What are the best/worst things you've experienced at a wedding?

[Turniptracker]

Just started planning a wedding and it got me thinking about the best and worst things about weddings I've attended in the past. The worst was a wedding where we kept getting moved from room to room for each stage of the wedding, we were kicked off the dining tables after our last mouthful of dessert and had to stand up in a cold stable with no chairs to juggle coffee and chocs (hello indigestion). Best by far, but for all the wrong reasons, was watching a groomsman rip his trousers through vigorous dancing and he was so drunk he proceeded to just rip all his clothes off and dance in his pants
Any "best things" for good reasons also welcome!

Best- one done on a shoestring at a less than posh venue. Absolutely lovely, not only because it was so clearly thought, and personal taste behind everything rather than money, but the brides family did so much to include everyone as part of one big group, rather than distinct clusters of people.

Worst- one where the bridal party appeared to think money compensated for class. At one point the father of the bride was very publicly demonstrating his ability to buy champagne, whilst making patronising comments about those at the bar buying beer. By the end, I don't think anyone in the room was unaware of exactly how much everything had cost, with comparisons to other weddings, which was ok because 'they could afford it'
A particularly classy part of the evening was the two mothers having a screeching argument in the toilets followed by a fight.

Worst wedding i went to was quite quick from engagement to ceremony, 4 months all told. Reception was at a local Harvester style restaurant and we were asked to pay for our meals in advance (we had to send a cheque!) Guests were also asked to wear something of a certain colour (brides favourite colour) and we had to take a day off work. Quite galling to have to pay for your meal but they had enough for a horse drawn carriage!
I think what i am trying to say is that you need to make sure you have enough money to cover the basics: feeding your guests well, providing their drinks (free bar if you can, but if not wine on tables, welcome drink etc as a minimum and free soft drinks throughout) and then entertainment. Once you have got those sorted then the details can be added with the remaining budget. Dont scrimp on food and booze just so you can have a photo booth for example.
Best weddings i have been too have had great food, plentiful alcohol and great live bands - they create a fantastic atmosphere.

Best:
Good food
Free drinks
Informal
Short speeches

Worst:
Cold venue inadequately heated in sub-zero temperatures
Not enough food
Not enough seating
Expensive pay bar. I don’t mind paying for drinks, but I object to being ripped off £45 for a bottle of wine

Worst - Cake made of cheese. I felt robbed

That would come under best for me FruityWidow

Other no-nos for me would be:
Lots of hanging around
Karaoke
Nowhere quiet to sit and chat with people

Anyway, at the altar, when it came to the vows, she just stopped. Said nothing for an age. You could hear a pin drop. Eventually, she turned and walked away, leaving the groom at the altar!

So they didn’t get married then EarringsandLipstick?

I think my wedding was the best but I'm definitely bias. We got married at 3, which meant we only had to feed people once but also meant no waiting around for a whole day for guests! We got married in a garden and whilst we had the photos guests could go to the orangery for drinks so they didn't get bored. All guest were invited to the whole day. After photos everyone went to the reception venue. We had no seating plan and a buffet. My husband was in a band as were his friends so they played for us and we then just played a playlist from a laptop. It was really laid back and I think everyone really enjoyed it.

Worst: insufficient food, hanging about while photos taken, overly long speeches, not really knowing anyone

Best: went to the most lovely one recently where everyone was just so happy for the lovely couple, beautiful personal, details, plenty to est and drink if you wanted it, great speeches (one was hideously inappropriate but funny). Very happy day all round.

My only advice is have what you would genuinely like, not what you think you should have. Make it happy and personal. Make sure guests have refreshments - went to fan one at a country church and we were all given tea and tiny cakes in the garden on a hot day while the photos were taken then driven off on buses to the reception proper. So nice and so welcome.

Mine is gonna be under the worst bit for some if i have anyone like @Brokenlightfitting attend.

I wouldn't mind no alcohol at all- as long as there are decent freely available drinks. I tend to drive anyway.

It is when people expect you to pay for drinks from a bar. I just find it really rude. But totally alcohol free would be fine.

Basically all guest really care about is food and booze. Do not scrimp on this! A free bar isn't necessary but champagne (or Prosecco) for welcome and toasts and wine of tables with meals is standard.

Candles for the boring standy aroundy bit after the ceremony and before the wedding breakfast.

I think the best weddings are mid afternoon so everyone can have lunch first. Then meal early evening. Oh and keep the service short, no-one wants to hear the vicar or whoever banging on and on. 20 mins max!

Canapés not candles!

Although candles are also nice!

Candles for the boring standy aroundy bit after the ceremony and before the wedding breakfast.

What do you do with the candles?

If the guests are all heathens don't choose challenging hymns.

Ha ha, I have learned my lesson about needing food at weddings so often have brought snacks with me, kept them in the car or our room. We've also gone for a little drive after the ceremony when we know the meal won't be until later on. Once we went and had lunch at a country pub! You aren't prisoners, you can come and go as you please, the bride and groom probably won't notice (or care) that you have disappeared for a bit.

