There are so many aspects of wedding planning that are exciting and wonderful- from the time of picking your wedding date to deciding on the kind of seasonally inspired wedding favors you are going to send off with your guests, every part of this planning process will be filled with sweet experiences. But every married couple is going to tell you how the sweetest wedding moments in a celebration are also filled with surprises that might leave you feeling a little anxious and uncomfortable. Your wedding is going to be full of amazing moments from your first look to the time you walk down the aisle and cut the gorgeous wedding cake together as newlyweds, and there is absolutely no doubt in that. However, it is always advisable to be prepared for a few less-fun incidents during your otherwise fantastic and memorable day.

From the time your engagement is announced, your preparation for the big day begins. From organizing the perfect fall wedding to getting in touch with each and every vendor and deciding on a streamlined process, you can plan for every aspect. But if only weddings were that easy! Since weddings are filled with all kinds of people- from best to the worst, it is inevitable that a couple might find themselves smack dab in the middle of an uncomfortable situation! There are so many possible awkward wedding moments that are not catastrophic by any means and can be handled with a little charm and grace along with slight improvisation. Your attitude and composure will make you and your guests quickly forget these minor mishaps, only if you know how to handle these situations and diffuse them in time. We have come up with a list of some of the most awkward wedding moments and ways to deal with them so that all you carry from your big day celebration are only happy and incredible memories.

Super awkward wedding moments and ways to overcome them:

“When a good old friend or co-worker assume that they are invited”

It goes without saying that your celebration will be filled with picture-perfect wedding moments and you will want each of your near and dear ones to surround you on your big wedding day. However, there will always be a friend, an ex-colleague, or a relative who might not make it to the guest list but has already started making plans to be a part of your wedding day celebration. He or she might ask you about the place and location of your wedding and it can be too awkward to say "no" upfront. So what do you do? If you are feeling guilty, or annoyed, or even anxious, it is quite understandable. According to qualified wedding etiquette advice, you can acknowledge how much you appreciate their enthusiasm and presence and simply explain that you have a limited guest list. You can also suggest a luncheon or a dinner date with that person once your wedding planning is through and thank him or her personally for their warm energy.

“Tell one of your friends that she is not your bridesmaid” 

We can only imagine the horror of this super uncomfortable wedding moment! Probably one of the biggest hurdles of the wedding planning stage, telling your friend that she is not part of the bridesmaids' team is a true struggle. The best way to deal with this is to show that you still care about her and quietly assign another important task like making a "special wedding speech" to dodge the bullet gracefully.

“Being called with the wrong name”

There will be so many special wedding speeches and unannounced wedding toasts by both drunk and sober wedding guests! Hence a lot of people will be announcing your names during the celebration including the wedding band leader, your wedding officiant, the DJ, and the endless troops of wedding guests. There is a high possibility that at least one of these people will get mixed up and call you by the wrong name. Not the ideal situation for sure! To avoid this make sure that all your wedding vendors have a hard copy of your wedding day timeline that includes you and your fiancé's names if required with pronunciation assistance. So if somebody mispronounces your for your fiancé's name, quickly correct him or her without feeling awkward.

“A guest shows up wearing wedding white” 

Gorgeous wedding whites are traditionally reserved for the bride as she is naturally the center of attraction on her wedding day! So it’s an unfortunate faux pas when someone chooses that color for their wedding attire. As annoying as it may sound, it's not very uncommon! The best way to deal with this undesirable wedding situation is to just let it go, or at least for the moment! There is a difference between somebody wearing a casual white dress with floral embellishments or a traditional bridal wedding dress that looks like a second bridal gown! Although it is an unsaid wedding rule, some guests might not be aware and simply think that the sparkling white outfit looks good on them. So letting it go is the best way to enjoy your 24-hour period of bride title and not let anybody steal any amount of joy!

“Inviting work colleagues to the big day” 

It is so understandable that you would not want to invite everyone in the workplace to your wedding and most definitely you are not obligated to! The thumb rule of inviting your office colleagues to your wedding is to decide whether or not you genuinely enjoy their company or whether or not you socialize with them outside work. If the answer is yes then invite your closest work friends to your wedding but ask them to be discreet about it.

“One of your exes shows up at your wedding” 

This one sounds straight out of a horror show or a nightmarish fever dream! The rules of wedding etiquette dictate that you smile politely and treat him or her like all other wedding guests. If only real life was this smooth especially when the all-night bar is open for everybody with unlimited cocktails and beers! Make sure to have a plan B and a good one where your spouse is also involved. Steer clear entirely if that’s what it takes, or enlist a friend to keep you in check if you have even the slightest urge to engage.

