The Bride's Dress almost Caught on Fire

One breathtaking candlelit aisle almost turned into a crisis, and that single moment changed how we think about ceremony safety without sacrificing style. We walk through the real story behind a near-miss with a billowy dress and open flames, then unpack the quiet hazards many couples overlook: narrow aisles, wind-tossed veils, slick runners, uneven pavers, and those picture-perfect docks that flex under a full wedding party.

From there, we get practical. We share simple swaps and smart adjustments that keep the romance intact: LED pillars that still glow warmly, wider aisle design for layered gowns, enclosed hurricanes for any must-have flames, and camera tricks that deliver the “Pinterest look” with zero burn risk. We talk waterfront ceremonies and how to plan weight limits, positions, and movement so the kiss looks cinematic instead of chaotic. We round out the checklist with footwear tactics for bridesmaids and grooms, rehearsal walk-throughs with the actual shoes and dress, and veil strategies when wind threatens the arch.

As an officiant who’s seen more than 200 ceremonies, I also reveal my quiet contingency playbook: how I scan for hazards, assign quick helpers, and keep a cool tone if something snags so the moment stays joyful. The theme isn’t to say no to beauty—it’s to design beauty that loves you back. If you’re planning a ceremony with candles, waterfront views, or complex terrain, this conversation gives you the playbook to get the shot and protect your people. Subscribe for more real stories, smart fixes, and behind-the-aisle wisdom—and tell us: what’s your non-negotiable safety tweak?

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Show Mission
• 1:34 Amanda’s Experience And 250-Ceremony Milestone
• 2:14 Defining Ceremony Red Flags
• 3:22 The Candlelit Aisle Close Call
• 7:24 Managing Risk Without Killing The Vibe
• 8:36 Waterfront Venues And Wobbly Docks
• 12:16 Heels, Terrain, And Veils Gone Wild
• 15:23 What-If Planning And Onsite Triage
• 18:30 Practical Safety Takeaways
• 20:31 Listener Stories And Closing CTA

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Welcome to the wedding wear with a fish eating by Amanda. The wedding wear, the bride's dress almost caught on fire. Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the Wedding Wear podcast where we share some memorable stories of weddings that I've officiated. We listen, we don't judge, we try to learn, we really just kind of pick through all of the moments in these weddings, the ones that went according to plan, the ones that didn't quite go according to plan. And maybe for weddings that you're a part of in the future, what could be done to make things go off without a hitch? I'm Amanda, I'm a wedding officiant. I, gosh, I've been doing this for 11 years. Almost completed 250 ceremonies, cannot wait for when that milestone is hit. I am looking for suggestions of what to do. So if you're like, wow, throw a big party, bring together all of your past couples, do a live video, something, just let me know what to do when I hit 250. But I love being a part of the big day and the special stories of couples. And now for almost the past year, getting to share those stories with you all. And today we're gonna talk about kind of the red flags I see and not red flags in the couple. I've talked about that a little bit before. Sometimes I can pick up on some things, but this is like red flags of what could go really, really wrong in the ceremony space, in the processional, recessional, walking down the aisle. Call it mom mode, call it inner klutz activated. I just think, oh, that could be bad. And there have been some times where it has been. Today's episode is the wedding where the bride's dress almost caught on fire. And in a longer title, other ceremony-related maladies that you might just want to consider before planning everything out for your big day. And I'm even thinking of another one in my head right now. The wind is whipping at my house here today. And so, yeah, wind, remind me to talk about that. That's a big, big factor. So diving in, picture any like absolutely gorgeous, breathtaking wedding photo you've seen on Pinterest. You know the ones I mean. They have the glowing aisle lined with candles and soft lighting. There's chiffon everywhere, the petals, there's lots of greenery all around. And as the bride walks down the aisle, the dress is light and it kind of blows with its own breeze and it's dainty and perfect. Yes, that is a beautiful picture. I bet it's very staged. Because when you add all of those elements together, it is not only breathtaking, in as much as from my perspective and angle of watching the bride walk down the aisle, it is scary and almost terrifying. So a few years back, gorgeous venue, really nice couple. The aisle was lined with open flame candles, some in like the hurricane