Friend of the groom brought an escort to the wedding;she was dressed very provocatively to be polite,they disappeared during the reception into the gardens.Someone had a drone that had been used for overhead photos so guess what came out to fly over the gardens..............She would have had to wipe the grass stains off her knees.

The following day we were told there was a punch up between the friend of the groom and another male wedding guest.Turns out they were meant to share a taxi back to the hotel.The escort had put her shoes and bag into the taxi but then ran back into the venue to get something she'd forgotten and her "date" had gone with her so the other guest had told the taxi driver to "just go" and left them stranded at the venue.

The friend of the groom got his revenge though.When the other blokes girlfriend went to to their room to apologise for her boyfriends behaviour and return the shoes and bag she was invited in and spent the night..........

The friend of the groom took great delight in taking photos and sending them to this girls boyfriend.

Not having enough to eat at an expensive society wedding
Was just about to leave when the groom announced at 10 pm, that burgers and hot dogs were ready and nearly got killed in the stampede 😂
And being freezing cold in the bloody tent that the hosts paid an arm and a leg for..honestly I would’ve preferred a warm cosy room at the back of a pub with pie, peas and mushy peas.

Thank god my friend brought along three woolly blankets !

The post about running away from the undercover singing waiters has made me laugh!
For me worst for me is not having enough food and being in a remote location so not able to get alternative food!
I haven’t been to a wedding with a free bar, am happy with a drink package with welcome drink, food on the table and drink for the toast.

My third wedding was the best wedding I’ve ever been to
A destination wedding down on the beach at 7pm when it was still warm and sunny..28 degrees..all my children,partners and grandchildren and friends who I really care about
Had a lovely day at the zoo early on, and just had a relaxing afternoon. Then shower , did own hair and make up and nails and strummed down to the beach By the Brilliant Irish guitarist from a Local bar..all 25 of us
Was like something out of mama Mia with all the locals cheering us on.
Then oodles of food and drink.which we paid for $600 including hefty tip for food and drink for us all all night
Fabulous time had by all.

Would love to do it again...with the same husband lol

Most weddings I have been to have been enjoyable. The not so good are mainly memorable for not enough food and/or extortionate bar prices.

We had a free bar.

worst - A BIG FIGHT amongst guests.

Worst - groom's family going first to the evening buffet, greedily loading their plates, and there wasn't enough for all the other guests.

I like in the sort of place where is not a wedding if someone hasn't had a fight. And never been to a wedding with a free bar.

We went abroad to get married with only a few very close family. Avoided all the fights and it was all inclusive

*live not like

The worst was a friend of DH and we had an evening invite only. It was an hour away and when we arrived the speeches were still going on. The whole day was running late so we and about twenty other evening guests had to hang around waiting for 45 minutes for the evening part to start. It’s as so awkward because everyone in the reception room could see us all just waiting with nothing to do. Then there wasn’t enough seats when we did get in.
The best is always where I know lots of people, lots of food, not too much waiting around and enough places to sit down.

Worst, hanging around for hours waiting for the food while photos were taken and then the bridal party did a tour of the place the reception was being held.

Any wedding in a church were you have to stand up and down and up and down. The last one I was at, I nearly fainted.

One had a magician who was apparently amazing. I didn't see as I was getting pictures taken 🙄 but at least there was entertainment for the other guests I suppose.

Best, free bar 😜

It is when people expect you to pay for drinks from a bar. I just find it really rude

This is totally standard at a UK wedding. Drinks provided on arrival, wine on table for dinner and something for toasts then a paid bar. Anything further for free after that is a nice bonus but definitely not expected.

Worst has to be a wedding we went to which nearly got called off after the bride and the stripper got a bit over familiar at the hen do and someone posted a video on Facebook. I don't know why the wedding went ahead but it did. We turned up to a run down shit hotel on the side of the motorway which had signs all around it advertising the 'wedding package' and the price so we all knew what they had paid for the wedding.
Best was my own. There probably was a bit of waiting around which is to be expected at a wedding by the evening do was ace. Live band in a marquee in the beer garden of our local, no wine because I don't like it so bottled beer and canned spirits and mixers in ice buckets around the marquee. Karaoke disco inside for when the band had a break. Just a big party with those we love. Loved it

I don’t think I’ve been to many ‘bad’ weddings. One where there had been some monumental fuck up by the venue and half the guests didn’t have seats to eat at (so I was perched on a window ledge to eat) but B&G has no knowledge of why it had gone wrong.

Other than that it was just the spectacularly bad sermon by the priest at the evangelical wedding I went to where he went on about how the B&G would disappoint each other and cheat on each other unless they relied on God and that particular church to keep them together. He went on for about 30 minutes and we were are looking at each other trying not to fall about laughing

I particularly dislike it when the bridal party disappear for photos, leaving the guests hanging around. One wedding that I thought solved this nicely invited a local kids dance school and a friend's band in as entertainment during the photos - it kept everyone occupied, and delayed the drinking a bit, too.