Weddings you went to where things went wrong?

I went to a beautiful wedding a few years ago in a central Edinburgh hotel. No expense spared. Trouble was the ceremony, meal and evening party were all in the same room and the decor was so elaborate that it took an age to turn the room around each time. So by the time the happy couple appeared back for their first dance, I’d say roughly half their guests had gone. Some to get the train home, others in search of food and a good night out.
It was a very long day and I was stuck to the bitter, bitter end as designated driver for several of DHs friends. As beautiful and expensive as it no doubt was, it was the least fun wedding I’ve ever attended.
Not in the same league as some of the other stories though 😔

Bride had a face like a slapped arse throughout, had a major go at her husband in front of several guests, he forgot to bring a copy of his speech and instead of laughing about it had another go at him, they argued on the way home to the hotel and the the get together at her parents house the next day was just really awkward due to all the above. They are miraculously still married...she posts an anniversary picture each year that makes everyone else laugh as it just looks like she has him by the balls

We complained then and just got 'deer in the headlight' looks, but then later, my Dsis (not bride) called them to complain and asked for compensation. They refused, but then later, I called and my DF called and the owner eventually did refund an amount but not before telling us that her servers would never do that (LOL!). Their servers were so rude, too. Half of my family has worked in service at some point, so we're empathetic to the role, but that was outrageous and we told them so. We gave poor reviews online too.

I've been reading extracts from this thread to DH all day. He mentioned that we had had a problem with gatecrashers at our wedding. Our evening reception was in the function room at a pub and we could absorb a few extras . They were all people we knew, but who hadn't been invited because they were too distant, and in the end some of them contributed to the entertainment. All good.

DH does not seem to remember that his DD and her friends were messing about and one of them fell off a wall and finished up in hospital, or that the following day his XW made a serious attempt on her life, leaving us responsible for his DD and delaying our honeymoon.

DD's own wedding wasn't much better. The hotel was just awful. The food was awful, they could not accommodate any dietary requirements, in our room there were fist sized holes in the net curtains and no bath plug. There was also no lift, which was major issue for several members of the wedding party, including her own DM, who could not manage the steps and therefore had to keep walking round the outside of the building ( in December).

Parents and inlaws fighting in front of guests. Was like something from gypsy brides 😂

At mone my DH cousins turned up all in black (5 of then) and no effort in appearance like they were at a funeral. I was mortified.

Bride's car broke down on the way to the church, on the motorway. She and her father (in December) had to get out of the car and climb the embankment to wait for repair service. Guests thought she was just a bit late, until we came out of the church after the ceremony to see an AA van and a police car! AA had fixed the car, then followed to church and onto reception, to make sure no more problems. Police had turned up because they were causing a distraction on the motorway and then escorted them the rest of the way. (I think both AA mechanic and police were ending a shift and stayed on in their own time.) Great wedding.

Wow this has got to be up there with the worst. How awfully sad!

I heard about one that was having a pub reception when someone crashed into the side of the pub! Most people made it out alive apart from the greengrocer who worked on the local market. What made it extra sad was that he had just declared his love for a woman named Stacey…..oh wait, that was just an episode of Eastenders…..

hotel was an L not an E. But I wish I’d paid heed to the omen :-)

Evening dos are mostly awful. Usually just for the gift grab.

Drove for 3 hours to the evening reception of a friend (in a barn / cowshed sort of place). Arrived at 7 and had nowhere to sit; all chairs were occupied by daytime guests and no more chairs brought for the evening.

At 8pm the ‘food’ was brought out, and consisted of children’s party food: cocktail sausages, scotch eggs, crisps that were going soft, all presented on paper plates with cling film over the top, and nowhere near enough food for everyone.

The bride and groom left at 9pm. I wondered why I had made the effort to attend at all.

I was 2 hours late due to make up and the car taking ages to take the bridal party only had the one car due 2 funds. Ex husband was unwell with noro virus. I was stressed before so I drank lots of alcohol after the ceremony and was absolutely hammered I was 21 though 35 now lol. I also don't drink ever so I'm a light weight. My dd was poorly as well she was 18 months.

Tbh a wedding is a family day out and not about the actual ceremony. If i was to get married again which I'm not but I'd go and do it with out anyone knowing and then go on a honeymoon. Why pay 0000 for family to have a nice meal and a dance honestly

Mainly her whole life story. Don’t forget we also had the groom and best mans speech as well 🤦🏼‍♀️

Our best man 'forgot' to accompany my mother to her seat, and left her waiting outside the side door of the church. She came in as I was walking down the aisle.

It wasn’t at the wedding per se but we all got back to the hotel guests were staying at (not the wedding venue) and there’d been a wedding there. Said wedding had ended in a massive fight sparked between the the brides dad and someone in the grooms family. I guess the lesson is try not to have it end in that.

@TheChosenTwo unless you know differently, I would guess that maybe a friend or family member had done all the flowers/ centre pieces for them - perhaps either at cost or as a present. Love the idea of the BYOB though.

Was it a competently stuffed fox in good condition, or one that you'd see if you googled 'bad taxidermy'?

Father of the bride presenting the happy couple with a stuffed fox.

Wedding delayed over an hour as MIL turned up late. My family convinced I came across as the prima donna bride, but we could hardly go ahead and have her walk in late. We literally sat in the car and waited for her, circling the church…. she’s not even aware that she turned up late. Even worse, we gave her a fake start time - so she was two hours late by the time we have her.

Same MIL was also 20 minutes late for her own MILs funeral - they did not wait that time. She ran down the aisle to the top of the church mid funeral mass.

Even worse, she was late to her own mother’s funeral ceremony and arrived at the church after the hearse. That’s a big no-no where we are from, out of respect to the person who passed. We’d believe that you wouldn’t leave them alone, arriving at the church and the family not there for them.

That is so bad!!!

My DH's cousin's wedding was pretty ghastly. The bride (we didn't know her; the groom was DH's cousin) sobbed all through the ceremony. Didn't seem like happy tears, more like inconsolable sobbing. Awkward.

The reception was in rooms above a pub on the hottest day of the year, and the windows didn't open. To make matters worse it coincided with a big football match (Euros final I think; I don't follow football) and so pretty early on loads of the guests migrated downstairs to watch the football in the pub, leaving the bride, groom and a handful of family members to make the best of things upstairs in the sweltering heat. I felt awful for them tbh. They're divorced now.

How silly of them not to check where it was, or at least check with the taxi driver when they started the journey.

One of my friends booked a secluded Airbnb for their wedding night accommodation in a charming nearby village.

Bit too secluded as it turned out because at midnight in the dark the taxi driver couldn’t find the address, no phone signal to ring them or use maps to check, and they ended up going back home to her parents’ to spend the night in her childhood single bed.

So make sure you know what’s happening after the wedding has finished…!

Tell us more.....

Bride was a total bridezilla, and a ridiculous tight arse when it comes to money. I knew that she hadnt factored in much of the way of food as she had told me the cost of "catering". We were giving a couple of people a lift and I just had to tell them so they could get something to eat. The whole day, no food, no drinks, get to the reception and literally there was the tiniest buffet ever known to man. Everyone was starving, to make things worse the bride and groom went first and had plates full, everyone ended up with a mini scotch egg, and some crisps.

Horrendous day all round