Weddings are full of friends and family, traditions, meaningful promises, and most of all, love. While those are all amazing things, a lot of other things will happen on your wedding day that you won’t expect.
I certainly experienced that on my wedding day! Looking back at these unexpected things, I wanted to share my experiences with you so you’ll be prepared for them on your big day.
Whether you’re recently engaged, in the middle of wedding planning, swiftly approaching your wedding day, or even just dreaming about your future wedding day, whenever that may be, here is a list of 29 things that you might not expect on your wedding day.
1 – Surprise Wedding Tradition Gifts
Your family members or close friends might surprise you with a last-minute wedding gift or personal memento for you to have on your wedding day.
The day before my wedding my little sister spent the night with me at my apartment. That evening, she surprised me with a pin that she made from her half of the big sister/little sister necklace that I gave her for Christmas about 10 years prior.
It was incredibly sweet and a total surprise—I don’t even know what happened to my half of the necklace. On my wedding day, we pinned it underneath one of my sleeves so I could have a part of her with me every second of the day.
My Aunt surprised me with a phone call the morning of my wedding asking if I wanted to borrow her grandma’s blue embroidered handkerchief to put in my pocket during the wedding ceremony.
I hadn’t planned on following the “something old something new something borrowed something blue” tradition, but I’m so glad she reached out and I was able to carry that tradition forward.
My husband and I also received the sweetest letters from my dad and I tear up every time I read them.
Enjoy these touching moments, the best times in life are made from these kind of moments!
2 – How Difficult Normal Tasks Are in a Wedding Dress
Normal everyday tasks like sitting, peeing, dancing, or even walking around are a lot harder when you’re in a wedding gown, especially a tighter-fitting one like the mermaid wedding dress that I chose.
Luckily my wedding ceremony, dinner, and reception were back to back so I didn’t have to navigate the bathroom situation in a wedding dress (although I did have to deal with my period on my wedding day. Note to all future brides: learn how to use a menstrual disc before your wedding—it will come in handy!).
The father-daughter dance steps my dad and I had practiced the evening before weren’t possible with my dress on. Getting in the car was quite challenging, even with the seat fully reclined, and sitting down for dinner seemed near impossible.
Now I was able to figure all of these issues out, but it was definitely a night of smaller, more controlled, and limited movements.
3 – Last-Minute Changes
Even if you’ve read all the wedding-related blog posts, articles, and checklists that you could find, there’s a very good chance that there will either be something you forgot or a last-minute change thrown at you on your wedding day.
Whether that’s adding a plus one to the guest list (which means shuffling a few chairs and printing a new place card like my husband and I ran into) or something entirely different, be prepared for a little change.
4 – The Guests Who Attend
Now, this is something my husband’s family told my family about early on in the wedding planning process, but I didn’t realize how true the statement was until my wedding day.
Of all the people you invite to your wedding and reception, the guests who attend and those who don’t will likely surprise you.
The people who would attend from my side of the guest list were always the unknown factor as my family lives just over 50 miles away from both me and the city where my husband and I held our wedding and reception.
Now that’s not too far of a distance, but for my parent’s neighbors and friends who I grew up seeing but didn’t know all that well? That’s a long drive for someone who hasn’t spent much one-on-one time with the bride and groom.
To our surprise, quite a few people made the drive up, and a few of the people we thought would attend, didn’t. That just goes to show that you should send invitations to everyone who you want at your reception, whether you think they’ll come or not (because you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised).
5 – No Discussed Plan is Set in Stone
People change their minds. Frequently.
Even if you’ve previously discussed plans and have a clear picture in your head of how your wedding day will go, other people have their own ideas and might end up going with their plans instead of yours.
On my wedding day, I was a little caught off guard when two of my sisters-in-law showed up in different outfits than the dresses that were ordered for them (to their credit, though, they each wore one of the wedding colors).
While I understand why they made that choice (the dresses turned out to be a little too short in both length and sleeves to cover their temple garments, and a layering t-shirt didn’t look quite right under them), I wish I had been told earlier so I wasn’t surprised on my wedding day.
