...would you change it if you could do it over or is it more uniquely your own because of the things that didn't go quite "right?"

I am definitely in the "redo" camp in terms of my reception, which I didn't really even get to have!

I planned my Michigan wedding from California so all my friends & family, who are on tight budgets as well, would be able to attend. We planned a ceremony on the beach at Lake Michigan, which went off beautifully. The sun was shining and there was a 30% chance of rain, so we were glad we had a great ceremony.

Our original reception venue closed and kept our $3000 deposit, which we are still fighting to get back. In April, we found this out and had to scramble to find a new place. We were able to get a tented venue at a golf course in town, but were not able to secure any indoor bad weather backup space. But, we thought with a big tent with sides, we'd be ok even if it did rain.

Not so.

At the reception, it starts sprinkling but we get through dinner (I had the stomach flu, so I didn't eat more than a few bites of the buffet we paid for) and cut the cake, do our first & second dances -- then the storm of the century blows in. The winds were raging at more than 50MPH, rain was coming down in buckets and we were on tornado watch. Half my guests just left then and there, some of which I didn't even get to greet. The rest of us were ushered to the golf house on the property (where the restrooms and golf club rentals were, etc) for about 30 minutes. Then, the severe weather became worse so we were sent to the main building on the property where another couple was having their reception. We were crammed into the service hallway for nearly an hour... my brother and the groomsmen kept running back to the tent to bring us wine & champagne as we all stood around soaking wet.

The other couple, however, complained to the facility manager that we were in the hallway "ruining" their wedding and the bride didn't want her guests to see another bride during their party. What the hell!! So, instead of caring about our safety during a lightning storm, the manager kicked us out.

We knew the weather was not going to get better so we said what the hell, let's move the party back to the tent. The DJ agreed to play some songs despite the lightning and rain, and we all ran back to the tent, getting drenched in the process.

We got back to the tent, started sucking down drinks and the DJ played "It's Raining Men" and that's the only song we got to dance to with our friends at the reception. The wind picked up, the radio reported water spouts on Lake Michigan (this is basically when a tornado touches down on the water and creates a "water spout"), all our linens and placecards and our Wedding Wishes cards (which we never got back) blew out into the storm, and it was so windy and raining so hard it was coming in the tent sideways.

We all had to bail and cancel the entire reception. We moved it to a condo where some of our guests were staying, and took our cake, alcohol, and the sandwiches that were to be the 10:30 snack. Everything was soaked and ruined, and since I hadn't eaten all day I got way too drunk too quickly, and barely remember any of the after party. Not only that, no one got any good photos of the party at the condos, because our photographer left and all we had were point-and-shoot cameras that all the photos turned out blurry.

Not only that, the combination of no food, alcohol and stomach flu left me throwing up half the next day. I do recall finally breaking down and just sobbing that my whole day/night had been ruined and I wasted so much money on a party that I had looked forward to for a year, and it didn't even get to happen. All I really wanted from the reception was to dance and have fun with my husband and friends - which I did not get to do. I was crushed. People picked at our cake all night but I never even got a piece, and we didn't have any to take with us that hadn't either been snacked on all night or ruined by the rain.

Not only that, the storm that night was so bad that two people DIED. That's right, two newspaper delivery people in town went off the road into a ditch/sink hole and drowned in their car.

Not only that, we spent our honeymoon up north on Lake Michigan and it rained the entire time (one night we got 12" of rain) and we both had the stomach flu the whole trip. We basically spent $2000 to lay around and throw up.

Now, I'm not one to stress about silly details. I have seen women complain about a catepillar being on the flower girl's dress or their flowers not being what they ordered. I can understand that might be disappointing but my entire reception was canceled. I planned this for months and will be paying for it for years and I didn't even get to experience it. It all just ended so quickly and everyone practically ran from the golf course to try and outrun the weather.

I kept my cool when the first venue closed, tried to roll with all the little challenges that presented themselves and never got stressed or angry. But now I'm angry. It's not like a wedding & reception is something you can just do over, and we can't just throw a big party and invite all our friends again because we live 3000 miles away from them. They can't afford the trip here, and our credit cards are literally so maxed out that we can't afford a trip to fly home and have another party. We can't even afford the airfare!

So, I'm finally angry. Really angry, and feeling so ashamed that I am so upset and depressed by these occurrences. I want a redo, I want to enter a contest or something and at least get to have the one big, special party that I planned for so long, and to have the fun time with my friends, family & husband that I had so looked forward to. I never got big birthday parties as a kid, never had any kind of fancy anything in my life - we lived in a small town, were on public assistance and just made do with what we had for my entire life. This was my one day to celebrate in style and really have the time of my life, and well, I didn't.

And I'm completely ashamed to admit that I even feel that way. I'm an educated, laid back, mature person who never gets upset about anything, and here I am wallowing in depression and looking at my credit card statements just crying because of how much I spent for absolutely nothing.

Everyone says "at least you married your husband, which is the important part." Of course that's the most important part, but if that were really true in the sense they mean, then NO ONE would have weddings or receptions - we'd all just go to the JOP or Vegas and call it a day.

So that's my story! It's definitely unique and yes I'd change it so at least I'd get to have a reception.

Is TLC planning any shows about do-over receptions? Because if they are, sign me up!