nightmare wedding on gma

I was watching Good Morning America this morning and they featured a teaser story to promote their 20/20 Special tonight called "Wedding Confidential." You can watch the segment here. They start by saying, "If you're planning your wedding right now, cover your eyes." Then they go on to show one couple's nightmare wedding. I'll be honest, bad things can happen and sometimes they are out of everyone's control, but most of the things that this particular couple went through could have been easily avoided with a little planning.So this couple, Ravayna and David, got married outside in New Orleans on October 6, 2012. They arrived in New Orleans three days before the big day, so they were planning from out of town. They checked in with the venue to find that there was no lawn or bushes. The kitchen was closed for renovations. Their flowers arrived mostly dead. David's suit arrived three sizes too big. Ravayna hit her head on a door. It was a hot day and Ravayna had a lot of dress, so she almost passed out.All of these things, minus the bride bumping her head, didn't have to happen. We work with couples planning from out of town all the time. We've even helped a couple plan their Philadelphia wedding from Singapore. So hiring a wedding planner in the town they were getting married would be our first recommendation. Their planner would have been able to guide and help them choose reliable vendors, hopefully eliminating the issues with the venue, florist, and suit. Their planner would have reviewed the vendor contracts to make sure the couple was protected in case issues did come up. And a planner would have also been able to deal with these last minutes headaches, so the couple didn't have to stress in the days leading up to their wedding.Our next recommendation is to do a little research. Read vendor reviews online and don't be afraid to ask to speak with past clients. For example, reading the florist's reviews online could have uncovered that other couples had bad experiences and that this particular florist wasn't a good choice. A quick visit to accuweather.com shows the weather in any town from last year and the forecast for the next two years in their monthly outlook section. Yes it's just a forecast, but seeing that the historic average is in the 80's, you know it's going to be hot.This leads us to our next tip... have backup plans. If your planning an outdoor wedding, have a plan b location for the ceremony, reception, and photos. Whether it's a tent or adding fans, have a plan in place for the different curve balls that Mother Nature could throw your way.I say all these things not to criticize this couple. They didn't know better. Like so many couples, this was their first time planning a wedding. But we want to let other couple know that they don't need to "cover their eyes." We know firsthand that not everything happens according to the plan, but there is a lot you can do to prepare and it's easy to avoid most of these wedding day disasters.The most important thing is to remember to remain calm and enjoy it no matter what. We love that even though everything went wrong, Ravayna had a great attitude and a tip of her own... the wedding is just one day, while the marriage is forever.