Spirits In The Sky. Faith, Determination And Working It Out…

Now and then we hear a few horror stories about a wedding that should have been wonderful but wasn’t due to unruly guests with a few too many or even the in-laws who decided to act like out-laws during “crunch time.” 

It’s not really that difficult to behave yourself on site unless of course a few too many snuck up on you sooner than you had expected. Loose lips sink ships. 

At an event this weekend that I had expected flawless execution at (as usual), a conversation based on politics would be the start of a disastrous argument between the in-laws and out-laws. I have a fairly strict rule at WorthamWorld of “no religion no political” conversations. This rule should apply to events but it doesn’t. In fact, this rule should apply to social media but it doesn’t. 

You lose half your audience by consistently posting political rants whether you realize it or not. Those who may disagree with religious views may “choose sides” too. 

As parents in laws to your new son or daughter in law, attempting to change their religion on wedding day or even their political position is perhaps as “tricky” as one might imagine. But after a few visits to that open bar, “common sense is like breath spray. The people who need it the most refuse to use it and get up in your face anyway.” Set limits. If you know 3 drinks is your limit then stop at 2. 

Throughout all of these years in the events industry, I’ve been outspoken regarding open bars. Why? Because each and every time there has been a location disaster, alcohol was involved. 

Are you required to have an open bar? Absolutely not. In fact, if you do, you should have adequate security. I suggest having a cash bar. Paying for drinks will limit the “all they can drink” guests and their outlandish behavior. 

Cindy and I were recently asked “what was your wildest wedding?” Frankly, I was having a hard time choosing between three that immediately came to mind. Cindy wasn’t though. She belted out “that would be California. Everything went wrong. There was an intoxicated guest in a dress with no panties flashing guests. A toddler was accidentally locked in the car when the wind blew the door shut as her mom was changing a diaper. The groom was tossed and stuck in the patio lights and a guest who was witnessing the license scribbled out her old address while the bride screamed that she had ruined her wedding.” True story. All out chaos. 

But was it the open bar or a literal train wreck of coincidences? In my opinion, it wasn’t the open bar on that memorable occasion. I’m still confused as to why anyone wearing a dress would skip panties but to each their own. 

In my opinion, the beer swilling big mouthed brother was in my top 3 picks for the unexpected and most outrageous moments on location. None of his relatives even attempted to shut that guy up. His parents were on site and ignoring his outrageous antics while their daughter cried for him to stop. He disrupted my ceremony over and over and ended the event by smashing cake in not only the brides face but also the grooms. The bride was wearing a wedding dress I had given her. The entire event was sponsored by my family and I as a courtesy and yet the brother went unchecked for three hours? What the? 

Joanna had contacted us through The Pawning Planners but didn’t have a trade. She needed a dress, flowers, photos and an Officiant. She didn’t need her brother ruining her day. I will never get over that event. My team spent hours on Joanna’s hair and makeup. We provided everything to make her dream event a reality but the reality of having an idiot for a brother was something we had never encountered before. 

Then there was the broken tooth bouncing checks bride. Writing a hot check for her deposit and yet another for her balance, we can all hope she used the money that she didn’t pay for services to fix her tooth and that she no longer tries to twist off beer tops with her teeth. I had accidentally glued my finger to her tooth trying to repair it myself on location. My “role” is far more varied than anyone realizes or recognizes. 

It’s hard to “sift through the thousands of hours spent on location putting out fires” and “pick one event full of surprises” after all of these years. 

I’m often asked why and how Cindy and I became so diverse and versatile but the truth is that we have always been open minded. From being LBGT friendly to bartering to Prison Wedding Officiant services and unique requests, my family and I have always welcomed diversity. 

I frown on open bars because people are unpredictable. We want your event as special as you are…