Nightmare Wedding Scenarios & How to Deal with Them
Needless to say, we hope as much as you do that your big day goes off without a hitch. But, just like anything else, weddings can run into problems, from minor logistical niggles to melodramatic nightmares. Following are just a few of these hypothetical issues, and how best to deal with them.
Perhaps the ultimate awkward wedding scenario is an ex turning up uninvited. Of course, many people are on perfectly amicable terms with former partners and may have no issue with them attending as somebody’s plus one, or even invited them to their wedding themselves. Sadly, though, these cases are the exceptions rather than the rule. Relationship coach Susan Quilliam suggests making sure that a sympathetic third party acts as a minder to the ex in question, keeping them in conversation – ideally as physically far away from you and your partner as possible! And if and when you do speak to them, make sure those conversations are in public. You don’t want rumours going around on this of all days. Thankfully, keeping your ex at arm’s length shouldn’t be too difficult at the Grand Ballroom at the Montcalm London, a vast space which is one of the best wedding venues and private events spaces in London.
Perhaps the most nerve-wracking part of this nerviest of days, for the groom at least, is what your best man’s going to dig up from the treasure trove of faux pas that is your past in his speech. Let’s take it for granted at this stage that there’s probably going to be a lot of material to choose from to make as cringe-inducing (at best) speech as possible. What it comes down to then is how generous your best man is feeling – or where his limits of good banter and good taste lie, both in relation to one another and to the sensibilities of your 98 year old grandmother third from the left on the nearest table. This is a balancing act, and the best man will doubtless be feeling some near-unbearable pressure on himself to be funny, which can all too often make the temptation to spill over the lines of decency too great. The responsibility for this, if things start to go south, lies with you. Gauge the situation and have a quiet word in his ear if necessary –your bride will thank you later. In all likelihood he’ll just laugh and use it as another opportunity to take the mick out of you. But at least you tried.
Weddings are the ultimate stage for the high drama of awkward family reunions: a perfect storm of simmering hostilities, free alcohol and a special occasion to ruin. Hopefully, this tension won’t go inter-familial; as long as it doesn’t, at least it will be contained within the day and left behind when everyone goes home until Christmas, or the next family wedding, whichever comes sooner. But if the claws do come out and snide comments are thrown from her family to yours or vice versa, the best thing to do is just ignore it and take solace in your friends who make up the rest of the guests. Depending on the size of your families, there are likely to be more of you than them, so it shouldn’t take too long to get lost in the crowd.