glasses, like sealed, others not. And there was a ton of them. So much so that even the guests like did not enter in through the aisle side. They entered in through the outer right and outer left sides. And I get down there first. Okay, cool. It's me. Hi, hi everyone. We're gonna start shortly. Yada. I see the candles, like, oh gosh, those are really beautiful. And the couple had a candle unity ceremony. So it was a really nice tie-in between what they had going on setup-wise and detail-wise at the venue. And candles were like their favors. They had a lot of things about like our spark. Really, really nice. And I watched the groom and the groomsman all come down, single file in the aisle. I'm like, oh, that's cute. Like, pictures are gonna look gorgeous. I watch the bridesmaids come down and I'm like, okay, yeah, their dresses are good, not too big, not too bulky. They fit very nicely down the aisle. And then the second I see the bride and her father, I'm like, oh my gosh, they look beautiful. And within probably 0.005 seconds afterwards, I went, oh my gosh, the candles. And I watched on bated breath the entire walk down the aisle. And I, this was huge in my head. I am thinking, why did the venue not check in on this? Or why was this not a thought in somebody's head of, oh my gosh, what is going on? That dress, as she swished down the aisle, kind of a big dress, many layers, lots of chiffon and tool. Yeah, very close to the candles, tapping some of the candles. I was not the only one holding my breath on this. There were a few other guests that were like, oh, oh. But the bride and groom were in their element. They weren't kind of focusing on this. Meanwhile, I'm over here, like, okay, how quickly, you know, I'm the one with the mic. How quickly can I make an announcement that says, we need a fire extinguisher, water, help, without kind of acting out crazily. Like, how can I be ready to be on guard? But not, I want to be present in the moment, but also be ready should a crisis happen like this. And I, the entire time the bride is walking down each step, I'm just like, okay, how many more candles? How many more candles does she have to watch by and around? She did have two that she knocked over, but what by like the tail and uh the dress, and they both had like the wax, put themselves out. It was it was fine. But my gosh, I couldn't really not breathe, breathe until they were up there. And then I started immediately thinking about the way back down. Like, oh, what are there ways I can word it, you know, and coming down with groom leading bride, just because the the spacing of two people next to each other definitely made it really tight in the aisle. I'm like, oh gosh, how can I do that? All in all, the wedding went off without a hitch. Everything was fine. I seemed to be the only one who was outwardly or inwardly yet thinking it probably showed on my face, freaking out about this. But it really got me thinking about other times that this could be a thing, other issues. And that was not the only wedding with a candle-lined aisle. There was, there have been three more since then. And each time I've seen the brides kind of stressing, like, oh, like what if some of the candles are blown out and I'm over here going, good, maybe. Let's let's hope. Because if they blow out as others are walking down the aisle, yes, it loses some of that photo-ness that you're aiming for, but it is also a much safer feature. Venues, I don't even know what sort of insurance you have to fill out at your venue for open flame candles on like a barn wood surface as you walk down the aisle. I don't even want to know what that coverage is. For anyone in the future, LEDs, go up that, or make your aisle three times as long as you wide as you think you need it to be, just to be safe. You can still get those really great pictures, but don't risk it. Wedding dresses are incredibly flammable. Majority of clothing, incredibly flammable. And everybody, no one at a wedding is carrying around a fire blanket or a fire extinguisher. It is not like when you are maybe a restaurant with one of those big fireworky birthday candle things, and right, all it takes is one second to yell fire, and you've got a few different ways to put a flame out. You are at a barn, you are in a field, you are at a hotel or venue, and yes, they do have means to help and assist, but that's not what's being thought of in the moment. I've never seen a bridal emergency kit that included half of the things I'm going to talk about, like the solutions for half these things that I'm going to talk about, but especially not fire extinguishers. They have sewing kits, they have gum and toothpaste and zip cream. They do not have the plan for if you go up in flames. So, what are some of these other maladies that couples should think about in their wedding day? And I know I'm saying this myself as a klutz, but