♪ BILLY SHIELDS: Ahh, the joys of weddings.

Summertime is prime time for lucky young couples seeking the joy of getting hitched.

SHARON TOWNSEND: Is that too poofy for you, or is that good?

BILLY SHIELDS: For the folks who cater to the needs of a wedding party, problem solving is a crucial skill.

Even a hiccup can actually take the joy out of what should be a joyous occasion.

SHARON TOWNSEND: Really, really pretty.

BILLY SHIELDS: Sharon Townsend is the owner of Tiffanys Bridal, a West End store specializing in wedding dresses.

Townsend told me that wardrobe malfunctions can happen on the day the bride is set to walk down the aisle.

She remembers one stepping out of a limo to shop for a veil on her wedding day.

SHARON TOWNSEND: However, when she got out of the car, she had on bright pink with green polka dot underwear that I could see through the dress.

And no one had told her that all day long.

And when she came in here, I said, “Fine, we're going to get you a veil.

But we are sending your bridesmaid and the limo driver to go get you some nude colored underwear so that we don't see those polka dots.” BILLY SHIELDS: Townsend says when it comes to undergarments, keep it simple.

SHARON TOWNSEND: She was trying to coordinate in some way, but my advice to all brides is nude colored underwear is the best under your dress.

BILLY SHIELDS: For those who run wedding venues, organizing a wedding that comes off without a hitch requires a Jill-of-all-trades.

TRACY GILLAND: I used to be a makeup artist.

I used to work for [an] entertainment company.

I used to work for a florist.

And this was just taking all of those different jobs that I had and combining them into one.

BILLY SHIELDS: Gilland says wedding mistakes aren't life or death, but they can create stress.

She told me that a wedding DJ got the wrong address for her venue and accidentally drove to North Carolina.

TRACY GILLAND: But what we did, Billy, is we started the cocktail hour first.

So everybody had drinks in their hand.

That gave an hour for the DJ to get here and then we started the ceremony.

BILLY SHIELDS: The DJ was late but eventually showed up.

Gilland suggests couples get a list of preferred vendors to avoid such slip ups.

In an effort to keep the joy flowing.

SHARON TOWNSEND: Why don't you just step right up here?

BILLY SHIELDS: People working in this joy-generating industry have to juggle a lot.

And somewhere along the way, they have fun, too.

And also along the way, there are unexpected moments.

Townsend remembers one woman at Tiffanys whose mother was in the hospital with cancer as she planned her wedding.

SHARON TOWNSEND: And her mother couldn't make it here for her wedding gown selection.

So, one of my employees husband worked at the MCV.

They fixed up a room that she could go in and try on her dresses, and she showed each dress to her mother.

And the sweet thing was, she had picked — the bride's favorite dress is the same one the mother had picked.

BILLY SHIELDS: What's in a dress?

For some, it's joy.

SHARON TOWNSEND: And I'm so glad we got to do that, because the mother did not have a chance to go to the wedding.

BILLY SHIELDS: And for Sharon Townsend, the experience was something that still brings her joy.

For VPM News, I'm Billy Shields.