You have spent (or will spend) so many hours–literally, hundreds–in the planning and preparation of your wedding, that you might well scoff at the thought that anything could go wrong. But remember Murphy and his famous Law: things are going to go wrong. And it’s like playing tennis: you need to have backup plans and some built-in flexibility in order to respond to whatever gets lobbed over the net (or in this case, tulle) at you next.
If you’re the bride: yes, You are the Bride, and This Is Your Day–but don’t get so caught up in that mentality that you’re unable to snap out of your self-indulgence if some quick-thinking is needed to keep Your Day from going south. And if you’re the mother of the bride, don’t reassure yourself so completely that everything has been ordered and paid for, that it will all unfold without a hitch. Getting hitched doesn’t usually happen without a hitch or two of its own.
First, be sure you have what you need to head-off minor emergencies. You will need two “emergency” boxes, one as a traveling “medicine chest” and one for wardrobe emergencies. To make this more wedding-oriented and less like drudgery, it’s a good idea to go to Ross, Marshall’s, or another store of that type, and buy a very pretty nesting set of hat boxes. The largest can be for the bride’s smaller necessities and accessories: corset, shoes, pantyhose (pack an extra pair), tiara and other jewelry, deodorant, makeup, etc.; perhaps even the groom’s wedding ring. If the bride is not wearing her hair up, a curling iron might save the day for fallen curls. The smaller nesting boxes can hold the “emergency” supplies–that way, when packing up to leave for the big show, you’ll know you need to have those three matching boxes.
We’ll begin with the first batch of possible casualties: Wardrobe Malfunctions.
The “wardrobe” emergency box should be the second-largest of the hat boxes, containing: small spools of thread in black (or whatever color to match the men’s tuxes), ivory or white to match the bride’s dress, and a color to match the bridesmaids’ gowns; a small pair of scissors (make sure they’re sharp); a small packet of needles (so that more than one person can sew if need be); a roll of iron-on hem tape; safety pins of assorted sizes; a seam ripper; a Tide To Go stain remover pen. Find out whether whoever is in charge of putting the linens on the tables will be bringing an iron (they may only be bringing a steamer); if not, set the iron on top of the packed box (or inside, if it will fit) in the lineup of "things to go".
But what could possibly go wrong?
Your bridesmaids are your closest friends, maybe even relatives. They’ve been happy for you, thrown showers, given you an unforgettable bachelorette party. However it may have pinched their pocketbook, they’ve come up with the cash for their dresses. The only thing is . . . they have their own lives. And unfortunately, what this means is, they mentally check off things they have to do . . . like getting measured for their dresses, maybe even getting them altered–but then the gowns hang in their garment bags until the day of the wedding.
Which is when they find out that the zippers on their dresses aren’t just stubborn; they actually do not work beyond a certain point, or work leaving gaps. The affected bridesmaids will have to be whip-stitched into their dresses over the zipper, by hand, with a long double thread. If possible, don’t rush–tangled thread now isn’t going to help anything.
Or, one of them tried on her dress but it was hugely too long. She truly intended to get it altered, but since it fit her otherwise, she forgot all about it. It is now that you need that iron-on hem tape. Have her stand in her dress, wearing her shoes (this is easier if she stands on a chair). Experiment at finding the right length by folding the dress under. If it’s a fairly full skirt, use the safety pins to pin it up every few inches all the way around. Have her take the dress off, turn it inside out, and crease the fabric along the fold line. Move the safety pins down to 1/2” above the fold line, then carefully cut off the excess fabric another half-inch above the pins (so 1” total hem). Slip the iron-on tape under the turned-up hem, setting it about 3/8” down from the cut edge (in case the fabric ravels). Borrow the table ladies’ iron, or use the one you packed, and press on the inside only, with a warm–not hot–iron, keeping it moving in a circular motion so as not to scorch the fabric, to a count of 20. As you finish each section, give the tape a few seconds to cool, then test it to be sure the adhesive melted and bond is secure; then move on to the next section–all the way around the hemline.