6 – Not Everyone Will Participate
Full participation in anything is unrealistic and you can’t hold your guests to that high of a standard. No matter what activities and traditions you choose to follow at your wedding and reception, you can’t please everyone.
At our wedding, we had music playing and an open space for guests to dance as well as a google photos QR code link where people could share pictures they took at the wedding.
If you’re looking for an easy way for people to share photos, this is it—that’s why Google Photos is one of my top 5 apps for couples.
Not everyone danced, and not everyone submitted photos to the link, and that’s perfectly okay!
7 – Feeling Rushed
You can try to plan a day-of wedding schedule so there’s time for everything, but inevitably you will end up feeling rushed.
Delays will happen. Some plans will take longer than anticipated. Don’t let that throw you!
There’s no need to hastily rush to the next thing before the previous is over just to stick to a schedule. Yes, this is your day, but for the sake of your own stress levels try to go with the flow at least a little bit.
8 – Tearing Up at the Littlest Things
You will likely feel like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster on your wedding day.
One moment you’ll be overjoyed and having the time of your life, and the next moment your parents will be telling you how proud of you they are and how much they love being your parents, and then BAM! Someone turned on the waterworks.
Enjoy every moment on your wedding day, even the tear-filled ones—happy tears, I hope.
If you’re doing your own makeup on your wedding day like I did, try a few of my favorite products that will keep your eye makeup looking great all day:
- Fake eyelash wisps: these are much easier to apply than full lashes. I attached them like regular falsies with eyelash glue and the KISS lash applicator tool instead of the semi-permanent solution and technique that’s recommended on the box.
- Waterproof mascara: I applied waterproof mascara after gluing on the lash wisps so my natural eyelashes matched and were blended into the false lashes.
- Eyeshadow primer: an essential to keep your eyeshadow from creasing and ensure your eyelid makeup stays intact even if a few tears make it onto your eyelid or your outer corners.
- Setting spray: mist some setting spray over your finished makeup look to keep everything looking fresh throughout the day. This is especially important if your wedding is at the hottest time of the year like mine was.
9 – Something Won’t Go According to Plan
Even if your day-of wedding schedule is going great, everyone is cooperating, there aren’t any traffic issues, etc., there are still other things that are out of your control.
After my wedding ceremony, we had pictures taken in various locations around the venue, as most couples do. Soon after we started taking the bride and groom wedding photos, the clouds came in and we had to quickly take a few last pictures and then get in the car before it started raining.
That definitely wasn’t how we had planned it, but that’s what ended up happening.
Our reception ended up running late, as most receptions do. There are just so many people that want to talk to you and so many things that are planned.
Let your reception run a little late—no need to rush the celebration with your family to get to a hotel 30 minutes earlier. Speaking of hotels, if you’re feeling nervous about your wedding night, here are 10 great sexual intimacy tips & resources to help you prepare.
Try to be flexible and don’t let one little thing ruin your day. The most important thing is your wedding ceremony and the commitment that you and your spouse have made to each other. After that, everything else is just an added bonus to your special day.
10 – Emotions Affect Everyone Differently
Everyone handles and expresses their feelings in a different way. While we can try to predict what others will do based on our own understanding of emotions and what we’ve learned through personal experience, we can’t accurately pinpoint others’ emotional expressions.
On my wedding day, I thought my husband would tear up at least 3 times: first when we were married, second, when he saw me in my wedding dress for the first time (after our temple sealing), and third, when I gave him the scrapbook I made of our relationship timeline as a wedding gift.
Guess what happened? He didn’t tear up as I expected. Not a single tear rolled down the cheek, nothing.
That seemed weird to me for a couple of reasons. The first being I teared up multiple times on our wedding day, and the second is loosely based on the meme that says something along the lines of ‘if you don’t cry when you see me walking down the aisle I’m turning around’.
My sweet husband didn’t do anything wrong, I had just created an emotional expectation that he wasn’t likely to meet. Try not to set these kinds of expectations, your husband doesn’t have to cry to prove that he loves you and is the person you’re meant to be with—I promise.