“Wedding photo angles”

Not everybody is friendly with the camera and this one is very much understandable. It goes without saying that you would want the best photos for your wedding album out of all the hundreds of photos taken of you and your new family. If you are not particularly photogenic you do not need to feel awkward about the entire situation. You have paid a professional photographer to take the best photos of you and it is up to them to figure out your best and most flattering angles. To mitigate the situation, you may speak to your wedding photographer or have a pre-wedding shoot, so that you can get comfortable with different poses and have a practice wedding photoshoot before the real big day.

“Dealing with family feuds”

It is so common to face situations where two or more relatives or friends who are not in the greatest terms come face to face with each other on your wedding day. Although it is likely that there will be civil with each other during your wedding celebrations, it is best to take some measures beforehand while planning your wedding guest list. For instance, check out the reception seating plan guide for unconventional family dynamics or, ask one of your friends to keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't get too drunk as too much alcohol might instigate high-level emotions!

“Blacked out and drunk friends”

With the unending inflow of beer, wine, and cocktails, one or more wedding guests might use your wedding as an excuse to get totally wasted which might spiral things out of control on the dance floor! It is quite possible that someone on your wedding guest list might lose control over how much they have had to drink. It can be your old uncle Henry or one of your college friends or even your best man. This is where the role of your wedding vendors, the groomsmen, the bridesmaids, and your closest family members come into play. The wedding party member can discreetly pull the drunk group aside and ask them to settle down, or distract them with desserts or a trip to the photo booth so they’re not making a scene. If you have specific concerns about somebody who is famous for creating scenes at social parties, you can talk to your vendors ahead of time and have them ready to discreetly handle any situation that might arise. Also to avoid drunk driving, make sure that you have certain transportation options ready.

“Can I bring someone along with me?”

Another horrifying and awkward wedding situation is when a guest shows up with someone uninvited or someone who was invited but forgot to include in the RSVP to your wedding party. It is obvious that you wouldn't want to turn them away after they have already arrived at your party. From your cousin showing up with her kid to your best friend bringing her boyfriend she has been dating for over a week as her +1, there are all kinds of surprises. So in this case you can use your best judgment. Uninvited wedding guests are more common than you think. It is just really frustrating that some people don't understand the true meaning of wedding RSVP! Since there is not much that you can do, be gracious and let your wedding planner or a wedding party member try to accommodate the additional guest. You can simply move on and enjoy the biggest day of your life without anything ruining it.

“Wedding dance floor awkward moments”

It is a natural fear of every bride that she might mess up the first dance which means stepping on the groom's shoes or tripping over the hem of the wedding dress. There are millions of ways your first dance as newlyweds can go wrong, and it is not uncommon. From the wrong song playing to somebody interrupting your special dance to the wrong choreographed steps, awkward first dance moments are real. To mitigate this situation, you can call for a maximum of two people on the dance floor at a given time, especially during important wedding dances like the mother-son dance, the father-daughter dance, and the couple's first dance. It is highly possible that one of your wedding guests might think it's a good idea to join in before the DJ formally invites everyone to the dance floor. If this happens, just continue dancing while focusing on the person you are dancing with and appreciate these precious wedding moments to feel wonderful without letting anything get in the way. Also if the wrong song comes on during your first dance you can ask your DJ or bandleader to switch the tunes ASAP without feeling awkward. If that doesn’t happen, just wing it! It is all about having fun, so even if you both are not the best dancers, just enjoy yourself on the dance floor, no matter what song is playing in the background.

There is no doubt that weddings are exciting, monumental, and life-changing experiences for the couple and everyone around them. It is understandable that in your wedding, you would want everybody to be involved in every shape, way, and form. But sometimes in the form of helpful advice or tips people might not realize that they are sounding "off" to the bride or the groom. There are wedding traditions and etiquettes which we love and then there are moments marked by cringe-worthy incidents sometimes by our own people like friends, family, and colleagues. From unsolicited comments to cringy actions, these distasteful wedding moments fly freely during your planning period as well as on the actual wedding day itself. According to many wedding etiquette experts, whenever somebody hears about a wedding announcement, people love to inject their own beliefs and filters into the couple, which might seem unnecessary and put irrelevant pressure on them while planning their wedding. An occasion like a wedding is already prone to high levels of anxiety for the bride and groom. So it is very important for people to remember what they can do to circumvent more pressure on them and likewise, the couple should know what to take and what to reject right from the beginning.