OK, crashed is a little strong - I went to a wedding that I wasn't invited to and didn't know the bride or groom. I was assisting the wedding coordinator.
Since I said "I do" nearly four years ago, I've been obsessed with weddings - from planning to attending them. I became so absorbed with planning my wedding that the day after, I saw the hotel wedding coordinator, who worked with me, showing the ballroom to another bride and immediately became green with envy. For six months, my life was nothing but planning our wedding that I didn't know what to do with myself after I got married. I officially had post-wedding-planning depression.
A couple of months ago, I took a wedding-planning course, in hopes of finding out if I had what it took to become a wedding planner. The teacher, who has guest starred on "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/whosewedding/index.jsp, warned us on day one that coordinating weddings isn't glamorous. She said there was a spike in people interested in becoming wedding planners after the job was glamorized by Jennifer Lopez's role in "The Wedding Planner."
I learned Saturday that there's little that's fabulous about being a wedding planner.
Yes, planners can help brides' dreams come true, but what goes on behind the scenes can sometimes be a nightmare.
The wedding I assisted was in New York City. The ceremony was flawless, but chaos nearly broke out immediately after the groom kissed the bride.
The guests were supposed to take a tour of the city on double-decker buses, but the tour was canceled because of a severe downpour. The wedding party huddled on one side of the church steps while the photographer tried to snap some pictures. The guests were crammed on the other side of the steps trying to stay dry.
The wedding was over at 4 p.m., but the cocktail hour wasn't supposed to begin until 5:30, because of the tour in between. So, the guests waited. The complained about the weather. Hair fell. Make-up ran. Suits became wrinkled and dresses stuck to skin. The humidity was unbearable and it wasn't much better inside the unairconditioned church.
I was running in the rain from the church to the corner - about half a block- to where the buses were parked to rely messages to the drivers, who didn't have cell phones. It's 2008, right? My hair was soaked, my pants were drenched and my flats were slushy. I had an umbrella, but when the rain is blowing toward you, it makes no difference whether you're covered or not.
The rain finally let up and the guests jumped on the buses. Five minutes later, the rain returned full force. By the time we arrived at the loft for the reception, the rain was torrential. Of 150 guests, three had umbrellas. So, as the assistant, it was my job to escort women from the bus to the loft door. Can you imagine me running in the rain, holding an umbrella over the beautifully-dressed women? It was not a pretty picture.
Things calmed down once everyone was inside and got some alcohol in them. The bride and groom arrived about a half hour later in a black Lincoln Town Car because the Rolls Royce they rented broke down at the church. The sun was out and they looked happy - they had no idea how awful it was trying to get their guests inside. Their first dance was beautiful.
Weddings are gorgeous. Nothing makes me smile faster than seeing a couple in love starting their lives together. But coordinating them was a learning lesson for me - one that I will leave to the real wedding planners.
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