7 Quick fixes for your worst wedding nightmares

Your dress doesn't fit.

All the stress and excitement leading up to your big day could cause you to gain or lose weight without realizing it. Of course, you should try on your wedding dress in advance to double-check the fit, but if you're unpleasantly surprised on your wedding day, try these quick fixes:

Your dress is too small.

1. Zip up the dress as high as you can and use a needle threaded with clear fishing line to fix the zipper in place.
2. Place same-color fabric between your dress and your skin and use double-sided dress tape to hold the fabric and top in place.
3. Dress it up with ribbons or flowers, or cover it with your veil.

Your dress is too large.

Use a safety pin to pin a dart underneath your armpit on one side. This is a location that's not easily noticed, and if you pin the dart on the inside of the dress, the pin's metal won't show.

Something spills on your dress.

Whoever thought wearing white on a wedding day was a good idea was tempting the fates. Many a bride has found red wine, coffee, grass and mud stains on her gown just before the wedding. If this happens to you, don't panic. Different fabrics respond to stains differently, so get fabric care guidelines from your dressmaker before your big day. If that's not an option, here are a few basic guidelines for common water-based stains such as wine, coffee and mud:

1. Dab gently with a clean, white cloth to soak up as much of the stain as you can, dabbing toward the middle of the stain, not out to the side.
2. Pour a small amount of club soda on the stain and continue dabbing until the stain comes out.
3. Use a blow dryer on low heat to dry the spot.
4. Cover any remaining stain with white chalk or talcum powder.

You wake up with a giant zit.

Don't pick at it. Hold an ice cube to the blemish to help reduce the swelling, then dab it with a medicated concealer the same color as your skin. Set the concealer with a light layer of powder and apply the rest of your makeup as usual.

You're missing a bouquet.

When a bridesmaid notifies you that she's missing her bouquet, it's natural to want to scream. Take a deep breath and let it go. You can use flowers from the table settings and the other bridesmaids' bouquets to fashion a makeshift arrangement. If it's your bouquet that's missing, try a bouquet alternative and carry a sentimental object such as a family Bible or Torah.

The best man forgets the rings.

A wedding without rings may seem like a true disaster, but it may be an opportunity for a meaningful exchange. Ask your parents or a couple whose marriage you admire if you can use their rings for the ceremony. It could add an extra-special sentiment to the service.

Your bustle breaks.

As long as you have needles and clear fishing line, fixing a broken bustle is a cinch. Simply identify the location of the broken bustle tie and use your needle to sew the dress up.

Your cake's decorations are wrong.

So the cake decorator messed up the wedding cake. She can't bake a new one before the reception, so you'll have to work with what you have. Carefully remove the incorrect decorations or imperfections and cover the spots with wedding flowers or greenery. If the area in question is small, consider simply turning the cake so the spot won't show.

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