Getting married? Here’s some advice on surviving — and enjoying — the ceremony from the book “Where to Seat Aunt Edna and 500 Other Great Wedding Tips” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“Who would have thought that my husband’s 91-year-old great-grandmother would come to the wedding, fall down a flight of stairs, and have to go to the emergency room just 45 minutes before the ceremony started? Fortunately, two of my bridesmaids had medical training and were able to help. Great-Grandma was even able to make it to the reception a few hours later!”

— M.H., Richmond, Ind.

“Our wedding cake did not show up. When my parents called to see where it was, the cake lady told them that she thought the wedding was the following week! Fortunately, the bakery supplied a couple of sheet cakes and a fake one for pictures. My husband didn’t tell me there was anything wrong until the problem was taken care of and we were at the reception: nice guy!”

— Crystal Smith, Dubois, Pa.

“At one wedding I went to — luckily not my own! — the rabbi spilled red wine down the bride’s dress during the ceremony. That meant she had a stained dress for the rest of the ceremony and the entire reception. He tried to make the best of it by making up some story about how that was good luck of some sort. But basically, he just ruined her dress and her wedding photos.”

— S.F., San Francisco

“A half-hour before the ceremony, my mother-in-law accidentally cut my bouquet to spice up the centerpieces. My friend stopped her and told her it was mine, at which point, my poor mother-in-law started to cry!”

— Anonymous, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“There was a horrible traffic jam in the city that day, and even though we spent time and money on shuttle services, it took guests over two hours to get to the wedding, instead of the 45 minutes it should have taken. Some of my out-of-town guests actually missed my ceremony.”

— Kalyna, San Francisco

“At the conclusion, the officiant said, ‘I now pronounce you husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Yantis.’ My last name is actually Blank. Needless to say, I will never live that one down — my friends and family still call me Mr. Yantis.”

— Aaron Blank, Seattle

“If you’re planning a wedding anywhere it might snow, don’t think you’re safe with a fall or spring wedding! We had ours in April and got walloped with a late-season snowstorm, which meant some of our guests’ flights were canceled and others couldn’t drive in. I hope there’s no next time, but if there is, I’m going for summer!”

— J.W., Rochester, N.Y.