Unfortunately, sometimes awkward wedding situations happen simply because brides never thought to plan to prevent them. These aren’t your typical broken heel or lost bouquet situations, but family issues that many brides will need to plan for. By having them brought to your attention before your wedding day, you can plan to avoid awkward situations.
Divorced Parents
If the bride or groom has divorced parents, especially if those parents don’t get along, the wedding and reception can feel somewhat strained. The best way to deal with this is to keep them as far away from each other as possible. If you have assistants helping wedding guests be seated before the ceremony, make them aware of the situation and ensure that they seat the parents away from each other. This is also important for the reception and seating chart. It’s best to seat individuals near family or friends they get along well with, so they will be occupied with catching up and conversation.
Guests Who Weren’t Invited
Occasionally, a guest will bring extra individuals who the bride and groom never planned for. This can be an awkward situation, especially since seating has been planned out, entrees have been planned out, etc. The best way to deal with this and avoid an awkward situation is to plan for a few extra guests. Leave a few seats vacant and have extra food and favors on hand, just in case something like this happens. Then, you’ll be able to happily welcome an extra guest without causing embarrassment (the guest may not know you weren’t prepared for them) or an awkward situation.
Awkward Songs
Imagine getting ready to dance with the best man and the DJ starts playing Jessie’s Girl. That would be an awkward moment, and that’s a mild one. Imagine if you and your ex boyfriend’s song started playing when you were dancing with your brand new husband. Avoid awkward situations like this by supplying the DJ with a “do not play” list. This prevents anything inappropriate from being played during the wedding.
By thinking about these potentially awkward situations ahead of time, you can prevent them or do your best to avoid them. We’ll leave you to negotiate what’s allowed in the best man and maid of honor speeches on your own!