And those few inches of fabric you cut off? You can use those to cut a piece for Jennifer, who gained 10 pounds since she tried on her dress, and now the zipper is a full inch from meeting: fold a strip of the fabric under at the top, level with the armhole, and stitch it to the zipper on one side. Then have her put on the dress, and whipstitch the other side of the zipper to the fabric, allowing the extra fabric to show and fill in the area that doesn’t meet. Her arm will be down most of the time, anyway. If there is no convenient piece of matching fabric, is there some wide ribbon in an almost-identical color that can be used, in the decorators’ box?
Somebody bends over to buckle a shoe, and a side-seam pops; just a few stitches, but you know it’s going to grow into a noticeable gap as the event goes on. Go to that inside seam, and sew it back up with double thread and small, even stitches–twice, because your hand stitches arent’ as strong as machine stitches and you’ve already been shown that this is a vulnerable spot. Be sure your stitches extend at least 1 inch beyond each end of the rip, so it doesn’t grow.
Somebody manages to step on a ruffle at the bottom of someone’s dress, causing a foot-long section of it to rip loose. Take 2 needles with double thread, and put two people to work, starting at the outside ends of the rip and working toward each other. Most ruffles are gathered fabric, so those who are plying needles will have to “gather” the fabric with their fingers as they stitch. Again, strong, small stitches. And beware: this is going to be a weak point of this dress if it gets stepped on again.
A bridesmaid, or likely even more than one–will discover that after hanging in a bag for 3 months, the skirt of her dress is wrinkled. Good thing you brought the iron! (Be sure to keep the temperature low; there is no backup plan for melt-holes at this point, except fewer bridesmaids.)
Spot on a gown? Stain-remover pen. Be careful with this–especially if it’s the wedding gown. As they always warn on the package, find an unobtrusive place, such as the back side of a hem, to test a small dab of the cleaner to be sure it doesn’t burn a hole in the fabric. This stain remover “pen” works by shaking it up to evenly mix its ingredients, then pressing the tip of the “pen” into the stained fabric to release the stain remover–don’t use too much. Work the chemical into the stain with the tip of the “pen”, wiping away the damp “stain” by pressing the area (from above and below) with paper towels. If it leaves a mark, and the mark is in a noticeable spot–then, if on the bride’s gown or a bridesmaid’s gown, thread a needle with matching thread and make a tiny tuck from underneath–it may make the dress look wrinkled in that one spot, but is probably preferable to the stain.
Miscellaneous gown-fit adjustments or uncooperative bra straps, be it the bride, the maids, the moms? Break out the safety pins or a needle and thread for a quick stitch to make things right.
The groom, the dads, and the groomsmen are simply going to assume their tuxedos are ready to roll, inside their garment bags. So–the very first question that needs to be asked, is: does everybody have a shirt, and is it the right size? This is among the most common omissions on the part of tux rental places. Of course, every guy should have audited his stuff when he picked it up, but probably most guys will not. So once everybody is assembled and ready to dress, somebody–perhaps the Best Man–needs to ask this question; there may still be time to call the tux place (or, failing that, the closest tux place, even if it costs you–the original place can reimburse you) and get another shirt(s) there, pronto!
You’re not having a ringbearer, and the pockets on the tuxes are sewn closed; where will the best man put the ring? Seam ripper! This also applies if the top of the breast pocket is sewn closed, preventing insertion of a pocket square.
Button falls off? One sleeve or pantleg is hanging long; they forgot to hem it? You have what you need. Double thread, big strong stitches for speed; or a double row of the iron-on hem tape. This won’t make the tux shop very happy, but it was their mistake.
There’s a really good chance that not one of these things will go wrong, and the “wardrobe” box will return home unopened. But if any little one of them does–well, better to have it on hand than to have your only tool be the stapler from the venue’s front office–which, incidentally, will be locked. And if you are lucky enough to escape without wardrobe malfunctions–well, change out the color of the thread, and it will make a lovely shower gift for the next bride–or the start of a sewing box for your new home.
