Despite meticulous planning, things still have the tendency to go awry during a wedding. However, there are ways to avoid or cope with these unexpected disasters.

Listed below are some scenarios that could crop up on your wedding day and the how-to's to care of them.

Rain on your parade.

If you’re planning on having your ceremony outdoors, have ready an indoor venue or tents in case the weather turns against you. A back up wedding location is advisable in the event that your first choice suddenly becomes unavailable for reasons other than weather.

Lost or forgotten rings.

This doesn’t happen only in movies. Borrow your parent’s or close friends’/relatives’ rings for the exchange. Berate your best man later.

Your makeup starts to run.

Whether it’s due to tears or heat, it’s impossible to retouch during the ceremony, so use smudge- and waterproof cosmetics. Also, have your make-up artist on standby for major touch ups.

Your dress gets stained.

Before the big event, ask your local dry cleaner for advice, and have a spot-removal kit nearby.

The wedding cake falls or melts.

Keep your wedding cake in a cool undisturbed area or refrigerator to prevent it from melting and other accidents before the big unveiling. Like your makeup artist, request your baker to stay during the reception with a confectionary repair kit. Should the worse happen -- a clumsy guest, delivery mishap, etc. -- get iced cupcakes and serve them on a tiered tray. This is quite popular in weddings nowadays.

Guests exceed the head count.

There will always be people who neglect to RSVP. Call them up two weeks before the wedding. Then finalize your head count with an additional five people for unexpected guests. If guests still flock in, ask your caterer/coordinator to squeeze in extra chairs at the tables.

The DJ or music band doesn’t show up.

A week before the event, confirm the date with your chosen entertainment. In case of a no-show, prepare a back up with an iPod and a stereo system. Ask someone from your bridal party whom you know to have a gift for public speaking to DJ for you. Give him or her a list of the announcements and what music to play.

Your wedding pictures or videos are abysmal.

You know the saying: you get what you pay for..? Don’t scrimp on the photographer or videographer. Shop around and do some research. Get recommendations from trusted people. Get acquainted with your photographer/videographer and see samples to make sure that you’re getting what you want. Watch out for unprofessional behavior such as tardiness, forgetfulness, etc. Aside from your photographer/videographer, equip one of your party with a camera. You might be pleasantly surprised with the images that your friend has caught.

When planning a wedding, expectations are unrealistically high. Before you metamorphose into the dreaded Bridezilla if things are not going as anticipated, try to get some perspective. Getting everything ‘absolutely perfect’ is not as important as marrying your soul mate.