Of 2am Bridal Romps at Kinko's- A Bridesmaid's Tale

I'm not sure how I got there, but there I was- standing next to the bride-to-be last Friday evening at 2am with a mittful of subpar wedding programs.

Well I do know how I got there - I eagerly said yes to my Best Friend when she asked me to be a bridesmaid, and frankly, I'd do anything for her. Except eat chicken pot pie, of course.

And with 200 weddings to my name, sometimes the definition of bridesmaid extends beyond the normal realms of responsibilities. Of course, it doesn't help when I match the bride's shower gift to her outfit. Clearly, I'm just asking for it.

It all began with an initial confirmation call from Printer #1 that the programs were ready to go- an ideal stop off before the rehearsal and dinner. As we arrived, the atmosphere grew tense on the other side of the counter as we were told that there had been a mix up and the programs would be ready momentarily. We were then thrown a stack of programs, and shoved out the door on our merry way, as Printer #1 turned their sign to Closed (as in, for the weekend).

As we drove to the rehearsal, neither of us wanted to say it. We both had had a good look at the programs. Surely, they hadn't been put on plain old copy paper.

After all, hadn't they seen the lovely invites with the rounded corners?

This had all the makings of a bridal meltdown but with a couple calls to Kinko's (thank you 24 hours!) and a craft store, we had a Plan B and C respectively, as well as an agreement that Plan D- skip the programs and just marry the fabulous fiancee, wouldn't be such a bad deal either.

And the bride? Cool as a cucumber- even standing beside me in her PJs at 2am as the other customers congratulated her.

The point in my tale of restless nights and midnight forays to Kinko's? Always have a Plan B.. and a Plan C.. and a Plan D if the others don't work out. When you hit an inevitable snafu in the wedding plans, let your next question be "What's the next best scenario?"

So why are we doing Wedology 101? I get this question often. After years of formulating back up plans, bridezilla-isms and happy endings, it's time to take our tips and tricks and bring it to the bridal community. Please join us August 15 as we bring Wedology 101 to Richmond at Wyndham Virginia Crossings.

And because frankly, I don't know how many more 2am Kinko's trips I can take.

Cheers,
Meghan

Meghan Ely is one part of the Wedology 101 team, and owner of OFD Consulting, a niche Marketing/PR firm servicing the wedding industry and the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association. She is a contributing writer with Virginia Bride magazine, and has been published in Premier Bride Richmond. She and Jennifer write a Wedology 101 column for the Richmond Times Dispatch's Celebration section. She loves late harvest sauvignon blancs, letterpress anything and cakes shaped like Death Stars.