11 – Your Wedding Day Will Be Bittersweet
That’s just how weddings are: bittersweet. Hopefully a lot more sweet than bitter, but there will most likely be some of both.
My mom always had this little saying that was frequently quoted soon after I started dating my now-husband: “I’m happy for you but sad for us.”
What she meant by that is while she’s glad that I’m ridiculously happy with my husband, it’s a difficult moment for parents when their children get married—particularly their daughters.
The Bible says that when you get married you’re supposed to cleave to your husband and become one flesh. That’s the circle of life, and while it’s an essential part of growing up and having your own family, your family now has to share you with not only your spouse but also their family.
12 – Some Sort of Near-Disaster
While most women don’t expect absolute perfection on their wedding day, they don’t expect a near-disaster either. I certainly didn’t.
Unfortunately, major mishaps are inevitable with both large groups of people and little kids running around.
On my wedding day, there was a near-disaster while I was having my father-daughter dance. Luckily the dancing kept me occupied so I didn’t see my nephews trying their hand at martial arts right next to the wedding cake table.
Good thing for us, my brother-in-law was quick on his feet and saved the cake—plus we got a hilarious picture out of it!
13 – Limited Time for Friends & Family
Your wedding is likely the biggest party you will ever throw, and probably the only time you will have all of your friends and family members from both sides in one place.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with everyone you love, but unfortunately, due to the number of loved ones there, you won’t have enough time to have long conversations with each person.
At my own wedding, there wasn’t much time to spend chatting with friends since the whole day was planned out and there were so many other people there who came to see us. This of course isn’t a bad thing, just something to keep in mind!
14 – An ‘Ew’ Comment After a Kiss
Young kids are known to speak their minds, and they aren’t particularly fond of PDA—I mean, can we blame them?
On your wedding day, however, you will inevitably share at least a few kisses with your spouse. If you hear a ‘gross’ or ‘you’ll get cooties’ sort of comment during the ceremony or photo session, it’s just kids being kids. Simply laugh it off and continue on happily.
15 – How Many Cameras Will Be On You
On your wedding day, you will have a lot of cameras on you—and not just from your wedding photographer or videographer.
These days with everyone having a phone camera in their pocket, a lot of close friends and families might snap pictures throughout the day or ask for a separate picture to be taken on their phone.
It’s expected that you and your new spouse will be the center of attention on your wedding day during the wedding ceremony, dinner at the head table, and the wedding reception, but you might feel like you have your own paparazzi for the day too.
16 – Unnecessary Comments from Relatives
We all have those relatives that we have to warn others about before they meet them. They typically mean well, but some people have a very limited verbal filter which often deteriorates with age.
With the number of people you’ll talk to on your wedding day, you will likely hear a slightly off-putting or unnecessary comment. Everyone has their own opinion and, when it comes to weddings, those opinions are typically stronger.
Whatever the comment may be, try to shake it off and go about the rest of your wedding day enjoying yourself and the time you have to spend with your loved ones.
17 – Different Interpretations
Even if people know what you want on your wedding day, they will likely have interpreted it differently than you intended it. If you are very particular about a certain way something is set up, when a certain wedding event happens, or anything else, make sure people are aware of and understand the wedding plan.
Once that plan is set in place people will try their best to make it happen, but try to be understanding if things don’t go according to plan. Even if it didn’t pan out 100%, that doesn’t mean it can’t be 90% the way you and your spouse wanted your wedding day to go.
Another thing to keep in mind is the large number of tasks and decisions that are communicated back and forth when planning a wedding. Someone may remember you saying one thing when in fact you said another. People aren’t perfect, and there’s a lot on everyone’s plate in the months leading up to the wedding.
18 – Not Getting the Chance to Try Your Reception Food
You spend so much time planning your wedding and choosing the perfect venue, the wedding decor, and what food you’ll serve, among other things.
The fact of the matter is, you’re so busy talking to people at your wedding reception that you likely won’t be able to eat any of the food.
Pro tip: have your family leave you some reception leftovers in the freezer to eat when you get back from your honeymoon. My family did that for my husband and me and it was nice to come home and have brownies and lemon bars to eat during the first week post-honeymoon as we reminisced about our wedding day and the big step we took in starting our life together.
