Dr. Phil Gives Sound Advice to Brides and Grooms

Dr. Phil takes on many subjects on his show on NBC each afternoon, everything from unruly kids to cheating spouses. And on Monday, March 19th, he took on brides and grooms that had the ultimate wedding disasters in his segment "Weddings Gone Bad."

At the first couple's wedding, the groom got drunk and couldn't even say his vows properly and then started a fist fight with family.

The second couple's guests had to wait over 3 hours to be served dinner and their wedding cake melted at the reception. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. As they were leaving the reception on a motorcycle that they thought would be really cool to exit on, they had a wreck. The bride wanted her train and veil to cascade down the back of the motorcycle. It did cascade, right into the back wheel, which brought the motorcycle to a sudden halt and caused them to wreck. The bride was burned and the groom was thrown from the motorcycle.

The last couple's big day was ruined by rain, a late minister and a broken down limo bus. First, the minister was over an hour late because he got lost. Also, during the ceremony, he was translating in two languages and he announced them husband and husband. Next, as the guests were being transported to the reception, the limo bus broke down, began smoking and the guests had to exit out of an emergency hatch. Then, they had to stand on the roadside in pouring rain in their formal attire to wait for other transportation to arrive. They did finally make it to the reception several hours later, where the bride and groom had been anxiously waiting on them in order to make their grand entrance as husband and wife.

All of these couples were very upset to the extent that one couple was thinking of splitting up because they thought they were cursed. None of them could get past their wedding day fiascos.

Dr. Phil gave them all sound advice. First, the marriage is what counts, not the ceremony. No matter what happens, as long as you end up married, that is all that matters. Second, remember, you are surrounded by family and friends that love you. There is no need to feel embarrassed if everything does not go perfectly. And last, you cannot control external factors such as the rain, but you can control how you react internally. Put it in perspective and lighten up and laugh about it. Some day, it will make a great story to tell the grandkids.

As experts in the wedding business for over 55 years, we have seen everything, and we mean everything. We agree with Dr. Phil's advice. Here are a few tips from us:

Al’s Wedding Day Tips

• Understand and prepare yourself that no wedding day is perfect. Something will go wrong, whether minor or major, and you will deal with it and not let it ruin your wedding day.
• Keep your humor! If something goes wrong, find the humor in it and laugh!
• Remember, things going wrong are what make it memorable. Your guests, family and yourself will never forget your wedding, and it will become a fond memory for all of you.
• You are not being judged, just adored, as it is your family and friends that surround you and they love you and are happy to share this special moment with you.
• Relax and enjoy your wedding day! Don’t get so worked up that you can't enjoy with your spouse the wedding that took you months to plan and execute.

All of these tips are great and if you'd like to read more, check out www.drphil.com.

Good luck and remember, keep your humor and have a wonderful wedding!