Fred & Sarah Steffen

this took place leading up to September 23, 2006
The idea that something will go wrong or that a poor choice was made after all those decisions and all that money makes a wedding understandably stressful. So what happens when you do put your faith in the wrong people?

Either out of necessity or because they wanted something different, their reception was to be held at the college basketball arena. Backdrops would be brought in to shield the bleachers from view, but in the end, its still center court. Interesting, but as a DJ, it doesn't pose any problems.

Six months before the wedding, the bride calls the arena coordinator to ask some questions. Two things are discovered: 1) the arena coordinator she was working with no longer works there, and 2) the she never filed the (signed) contract that booked the reception. Instead, our bride learns from the new girl that center court will be occupied by the women's volleyball team that night.

The bride did accept the counter-offer to move her reception to center ice at the $100 million hockey arena. They'll drop a black floor over the ice, backdrops around the boards, and lower the scoreboard to show their video slide show. Kind of a cool idea. Plans change but this will work.

Three months before the wedding the arena coordinator calls. Sorry, the ice won't be in place so no black floor - just bare concrete. And the chairs we promised? They'll be metal folding chairs now.

Six weeks before the wedding yet another call. Sorry, the ice will be in place but now it will be used so you can't have your reception there. How about our lobby at the main arena entrance?

To top things off, the wedding photographer was missing. Calls and emails went unreturned for six weeks leading up to the wedding day.

With so much going wrong for this couple, by the time the reception started I was noticeably nervous. I imagined something going wrong and the bride snapping, diving at me with her salad fork (an unfair characterization considered how nice a couple they'd been, but hey, no one said fear is rational).

Fortunately, the arena lobby worked great, the new photographer seemed perfect (they'll even own their pictures), and there were only two small issues that had to be dealt with. The 160 guests had a great time, the bride and groom were the perfect couple (right down to him singing "When I'm 64" to her in front of everyone).

Don't feel too bad for them - they spent two weeks in Hawaii getting over it and now have their first baby.