19 – First Dances Can Be a Little Awkward
On your wedding day, you’ll likely have chosen to do the traditional father-daughter dance, mother-son dance, and a bride and groom first dance, or some combination of the three.
What most people don’t realize, however, is that the three-and-a-half minutes of solo dance time that you have during each song can feel a little awkward. This is a wedding moment where you are front and center and have a lot of eyes on you.
My mom brought up this point as we were planning my wedding so my husband and I decided to switch things up a bit for our dances. We started with a father-daughter dance, but I had my husband cut in halfway through and we did our first dance to the second half of the song.
He did a similar thing with the mother-son dance routine; they started the dance by themselves and then invited spouses and other couples to join in for the last half. This worked out great for us and I highly recommend it if you aren’t a fan of being the center of attention.
20 – A Receiving Line Will Form
I’ve never been a fan of receiving lines, and everyone who was helping me plan the wedding knew that I was against having one. People waiting in line to talk to you is stressful and I wanted to eliminate as much stress as possible during our wedding reception.
Unfortunately for me, people have a natural tendency to queue up and wait in line, so we did have an unofficial receiving line. I don’t think there’s a way around this one, so at some point during your reception, you can probably expect at least a small line of guests wanting to see the new Mr and Mrs.
21 – A Shoulder Foundation Stain
My husband and I chose to change out of our wedding clothes before making the drive to our wedding night hotel. When I went to take my wedding dress off, however, I was shocked to see a foundation stain on my shoulder!
I hadn’t spilled any makeup on my dress and was very careful when changing into it. What could this stain possibly be from?
During your wedding reception, and throughout the day, you will both give and receive the most hugs you’ve probably ever had in your entire life. Combine that with the fact that a lot of women wear makeup and are a little shorter than me (I’m 5’7, for reference), you can figure out exactly where the foundation stain came from.
22 – Everyone Wants to See You
It’s no surprise that everyone who comes to the wedding will want to see and talk to you during your wedding day.
What some guests don’t realize, however, is that your day is so jam-packed that you really only have a couple of minutes to spend with each person.
At my wedding, some of my friends and family were dancing and wanted me to join in. While I would have loved to join in on the fun, I couldn’t just leave the receiving line and ignore the guests who came to see my husband and me.
While you might feel some additional pressure to participate in certain activities on your wedding day, you have to make sure you take some time to visit with all of your guests and don’t only focus on a few of them.
23 – You Will Get Duplicate Gifts
Even if you create an easy-to-use Amazon wedding registry and fill it with plenty of wedding gift ideas in every price range (including my top-ten most-used wedding registry gifts), there will still be a few guests who choose to get a gift that’s not on your registry.
We only ended up with a few duplicate gifts or items we already owned, but it’s almost guaranteed that you will get something you already have or might not have wanted in the first place.
24 – Silly Little Mistakes are Inevitable
With everything that happens on your wedding day and the stress that often comes with it, you will likely make silly little mistakes.
We did a quick ring exchange outside of the temple doors for friends and family who couldn’t attend our wedding ceremony. My husband tried to put my ring on the wrong hand!
Speaking of rings, you absolutely need to try this jewelry cleaner! It’s the BEST—and it’s the only thing that’s removed tarnish and discoloration from my engagement ring. Make sure you have some on hand so your ring is sparkling on your wedding day! Read my complete guide for more information about this amazing jewelry cleaning solution.
After cutting the cake—which, by the way, is a difficult task to do smoothly with two people regardless—we almost forgot that we were supposed to link elbows before we had our first drink from the traditional Mr. and Mrs. glasses.
One of the best things you can bring with you on your wedding day is a sense of humor. Be prepared to laugh off the little things and just enjoy getting married and the celebration that follows!
25 – You’ll Forget Details of Your Wedding Day
Your wedding day goes by so quickly that when the day is over it all seems like a blur! It can be hard to remember details like the advice loved ones gave you or even remember all of the guests who attended.
