Missing ring, dress destroyed, gale winds, gastro: Adelaide bride suffers series of unfortunate events on wedding day

An Adelaide bride who meticulously planned her $50k nuptials said nothing could have prepared her for what went wrong on the big day.

Amy Dennis had been planning her dream wedding to now-husband Scott for more than 18 months – but nothing could have prepared her for everything that went wrong in the lead up to her big day.

“We were engaged for nearly four years, and planned it over 18 months,” the mum-of-two told The Advertiser of her $50k nuptials.

“We found a beautiful venue which I love, love, love – so we were quick to book it in.

“Then a couple of months later, I got an email saying the venue’s wedding co-ordinator was leaving for another job. And honestly, that’s where it all started going wrong.”

Now, happily married, Amy Dennis suffered a series of unfortunate events in the lead up to her big day. Picture: Love Wild Weddings

She said things started to go wrong when her wedding co-ordinator left the venue. Picture: Love Wild Weddings

The position was quickly filled, said Mrs Dennis, who lives in Port Broughton – but there was a catch.

“At our first meeting with (the new co-ordinator), she says: ‘I’m 12-weeks pregnant and I won’t be here for your wedding’.

“But that was fine. We ended up getting the original co-ordinator back and she was amazing.”

Preparations rolled on and Mrs Dennis began to source a photographer and videographer.

“I found a husband and wife team that travelled together. That was really good – I thought we could save on costs.”

But six months out from her February date, Mrs Dennis noticed a comment on an Adelaide wedding chat page.

“Someone had commented about a husband and wife photography team splitting up.

“But I thought, what are the chances it could be the same couple?”

Unfortunately it was.

“I got a message saying they’d split, but were amicable and still working together.

“I was like, this is going to be bad.”

As the wedding drew closer, more things went wrong.

“I’d taken my engagement ring to be cleaned and replated.

“When I called to collect it, the jeweller told me it wasn’t there.

“Then, two days later, I got a call saying they’d found it – but it was at Marion Shopping Centre, which is an extra hour away from where I live.”

Mrs Dennis said when she explained the logistics, the jeweller offered to have it posted.

“Seriously? Why would you post an engagement ring?

“It was such an ordeal.”

Amy Dennis was luckily reunited with her ring before the big day. Picture: Supplied

The detail of her dress was so heavy, it broke the hand stitching. Picture: Supplied

But the bad luck wasn’t over yet.

“I ordered a wedding dress in my size, but still needed to have alterations for it.

“I picked it up in Adelaide and took it home to Port Broughton. It was only there that I looked in the bag.”

That’s when she discovered the delicate hand-stitched alterations, which she’d paid $1000 for, had come undone.

“The front pleats had become unstitched under all the weight of the fabric and there were black marks on it. I was in tears.”

And that wasn’t the worst of it.

“On my way to Adelaide to have the dress fixed, family daycare calls me. My son was really sick.

“And straight away I knew it was gastro.”

Mrs Dennis said her father-in-law stepped up to try to control the spread of illness – taking care of her son – but to no avail.

“The next day, my daughter got it. This was the day before the wedding.

“I just thought we’re done. Let’s call the wedding off now.”

And still more curve balls were coming.

“The morning of the wedding, about six o’clock, Scott rings me and asks who’s got the gastro stop.

“I thought he was hungover – but he had gastro, too.”

In a last-ditch attempt to salvage her wedding, Mrs Dennis sent her maid of honour to the chemist to load up on supplies.

“I said, we need to get him better by 12 o’clock – otherwise we’ll have to call it off.”

It worked – by 11am Mr Dennis had managed to eat some toast … and keep it down.

But it still wasn’t smooth sailing for the couple.

Despite the series of wild events, Amy and Scott made it to the alter. Picture: Love Wild Weddings

She said the ceremony was “perfect” and they are now happily married. Picture: Love Wild Weddings

“I finally got in the car – a 1966 mustang with no airconditioning – we were pulling out of the driveway and it was 38 degrees and blowing a gale.

“Then the driver tells me we’re just going to hang on the side of the road and wait.

“Turns out the bus we’d hired to collect our guests didn’t pick everyone up. It needed to go back and get them.

“At this point I knew if I didn’t laugh, I would cry.”

When Mrs Dennis finally arrived to her venue, there was one more surprise in store.

“We had this dream of having our wedding on the lawn – that’s why we’d picked it.

“But when I arrived – late – the co-ordinator told me we’d have to move underneath the veranda to get shelter from the wind.

“But by then, I was just rolling with it.”

Luckily for Mrs Dennis the couple were married without a hitch.

“Once we were officially married and all the official stuff was over, it was a big relief.

“And from 3.30pm onwards, everything went perfectly – even if up until then it was a s--tshow.”

In fact, Mrs Dennis said the series of unfortunate events helped her enjoy the smaller moments of the day with her new husband, their children and their 80 guests.

“I think social media really romanticises it that it will be a perfect day but something is going to go wrong, and you have to be able to deal with it,” she said.

“As long as you get married, that’s the important thing.”

Amy and Scott Dennis are finalists in the search for SA’s best wedding for the season.

Public voting is now open and will close on Wednesday, May 7 at 8am.

You can cast your vote, here.