What to do when a member of the wedding party gets sick
Weddings are planned months and even years in advance. When an event has such a long lead time, it’s inevitable that some things will change along the way. One of the most upsetting situations that can arise is when a close friend or family member falls ill before the wedding. Here’s what to do when a member of the wedding party gets sick.
As with anything, there are degrees of disease. If a bridesmaid catches a cold the week of the wedding, she should take some cold medicine, stuff some tissues in her small purse, and show up at the appointed time with her dress and bridesmaid jewelry ready. To go. Give your sick bridesmaid some special attention by having some orange juice or a nice warm bowl of chicken soup waiting for her when she arrives for her hair and makeup. Of course, she would be forgiven for leaving the reception right after cutting the cake to go home and sleep.
Something like the flu, on the other hand, has the potential to throw a best man or maid of honor out of the wedding party. You don’t want someone standing at the altar who is likely to vomit just as the minister asks if anyone is opposed to the marriage! In fact, your guests won’t remember your wedding fondly if they all caught the flu from a highly contagious groomsman. If the blush happens to be one of the parents of the bride or groom, they will obviously do their best to make it to the wedding, but they definitely need to skip the receiving line!
When the disease is more serious, flexibility is the key. Let’s say one of her bridesmaids contracted a fairly serious illness three months before her wedding. Perhaps one that has caused you to miss a lot of work or requires surgery. In that situation, it is vitally important that the bride is 100% supportive of her sick friend. Let her know that she absolutely wants her at her wedding if she feels like it, or as a guest if that’s all she can handle. Also make sure her bridesmaid knows that if she feels too sick to come, she will fully understand. This is not the time to worry that groomsmen and bridesmaid numbers will end up uneven at the last minute.
If a member of the bridal party has to retire due to serious illness, it would be very kind of the bride to pay for her bridesmaid dress and bridesmaid jewelry and give it to her as a gift. Sure, your friend will feel really bad about letting you down, and this is a good way to show them that you have no hard feelings. If he has a wedding program, include her as an honorary bridesmaid. It would be really, really sweet to have a bridesmaid bouquet made for her and delivered to her bedside as well.
In very rare cases, an immediate family member of the bride or groom (usually parents, grandparents, or siblings) could be so ill just before the wedding that their own life hangs in the balance. There comes a time when it is necessary to postpone the wedding or drastically reduce it. It’s just in bad taste to throw a big celebration when someone who should have been there is in the hospital fighting for her life. In any case, no one will really want to throw a big party, given the circumstances. The wedding should be postponed until the sick relative has recovered, or if he dies, until an adequate period of mourning has passed. The other option when a close family member is seriously ill is to cancel the big celebration and have a very small marriage ceremony with only the immediate family. If the very sick person is one of the parents of the bride or groom, you may want to consider having the ceremony at her parents’ bedside, if the patient is willing to do so. At least that way, all the important people would still be there to witness the marriage.