What would you do if the white dance floor your bride had rented on her own arrived and looked like this?

What would you do if you noticed that two sides of the dance floor didn’t have edging?

What would you do if  this happened and you only had one hour before the reception was to start?

This unfortunately was the only glitch to yesterday’s wedding as our bride and her bridal party had their heart set on a white dance floor.

So, what did happen?      As their “day of” wedding manager, I immediately contacted the rental company and told them that they needed to come back and add the edging and they also need to wipe down the dance floor.   Please do understand that white dance floors to tend to “discolor” a bit over time, so they generally are not pure white as most brides envision.

When I called they advised that they did not have enough edging.  I told them “I am sorry, but this is completely UNACCEPTABLE and if you don’t have enough edging, then you don’t commit to providing the dance floor.”  As the dance floor stands about 1″ off the edge of the carpet, it was a serious safety issue for not only the guests who would be arriving, but also for the staff working the floor and a potential liability.

I also tried to reach another rental company which I normally use due to quality of product and service but they were on a  job more than an hour away, and by the time they could finish, get the edging and get to Waikiki, it would be at least 2 hours and the doors open in one hour.

Even though I knew the bride had her heart set on the white dance floor, I made the decision to have the rental company come back and remove their dance floor and replace it with the hotel’s brown dance floor.   Overall, the hotel’s dance floor would normally cost $300 versus the $252 the client was paying the rental company, but I asked them for a $250 price so that the client didn’t incur any additional expenses.

Of course, I got an earful from the Maid of Honor about the dance floor being wrong, but I explained the situation and safety had to come first, and the quality of the dance floor was not up to standards.  I also had to be the one break the news to the couple, but again, I reiterated that it was a safety issue that could not happen and the dirty dance floor would not have looked good against her stunning ivory gown.

With champagne pin tucked linens and beautiful willow branched centerpieces, the brown dance floor actually complimented the room very nicely and would enhance the look of her dress on the dance floor and not distract from it.

As I watched the packed dance floor and the guests circling around it throughout the evening, I knew it was not only the right decision but the only decision.   The rental company will be crediting the couple back for the cost of the dance floor and the hotel graciously waived the charge, so the couple will get some money back.

More importantly, the couple and their guests all had a wonderful time dancing the night away.