When Weather and An Injury Changes The Dream
- Wendy Hartigan
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
One of the biggest misconceptions about wedding planning is that a planner's job is to make things pretty. The truth? My job is to protect your wedding when things don't go according to plan. Here is one time when my job required dealing with an unexpected situation- the weather and a torn Achilles and getting married on one foot.
Jin and Matt hired me for their wedding at the beautiful 620 Loft at Rockefeller Center, with breathtaking views of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The dream was an outdoor ceremony and dinner on the terrace overlooking New York City. It was the end of May. It should have been beautiful weather, But, it rained. Not a passing shower. Cold, steady rain. The kind of weather that makes couples wonder if the wedding they envisioned is slipping away. They were devastated. Matt kept texting me asking, no begging, to have the ceremony outside. I felt horrible, but could not make it happen.
Matt was also recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. He was in a boot and could not put any weight on that foot. He had a scooter for mobility. Rain was just another hurdle that we had to handle. We had already handled Matt's surgery in Korea, corresponding with me about preparing and printing menu cards, finalizing guest counts, final arrangements with the caterer and the venue and making sure Jin remained calm, as English is not her first language and she was alone in Texas with a new business and limited ability to communicate with vendors. Now, my responsibility was to keep everyone dry and Matt safe in the rain.
But this is where experience matters. Instead of focusing on what we couldn't do, I focused on what we could. We moved the ceremony beneath the covered stone terrace, creating an intimate setting that still felt connected to the city they loved. Dinner moved inside the loft, where the space felt warm, elegant, and inviting. Then I worked with the photographer and venue team to create opportunities for the views they had dreamed about. We opened the sides of the tent, framed St. Patrick's Cathedral and the city skyline in the background, and captured beautiful images that reflected everything they had envisioned about getting married in New York.
Was it the wedding they originally planned? No! Was it a beautiful wedding that reflected who they were and gave them memories they will cherish forever? Absolutely. Even the best planners can't control the weather, have to navigate emergencies of all kinds. They know what to do when the weather refuses to cooperate. That's where experience becomes invaluable.
Jin and Matt had an amazing day, laughed, danced and enjoyed family and friends and left their wedding feeling happy, grateful and very tired. And, I left knowing that my job is always to be there for every couple and to do whatever is necessary to make their day perfect and memorable.
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