6 Things Went Wrong at My Wedding, but We Made It Anyway!

You might remember that not too long ago, parts of Malaysia, especially the Klang Valley, was plagued with floods. I was due to get married in a couple of days when the flood happened, but I didn’t think it would affect me. In fact, I was busy laughing at the pictures and videos of funny animals being sent to the TallyPress group chat. Little did I know, Bentong, where I was to get married, was also affected with flooded roads, landslides, property damage, and loss of life. Soon, I was flooded with messages about the whole situation. From there, only more things went wrong at my wedding, but we made it anyway, and some things happened for the best!


What Went Wrong 😩

1) The Flood, Obviously

One day before the wedding, there were still floods everywhere, and we were prepared to call it off as it seemed like there was no way it could still be carried out. However, just when we were about to, we received good news: the flood in Bentong had subsided, and the roads were clear once again. That didn’t mean that everything was “normal” though; the usual road to our wedding venue, Enderong Resort, was closed due to landslides and fallen trees, and we had to figure out a different way to the resort.

2) People Got Lost, and There was No Phone Service

As the usual roads were blocked, it was a bit difficult to get to the resort, and people kept getting lost due to reroutes. Some of our guests were delayed for up to one and a half hours, but they still showed up. To make matters worse, phone service and Internet was down where we were, and it was very hard to communicate via phone. After the tea ceremony, we had dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant, and again, the road was blocked by fallen trees. My husband unfortunately provided wrong directions to the guests, causing them to end up at the Genting Sempah R&R, and we had no way of contacting them. They made it to the restaurant though, eventually.

3) The Videographer’s Video-Cam Broke Down

Which seems terrible, but he tried to save the situation by recording everything on his phone. Though it was recorded in segments and cut at odd places, he still put together the video the best he could, and offered me a full refund as well.

4) The Caterer was Late

Because they got lost, RE: no. 2. During the ceremony, my bridesmaids had to run up and down to the guard house, the best place to get a signal on our phones, so that they could guide the caterer to the resort. But it was okay, because–

5) I Was Late Too

Not because I wanted people to wait for me, but because I developed a case of allergies right before the ceremony. That morning, I had nasi lemak for breakfast, which, as you know, most often comes with sambal. What you might not know is that I am allergic to small prawns, and I’m guessing the sambal had them. So I broke out in rashes, and my makeup artist was trying to cover them up in a panic. Thankfully, I did not swell up, or faint, or need medical attention.

6) Our Wedding Very Nearly Got Cancelled

You’d think it would be because of the flood, but Enderong Resort had problems of their own. There was a water shortage issue, as the main water pump at Janda Baik that was supplying water had issues. Everything else after our wedding was cancelled, but we were lucky enough to just make it, and the water could still accommodate us.

But Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining 🌤

Everyone probably wants a perfect wedding day, and the above shows you the few things that can go wrong. Some things are just out of anybody’s hands, but there were also plenty of things that went right, and made our wedding day all the more memorable.

1) The Weather was Perfect

The weather forecast saw thunderstorms the entire week, but on the day of the wedding, it turned out to be bright and sunny, making for excellent photo-taking conditions, and a general feel-good vibe. If you ask me, it was a clichéd “the sun was shining, the birds were chirping” kind of day, and it was beautiful.

2) The Wedding Arch was Moved from Its Original Position

Which sounds like it should be under “What Went Wrong”, but here’s what went down. Originally, we placed the arch by the lakeside. However, the lighting there was too harsh for pictures, so we moved it further in, at a different position. We left after the ceremony, and when we returned, the arch had fallen over. If we had left it in its original position, it would have fallen right into the lake, and we would have to bear the cost of replacing the arch. #blessingindisguise

3) The Squad Turned Up

Our wedding was mostly DIY, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that you can’t DIY a wedding without good friends to back you up. We did most things ourselves: arch decor, corsages, bouquets, aisle and hall decor, wedding boards and invitations, the wedding cake… The groomsmen helped decorate the arch, and even turned into impromptu mixologists for our cocktail party, while the bridesmaids put together the corsages, bouquets, and anything else that required the use of flowers. We simply bought flowers from a wholesaler at Pasar Seni, and brought them up in buckets of water. One of my bridesmaid was even cutting the love grass in the field so they wouldn’t get stuck in my dress, while another baked a three-tiered wedding cake from scratch.

4) We Developed a New Business Idea

My husband and I baked cookies as door gifts for our guests, and they really, really enjoyed them. So much so that people were telling us to turn it into a business, and we took their advice! In fact, on our wedding day, while I was panicking about my allergies, my husband was calmly discussing business logistics and operations with another friend. It was then Cookies by Rookies was born, brought to you by three pharmacists and one unemployed doctor (me!).

My Takeaways

It was a miracle that although everything seemed to go wrong, it exceeded my expectations in the end. The wedding was only so beautiful thanks to the people who made it so–who gave it their all to celebrate our love.

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Story contributed by our team member Jessica; all images courtesy of Twins Photography. Except the fallen trees. As you can probably tell.

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