If you have been planning your wedding, it is likely that it has taken up a lot of your time.

It is probably also taking up a lot of space in your thoughts. It can be such an all-consuming process that it even intrudes on sleep and dreams; with lots of couples saying they've experienced a few nightmares about wedding day disasters.

While our dreams toss out bizarre variations on "disasters" such as forgetting to wear pants, everyone showing up in diving suits and limousines being replaced by roller skates, there are some actual wedding day disaster scenarios.

Many couples can share tales of unexpected issues that sabotaged their long-planned event, and to help you be a bit more forewarned and with some backup plans, I offer you these wedding day disasters to actually plan for (and work around if they strike).

The Bride or Groom with a Skin Disaster

It is not at all unusual for modern couples to get a bit of TLC with a spa day just before the wedding. However, many emerge from their spa days with skin rashes, blotches or breakouts triggered by products used.

Some even have true skin horror stories in which it looks like their skin was burned or their faces and eyes are swollen in response to treatment.

This wedding day disaster is easily avoided by never, ever, getting a new spa or skincare treatment within a few weeks of the wedding. Note that says weeks and not days. It can take quite a bit of time for skin to heal and look normal following exposure to certain compounds, so just use products you have in the past and take a day to relax and rejuvenate without the facial.

The "Friendor"

So many wedding day disasters emerge from hiring a "friendor" rather than a vendor.

As you might guess, that term means a friend who offers some sort of service you should have hired an actual vendor to provide. Some of the worst of these disasters involve wedding cakes. These are cakes that are either total disasters or amateurish wrecks, or they are cakes that don't show up at all.

Friendor disasters might also include everything from flowers and hall setup or cleanup to makeup and hair providers or even transportation providers. Some couples have had bands or photographers that were a no show, and more.

The solution is to put crucial issues into the hands of the hired professionals and let friends do the fun stuff like making the gift favors or prepare the big breakfast the day after the wedding.

Dress Disasters

There are quite a few ways that a bride's dress turns into the wedding day disaster.

Let's start with one we hear over and over - the online dress that is nothing like it promised to be.

With this one, there's only one bit of advice and that is to proceed with immense caution. If you order a dress from another part of the world or an online firm, you may not get what you thought based on photos, it might arrive very late and be unlike the one in the image, and so on.

If you are comfortable taking chances, go ahead and order such a dress.

However, there are so many better options. Like what?

Bridal stores, of course. Here too, though, it is a buyer beware scenario. Lots of brides have stepped up to out their horrible dress suppliers because they got the wrong items, the items were dirty or in bad shape, or they tried to pawn off a sample as the more costly custom gown.

The answer? Due diligence; scour the internet for reviews and feedback about any shops you use (whether it is a dress rental, custom made or bridal supplier), and avoid any with negative comments.

Weather Strikes

Nothing can feel more like a wedding day disaster than one in which the weather is bad.

Whether that is an incredibly hot and humid day or one that is full of precipitation that makes any outdoor photography or activities impossible.

Essentially, you should never count on good weather, even in places like California wine country or the world-famous San Diego, CA with its nearly perfect year-round conditions. Instead, always have a backup plan if you are also enjoying an outdoor wedding.

It is much easier to do damage control if a space awaits than it is to suddenly find yourself canceling because of weather.

You now have some great ways to avoid or plan for wedding day disasters, and there are thousands of couples who only wish they had these tips before they experienced them!