know and we'll never know, I guess.
3. Untying the knot
What? Untying the knot? I thought the whole reason for our gathering would be TYING the knot?! Yeah… you're right. But I'm, too.
At some point during the ceremony, the wedding bands are brought forward in order to finally find their places on the bride's and groom's fingers. What can go wrong? Well… Back home I put the wedding bands in a cute little glass box filled with eucalyptus. In order for them to stay in place and don't fly around in the box, I tied them together and then to a eucalyptus branch. A knot, a bow. It looked wonderful! #perfectionista However, with my shaky hands it wasn't as easy to untie as I thought it would be. One of our best men almost ended up with a laughing fit, and sure we made our priest smile, too.
4. Different cake
I'm not a fan of cake, but just as every other detail in our wedding I took it as a possibility to make it our own. Finally, I found a décor that I loved. Quite simple, rustic, natural.
The moment comes, Maroon 5's "Sugar" accompanies the cake's entrance, and there it is. Nice, but… not really ours. At least, it didn't look like it. The confectioner must have misunderstood something.
Well, the most important thing was that it tasted just like it should have tasted and that's the most important thing. I mean, in the end, it's only dessert, right?
5. The dance battle
Last but not least, here comes my own little personal fiasco. The wedding party was simply amazing. We danced the night off and had a blast swirling and jumping over the dance floor. For us, it was the best wedding party we could ever imagine…until….
Around midnight the girls started off a dance battle against the boys on the dance floor. Girls vs. boys. Bride vs. Groom. Oh, I was so sure of winning this. I was so damn sure… I mean, we were twenty beautiful girls, looking amazing in our dresses, ready to dance till victory.
But then came the groom and his boys – and they rocked! They countered with the most hilarious moves, they put the crowd on fire and earned a ton of applause. A crushing defeat for my girls and me. The victory of the evening definitely went to our dear husbands, fiancés, brothers, best men and male friends. They were simply the best!
That's it. Those were the things that went 'wrong' on our wedding day. Does wrong mean bad? No. It only means that something doesn't go as planned. #littlesurprises Was I prepared that some things of that kind would happen? Yes. The thing that matters is your reaction to those little sparkles of surprise. Luckily, we love-birds were so filled with happiness and affection to everyone and everything around us, so that nothing of that kind really mattered to us. Our smiles didn't fade. Not for a second. And that's what matters in the end. Don't you think?