Before I got married I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have a guest book as it just seemed like a book that would sit on a shelf and hardly ever be cracked open.
I’m so glad my mother-in-law talked me into having one! It’s a great way to reminisce, especially on your anniversary, and another reminder of your wedding day and everyone who helped to make it special.
If you don’t want a traditional guest book, here are a few excellent guest book alternatives you can try instead:
- The Lily & Val Wedding Guest Book is full of fun prompts like “What is the best way to make your spouse happy?’“ and “Where should we go on a weekend trip?“. It’s a great way to involve your guests a bit more than the traditional sign-in book, and after your wedding reception is over, you’ll have a book full of advice!
- Instead of having a traditional wedding guest book, you could have guests write messages on wooden blocks to create a custom wedding reception Jenga game! The set comes in an acrylic box so the game can be used as a home decor piece and also doubles as a fun couples game with loving messages and advice from loved ones written on every block.
- This wooden guest book sign is another great alternative as friends and family can still sign their names and write personal messages similar to the traditional guest book. After the reception, it can be hung on a wall as a meaningful home decor piece that will remind you of your happy wedding day.
- This wedding signature board is another guest book alternative that can be signed and later displayed in your home, but it’s a wooden rectangular piece with a cursive cutout of your last name in the center. It’s the same idea as guest book alternative number 3, but with a different look.
- Add in a little extra love with this wedding guest book alternative! Guests can write a message on a wooden heart and then place it in a frame that will later be displayed in your house. This option is perfect for both small and large weddings as there’s plenty of space for each guest to sign a heart and add it to the frame.
26 – How Hard it is to Clean Paint off a Car
Decorating the happy couple’s car is a longstanding tradition that typically leaves the bride and groom with a mess to clean up that’s surprisingly difficult to remove.
My husband and I stopped at a car wash on the way to our hotel since we didn’t want to risk our car’s paint being damaged by the hot sun as it sat in uncovered airport parking during our honeymoon.
A manual carwash was the only thing open that late at night, and it took a lot of time and effort to remove the messages from the windows—not all of it came off when we tried. We left the cute ‘just married’ script on the back windshield, and it was even harder to take off a week or so later.
It’s pretty likely that your car will be decorated in some way, so the removal process is something to keep in mind—especially considering what your plans are after the wedding day.
27 – There Will Likely Be Something You Would Change
You know how the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. After all of the hard work and planning that went into your wedding day, there will probably be a thing or two that you would have done differently.
Hopefully these won’t be major things, but there may be a few small ones like scheduling more time for pictures, ordering a different amount of food for the reception, or booking your venue even earlier for extra setup time.
Whatever your changes are, they can be small tidbits of advice that you pass on to another bride-to-be when she’s in the middle of her wedding planning, so your experience could help someone else avoid that same problem!
28 – It Feels Like a Chapter in Your Life is Ending
At some point on your wedding day or during the planning process, you will likely have the realization that a chapter in your life is ending. Now that’s definitely not a bad thing—married life is amazing! It’s simply different than what you’re used to.
Your current relationships and the time spent with friends and family will likely change. You might spend less time with some people, or the time you do spend might include your spouse more. Your friend groups might change to include other couples and people in a similar stage of life as you and your spouse.
You will have more of an obligation to check with your spouse and make decisions together instead of choosing what you’d like to do and putting your needs first.
When you get married, your spouse should be your top priority.
29 – It May Take a While for it to ‘Set In’
Just like leaving a job, graduating, or any other major life event, it doesn’t always feel real in the moment. Sometimes I still think of myself using my maiden name, and I feel too young to be someone’s wife.
Both my husband and I had a few “I can’t believe we’re married!” moments in the weeks following our wedding. Enjoy every moment! They’re a fun part of the transition to married life.
In a lot of ways, marriage is just the next natural step in a relationship and it feels like a continuation of that love, plus a few additional commitments.
No matter what unexpected things come up, don’t let them ruin your wedding day and the beautiful marriage you’re creating!
The wedding ceremony and the commitment you’re making to each other is the most important part of a wedding; everything else is wonderful, but the details of the day aren’t as important as the meaning of it.
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