Wedding slip-ups: Readers tell how perfect plans fall apart

If you're one of those people who believes weddings should be picture-perfect occasions with the only hitch happening at the altar, you should familiarize yourself with Murphy's Law.

It states: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Especially when you try very hard to make it all go right.

And those who have planned and pulled off a wedding probably know that firsthand. The readers who shared their wedding fiascos certainly learned their lesson the hard way. Their stories, below, also taught us a thing or two.

For instance, thanks to Las Vegan Terri Baker, we know not to plan an outdoor ceremony at a national park during flash flood season. And we learned that one should never store a wedding cake in a chest full of ice then let it bounce around in a moving RV for hours.

Donna Andress, from Las Vegas, makes us wish cell phones had been around in 1944 so she could have called her groom to let him know she was running very late.

And Denise Bellini knows now that it's never a good idea to fly to your wedding destination on the date you're getting married. Or to wear your wedding dress to the airport.

SCENERY IS OVERRATED

Terri Hanlon Baker, Las Vegas, married in 2003

I envisioned us standing at the crest of Cape Royal in the Grand Canyon at sunset proclaiming our wedding vows before a small group of close friends and family. We arrived late the night before, a little worn from travel in an RV that had tossed our belongings around like a salad.

Our beautiful little "Nothing Bundt Cake" had flipped over in the ice chest and became a "spongecake" expanding to fill the chest. We awoke the next day to a 70 percent chance of rain that was quickly becoming a 100 percent drizzle.

The brave contingent of the wedding party traveled to Cape Royal Point in full rain gear and grimaced as we watched lightning dance off the walls of the surrounding canyon. We were trying to garner up some rays of hope when a bolt of lightning struck the ground not 5 feet from my sister, sending an uncomfortable electric tingle across her skin. We quickly gathered up the wedding party and paraphernalia and headed for the quaint Kanab Lodge where we had our ceremony, still surrounded by those we love but with a wet gray sky instead of panoramic sunset as the backdrop.

CLOSE SHAVE

Diane Rhodes, Henderson, married in 1972

When I was getting married, my dad was to give me away. The time came and we were all there. Except my dad. It was a military chapel, and the chaplain was attempting to keep things on schedule. He looked in twice, and twice agreed to wait because "my dad's not here yet."

Finally, he said, "Five minutes and then we have to start, whether he's here or not."

I was nearly in tears; my wedding just wouldn't be complete without my father there. Four minutes passed, and my dad hurried in just as the chaplain stuck his head around the door again.

"Papa, you're late," I exclaimed. "But I'm so glad you made it!"

"I know I'm late," he answered. "But it's mostly your fault. First, I called the answering service to have them hold my calls, and they put me on hold for five minutes. That part wasn't your fault. But then you wanted me to wear just this one particular bow tie, and I couldn't find it for several minutes. By then I was so flustered, I shaved for three minutes before I realized the plastic cap was still on my razor!"

MIXED SIGNALS

Donna Andress, Las Vegas, married in 1944

It was July 1944 and World War II was in full swing. My high school sweetheart had joined the United States Navy and was stationed at Whidbey Island, Wash. He and I had exerted not-so-gentle pressure on our parents that he was due to get overseas orders and surely they must understand how important it was for us to be married.

Finally his grandparents decided they could take time away from their Chrysler-Plymouth agency (cars were few and far between during WWII) and would drive me to Mount Vernon to meet for the wedding. We traveled on S3 synthetic wartime tires, which blew easily. It was difficult to find replacements, thus we arrived on the appointed day but hours late.

Gail, on leave, had arrived on time. As first one hour then another passed, he hitchhiked to a neighboring town, thinking the planned meeting place had been misunderstood. In the meantime, we arrived at the designated spot, and there was no bridegroom.

I cried. Time passed. Gail hitchhiked back and all was well. Or was it? Upon entering the courthouse to purchase a wedding license, we were informed Washington had a three-day law. The reverend was patiently awaiting us. Gail's grandfather, as fine a new/used car salesman as ever promoted a car sale, talked a reluctant clerk into that license, and the ceremony was performed. We celebrated our 65th anniversary in July.

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

Elyse and Joseph Pittelli, Las Vegas,

My wedding day disaster was definitely my limo company. They showed up at the wrong address to pick me up. My bridesmaids and I began to walk to the church a couple of blocks away when the limo showed up to pick us up curbside.

The driver took my flowers and helped me in the limo with my big puffy Cinderella dress on. My flowers were on the top of the limo when we pulled away, which resulted in a bridesmaid seeing them fall in the middle of the main street. The driver stopped and dodged traffic to get them.