one of the other types of weddings that gets me a little like, what are we doing here? Is weddings that are happening really close to water side, a dock, a pier, the edge of a little hillside that then goes down to the dunes and the water. Stunning. Pictures can be absolutely stunning. But how old is it? Is it rickety? Is it recently wet? I like to move around as I officiate. I don't like to stand right in the middle. And some of those settings I have to really program in my head. No, you can't do what you normally do. You can't bounce between being behind the bride and being behind the groom. There is no space because you are at the end of the arch, an arbor, at the very end of this dock, and you cannot move, like can't move even out of the way for a kiss. And again, if a couple goes to do a dip and it doesn't quite land well, they could end up in the water. Yeah. Yeah. Docks, strong breezes on docks, docks that aren't balanced or even. I've done a few where the entire bridal party has gotten on dock. And I have done some like the mental math, like you do if you're in an elevator that suddenly starts going very, very slow of how much weight can this dock support, especially after we've all seen the viral videos of wedding parties going out for like a picture and everyone ending up in the water. So I, again, that's that's not what anybody in a bridal emergency kit plans for, is we're all going to go swimming and end up smoking wet. So all the dockside weddings that I've done, I definitely do have moments of thinking, like, okay, like if you go in, like, where's your phone? Where's the microphone? Where's any of the expensive equipment that is the photographers, the DJs, the videographers that you need to preserve? Where are the rings? Will the couple have them? Are they with a smaller child, which is another risk factor that I often go, oh my, a small child with the rings. I just do a lot of pre-thinking and I don't intend to. My mind just kind of works that way. In all the years, I've not seen a bride fall into the water, thankfully. There have been, there have been a few times where it has been, it's been close, either from more so in elopements where it's just me and the couple and they want like that nice little shot. They're going to stand on two stones leading out to the water. And they're a little slick. And thankfully, they go, oh, okay, we won't stand here. We'll stand here instead. Let me tell you, friends, Photoshop can do a lot, a lot of things. Don't risk it if it seems wobbly, unsafe, not smart. If you were dying for that shot, you can still manage to get it somehow, somehow. So other things that I laugh about and I think far, far too much about is heels, big billy wee dresses, stairs, cobblestones, muddy grass, slick bits, or there's just so many, and they can really be repeat offenders. And it it just happens from heels sinking into the grass, even if you got those little heel savers. The number of bridesmaids that I have seen get stuck in the mud. And thankfully, they often have a groomsman escorting them down who can help kind of hoist and pick them up. But you just kind of sink in. Veils get caught everywhere. Archways, pergolas, doors. Don't if you're a bridal party member, do not be afraid. Like if a veil is getting blown all over the place, just take it off. Just take it off. Don't let it worry. Loose gravel is another one. Unevenness in walking, something a lot of people don't necessarily think about when they're touring a venue. And, you know, you go back and forth between, like, okay, do we lay down an aisle runner? Well, sometimes that can be just as slick as if something had been rained upon. Sometimes it's like, oh, well, we should put down more of like turf or carpet. There's just no way to be a hundred percent safe. But if you look at venues for more than just the visual aesthetic of it, but actually like a, ooh, this might be a hazard. This is a little dangerous. I am a klutz, or I do or don't do well with XYZ things, then that's wonderful consideration that I honestly think a lot of couples don't think of. A lot of things in wedding are done for the pictures, for the insta. And unfortunately, safety is not one of the things under consideration. I think a lot about like the what-ifs, the what could have happened. And the closer that they come to happening, the more I am acutely aware for the next and future weddings, arbors not assembled right and falling apart, had that before. As we talked about earlier, the dresses and candles and catching on fire. But just what if someone trips and they're not supposed to? I've seen disastrous things at receptions. Thankfully, not nearly as much in ceremonies, but knowing that it's just a matter of timing, the right amount of slip, the right amount of not paying attention or focus, and it could all happen at the ceremony too, and trying to think what I