5 Tips to Help Your Wedding Day Run Smoothly

First off, congratulations!!! If you are reading this post then you are probably planning your wedding, will soon be planning your wedding or are helping a special person in your life plan their wedding. I hope you are having as much fun as I did planning my own wedding!

Now, I am going to let you in on a little secret. While your wedding day is going to be perfect (because you are marrying the love of your life), it might not run as perfectly as you had hoped. Take a breath. It will be okay! Allow me to share my own wedding as an example.

There are a few big moments that stand out as "not perfect" moments on my wedding day. The first hiccup came when I woke up to find a light dusting of snow on the ground. No big deal normally (it is Chicago after all), but it was May 16th and I had planned on having an outdoor wedding ceremony. Was I bummed out, sure. However, like most brides, I had kept an eye on the weather and came up with a plan B.

The next "uh oh" moment came as I was stepping into my dress. My bouquet was mentioned with my father's photo hanging from it (my father passed away a month before my wedding) and I just lost it. Tears streamed down my face leaving white lines in its wake. One of my sweet bridesmaids stepped in and was able to fix the issue, but there was a definite moment of panic knowing I was about to walk down the aisle looking like a zebra.

The final major "oopsie" I found out about after our wedding. Apparently the shelf in the refrigerator that held my wedding cake collapsed during my ceremony along with my beautiful cake. Thankfully, my caterer was a rock star and had a replacement cake there hours later. Sometimes it's best not to tell the bride everything.

So, what is the point of my wedding mishaps. Not to scare you I promise, but to prepare you. I am still married to an incredible man. I had amazing friends and family by my side and I have fantastic stories to share.

However, I want to help make your day even better with five tips to help your wedding day run smoothly.

1. What to do when weather doesn't cooperate.

Keep an eye on the weather. We all know how unpredictable weather can be, especially in Chicago, so here are a few things you can do to help battle the flaky weather conditions.

If you run into a situation like my own, come up with a plan b. Knowing there was a chance my wedding would be inside I purchased an arch to get married under and had flowers decorated on either side. It might not be the outdoors, but bringing the outdoors in was the next best thing.

If you think there is a chance of rain purchase umbrella's for you and your bridal party. Rain photos can be pretty awesome! I will warn you, your may get a little wet and dirty, but it's worth it. Rain boots are another fun accessory to add to the mix to keep your feet dry. However, if neither of those ideas appeal to you, then find a location that is indoors or has a covering for photos.

Maybe extreme weather will be the cause for alarm on your wedding day. If you know it's going to extremely hot, put water bottles on the chairs if there is an outdoor ceremony or a hand fan so that guests can stay cool. Same goes for the bridal party. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Mix in some water bottles with the beer on the party bus. I promise, a little water won't kill the party fun.

On the other hand, if it turns out your wedding is colder than expected gift your girls a cute sweater or shall to help take the chill off during those outdoor portraits. They will be very grateful you did!

2. Create an emergency bag. It's always good to have an "emergency bag" handy on your wedding day. You can create one for each bridesmaid or just have one group one on hand. Useful things to keep in your emergency bag: shout wipes, sewing kit, pins of some kind, Advil or Tylenol, band-aids, small makeup kit with brushes, lipstick, lip gloss or chap stick, makeup remover wipes, a few granola bars or snacks and some water bottles.

3. Shout Wipes are your friend!

I mentioned packing your emergency bag with shout wipes. Yes! Yes! Yes! I carry them on me at all times and I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled them out to use on a wedding day. They came in handy on my own wedding day when my dress was covered in dirt and they came in handy again when I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding and the server spilled a glass of red wine on my mint dress. Thank gosh for shout wipes!!!!!

4. Pad the timeline.

This is something I do for all my couples. I always put a ten minutes extra here and there because as many of you probably know, weddings rarely run on time. However, if you are that lucky couple and things go according to plan you have a little breather time to sit back relax and take it all in.

5. Know that some things are out of your control.

Like most things in life, some things are out of our control. I understand it is frustrating after spending months and months planning what you envisioned as the perfect day. Do your best to take a deep breath, calm yourself down and remember the reason you are planning this special day. It's about committing your life to another person. Life can be messy at times, but having that one person by your side makes all the difference. So regardless of all the wedding day craziness. Take it all in because your day will be perfect!