When getting out of the limo on the opposite side of the car, my dress tore due to the driver shutting my dress in the other door as I got in.

I walked down the aisle with two broken stems on my bouquet and a tear in the tulle of my dress. We rubber-banded the broken stems to other flowers and cut the torn piece of dress off at the church. Needless to say, after the honeymoon I dealt with the company and had money returned to me. All said and done, it was still one of the best days of my life and I wouldn't change a thing. I am married to the perfect match for me and love him to death.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Pietro and Denise Bellini, Henderson, married in 2009

I waited six years for my Italian fiance to pop the question. When I finally got my wish, I thought my dreams came true. I planned everything carefully eight months in advance, getting his opinion on every plan I made to make everything just right, beautiful and comfortable.

We were at the airport at 5 a.m., me in my wedding dress and shoes to match. I waited the six years and wanted to get all the attention and good wishes from people since we opted to spend our money on our honeymoon and not for a big wedding. We were to get married in Miami and then go on a cruise.

The airport announced the plane was delayed due to bad weather in Miami. I panicked because the wedding time was set, the ride to the pier was set and the cruise time was set.

I started running in my wedding dress to different airlines/ticketing windows pleading with people to get me there on time.

After sweating and running back and forth, my dress tore. We missed everything and because the cruise line did not purchase the airline tickets, we lost all the money we paid for the cruise. So what did we do? We ended up getting married in Bullhead City, Ariz.

BITTEN BUT NOT BITTER

Aurora Gandara, Las Vegas, married in 2007

I asked my boyfriend, John, to marry me in the kitchen of my house. It was April Fools' Day 2006, and I picked that day so I could play it off if he refused me. He did think we should wait so I pretended I was kidding, but of course I got weepy. He realized that I was serious so he said yes.

He has lots of family in Arizona so we planned a destination wedding.

His sister suggested that we go out to Tucson to look at a place to get married. The historic Hacienda was perfect, and I loved the casa we stayed in so we reserved it for our wedding the following April Fools' Day. When we arrived on March 31, we were told that the casa we booked wasn't available because a film crew had the whole back area of the place. Southwest Airlines had lost my daughter's luggage with her bridesmaid's dress and I was not happy.

We went to his sister's for our night before the wedding barbecue, me still very unhappy. Her dog, which under normal circumstances would have been an ankle biter, was perched on the arm of the sofa. As I walked in the door he took a chunk out of my hip.

I really have to thank the dog. He put everything in perspective; not getting the room was OK, and we could always buy my kid another dress. April 1, 2007, was a beautiful day. The dress turned up, the bite was painful but minor and we had a moving ceremony with many friends and family in attendance and a great story to tell.

IF IT'S NOT ONE THING, IT'S ANOTHER

Paul and Rosemarie McKie, Pahrump, married in 1960

Our wedding day was very eventful. It started the night before when my fiance went to the neighborhood bar with my father and friends. Paul woke up with a terrible hangover. Before the wedding, he was looking and feeling awful so the priest offered him a glass of grapefruit juice. Well, needless to say, this was the wrong remedy. He got paler and sicker. When we got to the altar, the priest took one look at Paul and told us to take a seat at the side altar, which we did for the entire ceremony.

The reception was great. Our wedding night was not. We were in a car accident about 100 miles from home. I woke up in the hospital the next morning and didn't remember a thing. We both had five cracked ribs.

Before my wedding day, I bought a very sultry red two-piece bikini with short robe, unheard of in 1960. My mother had made me promise to take it back but I didn't. That was the first piece of clothing she found in our wrecked car. Our doctor felt so sorry for us, he sent us to his country club, all expenses paid for the weekend.

THEY CAN LAUGH -- NOW

Elaine and Ed Launzel, Las Vegas, married in 1954

I hated my wedding day. I wished we had eloped. My aunt made my gown to her liking, not mine. My dad refused to help me with the expenses, my mom hated my husband. Although we were very young, we knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.

During the course of our reception, I couldn't dance because the train to my gown was miles long and too heavy to hold so I sat on the dais watching my husband dance with all the women.

My family and his family suddenly became the Hatfields and the McCoys. I had run out of favors so my brother and sister-in-law ran home to get what was left over from their wedding (they were married six months prior). My sisters were fighting with my husband's aunts because they were taking favors for people who could not attend but had given a gift. Words went back and forth and I thought the dishes would go flying across the room, but my husband's friends took hold of the situation and quieted everything down.

Fifty-five years and five daughters later, we are still together and still laugh about our wedding.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.