Your wedding day emergency plan: What to do when things don't go according to plan

Sometimes weddings turn out flawlessly, but more often than not, there will be at least a hiccup or two. "Anything can happen and sometimes does," says Nancy Moreton, owner of Weddings by Nancy in Cape Girardeau. Try not to fret if things don't go according to plan, but focus on the big picture: Whatever happens, you'll be married to your honey by the end of the day. Still, we checked with several local experts on what to do when something goes awry on the big day, and they all offered up great advice. Read on:

You have a beauty mishap

The big thing here is lipcolor, says Danea Johnson, owner of Concepts Styling Salon: "This is the part of your finished look that gets disrupted the quickest. Eating, drinking, etc., will ruin it." A long-wear formula is a good idea, and be sure to keep an extra lipstick or lip gloss handy, just in case.

Be prepared for makeup smudges by picking up some on-the-go makeup remover swabs from Concepts. Johnson describes them as small Q-tips filled with eye makeup remover -- just pop one open and use it to erase any mishaps.

If your hair gets messed up, a small can of hair spray and a supply of bobby pins should be enough to remedy the situation, says Jenny Stoffregen from All Dawn'd Up Salon & Day Spa in Jackson. As for your nails, buy some polish in the same color as your nails and have it on-hand for emergency touch-ups. Or, better yet, get a Shellac manicure, which is cured under a UV light so it's firm and dry when you leave the salon -- it also promises to stay shiny and chip-free for up to two weeks.

You (or the groom) get sick

Try to power through, says Moreton. If you really are miserable, you can try to postpone the wedding until later in the day. With enough notice, you can call the people you know are coming and tell them of the change. But if you wake up with a stomach bug the morning of the wedding, the best you can do is wait it out before facing the day. "Have someone greeting the guests at the door to explain the situation," says Moreton. "At that late date, you couldn't get in touch with all the guests. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often, but I think most brides and grooms would power through, unless they were deathly ill."

The weather is terrible

Definitely have a backup plan, especially if it's an outdoor wedding.

"You need to think long and hard about your Plan B and weigh the pros and cons, because Mother Nature is unreliable at best," says Moreton. "There should be a building somewhere that is able to accommodate your guests in case of terrible weather. A tent is truly the best option for an outdoor event." Moreton also recommends renting portable outdoor heaters, even if you don't think you'll need them -- the weather could always turn out colder than expected.

If snow and ice are a possibility, people may have trouble traveling to the wedding. It's not ideal, but "if people can't get there, they can't get there," says Moreton. You and the groom should be in the place you're getting married at least one day in advance, and if the guest list is smaller than planned, just be glad for the guests who arrived safely.

There's a problem with your venue/caterer/florist/etc.

When you're booking vendors at the beginning of the planning process, keep a list of those you might call as a backup -- just in case, say, the caterer has a family crisis or the power's out at your reception venue.

"You wouldn't book two people up front, of course, but at least if you have one in mind it would save the mess of going, 'Who do I call now?'" says Moreton.

You should also be asking vendors if they have an alternate plan in case something goes awry and they can't follow through.

You lose a contact or break your glasses

Take inventory of your contact lenses about six weeks before the wedding and make sure you have plenty of spares. If you don't already have a second pair of glasses, now is a good time to take care of that detail, says Dr. Christy Fowler of Regional Eyecare Center in Cape Girardeau.

If you're traveling out of town for the wedding, she advises keeping a business card with your eye doctor's information on it.

"Our circle of contacts is wide, and I will often know a doctor in the area where my patient is traveling," says Fowler. "Or, we could call or fax their contact lens or glasses info to someplace local if a replacement is needed."

You have a big zit

If you're prone to breakouts, use an anti-acne regimen for about a week before the wedding -- Johnson likes Bare Minerals' Blemish Therapy. If you get stuck with a zit anyway, Visine eye drops will help tone down the redness, she adds.

There's a wardrobe malfunction

Prepare an "emergency kit" ahead of time with extra buttons, snaps, a hook and eye, needle and thread, scissors, safety pins, and thread in the color of your dress, the bridesmaids' dresses and the tuxes, says Tonya Landewee, owner of Precious Memories in Jackson.

If you spill on your dress, Landewee says rubbing alcohol or possibly peroxide will take out many stains; they also evaporate quickly without leaving water stains. Add Kleenex and a Tide To-Go pen to your emergency kit, and a hair dryer to dry the spot more quickly. In a pinch, a white washcloth, water and clear soap will remove many spots, including makeup, says Sandy Schilling of Weddings and Parties Complete.