Where's the coaches?

We've just done a wedding at which two luxury coaches were laid on to transport most of the guests to the church and then to the reception venue. It was a very cold day with a very strong wind, and as the couple came out of the church, it started raining heavily.

We arrived at the reception venue just before the bridal party, who were followed in by several guests who'd got there in their own cars. And in due course the bride's father got a phone call to say that the coaches hadn't reappeared at the church as planned, therefore all the remaining guests had gone back in and were now patiently waiting (in a country church with no loo). In the end the coaches turned up, everybody got to the reception, and a good time was still had by all.

As we never tire of saying, you can't plan for every eventuality - but a considerable amount of stress could have been avoided if somebody had been given the coach firm's phone number and been tasked with staying at the church to ensure that all went according to plan.

It's always worth remembering that most people switch off their mobiles just before the ceremony, then forget to switch them back on until much later in the day ...