could do in my space and place at this the top of the aisle to help, assist. If it was just a little misstep, bring some situational humor to it, but then let it go. If someone's really hurt or injured, okay, where's an extra chair that we could get? Who who can I call upon to help us in the situation? And realistically, what supplies do I have or could anyone else reasonably have on hand in this situation? So please know that if you have me for your wedding, I am most certainly praying at the end of that aisle. I am praying that all goes smoothly. I am hoping no dresses catch on fire. I'm hoping nobody trips down the aisle. I am hoping for no maladies, no injuries, because my brain has already thought about how to take care of them all. And I don't, I don't want to, I don't want to have to do it. Nope, no, thank you. You probably are like, gosh, well, all of this is terrifying. And is there nothing we can have in weddings that isn't danger prone? From my time working with sororities, a lot of it is just figuring out what the risk is and coming up with means of risk management. And yes, we keep doing it. We do it for the beauty and the traditions and the emotions and the pictures because a candlelit aisle is stunning, because cliffside vows are breathtaking, because a kiss on a dock as the sun sets is truly magnificent. You can't compete with that. And I don't try to. I just try to think about what might happen, what I could do if something happened, and in whatever realm and space I can mitigate the risk for harm for the couple and for myself as well. Cause like I said, I'm a klutz. If there's going to be anybody going in the water, it's probably gonna be me. And for the record, I carry crutches and ace bandages in my car at all times because I know the klutz that I am. It has come in handy before. Not no, there was one wedding I had to offer it to somebody. But it's just always good to think about. So what's the takeaway on this one? Well, one, if you're gonna go candles, maybe consider LED. If it has to absolutely be open flame candles, consider your dress, consider how billowy it is, make your aisle longer, make it longer, and good luck with any of the insurances you need for the venue because yeah, risk management, it's real. Think about your terrain, steps, grass, gravel, dock, carpet, shoe choices should also play into account. And that goes for the grooms as well. A lot of times they get new shoes and they are very slick. They haven't been worn, they don't have grip on them. They're dance shoes, they're dress shoes. Practice walking, practice uh layouts, attach bigger things to your waist if you've got a billowy dress and just practice how that goes. Think about some of the external elements, wind, rain, recent snowfall, leaves. And then yeah. If you're going to have something that that seems just a little more dangerous, maybe think about what elements you could have on standby or backup just for your own ease of mind. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks about these sorts of things. Maybe I am. Maybe that's just me being weird. But definitely, hey, can we have an emergency fire extinguisher located next to all of the open flame candles at the venue? That would be fantastic. So that's some of the bits I've got today. The close calls, the tiny disasters that have been dodged, or having to come up in the minute with a quick solution. Have you seen any brides on fire at their wedding? Anything go truly wrong? And I really just mean the ceremony. I know receptions are a whole other beast and animal, especially with alcohol. And yeah, haven't I even touch that with a 10-foot pole. I just mean the risk that you willingly sign yourself up for in the ceremony by how you choose to decorate or your venue space or what you wear. Thank you so much for listening to this wedding, the wedding wear episode. And let me know any questions that you might have. Until next time, this has been Amanda. Thank you for listening to The Wedding Wear with Officiating by Amanda. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and found some inspiration or insight for your own special day. This podcast is hosted on Buzz Front and can be found on all major platforms. If you haven't already, please subscribe, like, comment, and share to help us reach even more listeners who might laugh a little at the wedding wear. For the links referenced in the show, visit Linktree at OfficiatingBy Amanda. You can also follow the business on Facebook, Weddingwire, and the Knot to stay up to date on everything going on. If you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast, just send an email to theweddingwear podcast at gmail.com. And if you're ready to inquire about officiating services for your own big day, you can reach me at officiatingbyamanda at gmail.com. Thank you so much for tuning in, and until next time, this has been Amanda.