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!

Worst
Being on the last ( least important ) table at the back of the room at the reception meal.
The tables at the front all got served first ( obviously the most important people in the hierarchy of the guest list) and it was quite embarrassing sitting on what was essentially the table for the least important ( we we're sat with the photographer and dressmaker next to the exit). We were served our (now cold) starters as the guests at the front had finished their desserts and the speeches were starting.
Tbh we felt like imposters.

Best: very casual food and a sit where you like table plan at a wedding where I knew around 20 people.

Worst: very casual food and a sit where you like table plan at a wedding where I knew no-one except DH.

Proof I think that you can't please all of the people all of the time!

The best wedding I ever attended was my cousin's wedding. The reception was in my auntie's beautiful garden (cousin is a landscape gardener). The guests all provided food, but the bride and groom bought all the drink for the day/evening. They hired a couple of people to serve/wash up, the speeches were very short and the weather was perfect. It was all very informal and relaxed - no matchy matchy accessories, no wedding favours and other expensive and unnecessary fripperies.

The whole thing was planned with the guests' comfort in mind rather than focussing on an "Instagrammable" venue.

Sadly the marriage didn't last, but it was a memorable day for all the right reasons.

I despair of couples who spend far too much money on a photogenic venue at the expense of looking after their guests properly. A wedding is a party, and the bride and groom are the hosts, albeit at the centre of attention. A good host looks after their guests.

I think one of the best was actually my sister's. It was just in a village hall, and the food was BBQ (kangaroo though! BIL is aussie), there was a TON of alcohol on hand - self serve, and the cakes were all individual little things that I'd stayed up until 3am to finish making followed by a ceilidh. It was just simple happy joy! I have such fond memories of it.

Worst, easily the worst! Was when I was very very new to this country and didn't speak the language. The bride and groom had decided to split everyone up at the reception from anyone they knew and just seat people with complete and utter strangers. Total nightmare. Very awkward. Although not quite as awkward as when her female relatives stood up to sing a (not particularly good) song they'd written especially for the couple. It had no fewer than ten verses.. Cringe.

Best: The friends who went completely homemade for decorations, table decorations, bride's jewellery made by her sister, and totally vegan food that no one even really noticed until it was pointed out!

Worst: Not the couple's fault at all, but the one in a barn with the reception in a larger barn across the field...it pissed down all day so we all had to squelch across the mud. Venue claimed they had some boards they'd usually put down to make a path across but had 'misplaced them'.

I should maybe be clearer that people definitely noticed there was food It was the fact it was vegan that wasn't obvious!

Best: straight after the ceremony there was 15 minutes of photos of carious family groups and all the guests then bride and groom went off to do their own photos and a antipasto table filled with all kinds of yummy things was wheeled out for the guests to enjoy.

Best was a house warming bbq lunch that turned into a wedding (Australia so celebrant can marry you at home).
Second best, big Italian wedding with multiple courses and drinks

Haven't had any bad ones other than finding out later about entitled behaviour of a guest who inconvenienced an elderly relative and others by stropping.
Great things have been pizza van, braziers and blankets (and marshmallows to toast), vegan catering and a violinist.

I don't like religious weddings where it is obvious the vicar/minister/priest has obviously only met the couple twice.

It's totally different when the couple (or one of them) are regulars.

And I think you need to let your guests know if you are doing something that is not expected.

So if your guests are going to be sitting on hay bales in a barn tell them.

It is becoming clear on this thread that the best weddings are not the expensive extravaganzas that far too many people aspire to.

The message is loud and clear - guests first, venue second.

Best, a very informal wedding low key in a pub after, great pub food, beer garden, no free bar, just so chilled

Worst, in 2 parts invited to the ring ceremony to an Indian wedding 1 hour of traffic in Delhi to get there to go around 5 miles, we were so over dressed, people came straight from work in jeans a t/shirts or very casual clothes, we made to dance on the stage(no way of getting out of it) awful food and no alcohol (but most guests did drink as we know them), then the wedding itself the next day almost 2 and half hours awful car journey to the middle of nowhere, standing around for the next 2 hours waiting for the groom to arrive by horse, bad food again no alcohol, then another hour and a half for the bride to arrive......it was freezing by then....no wonder people were going off to their cars for some erm 'water', then the car journey back home with a hapless driver

Worse one was a wedding on a very remote field in the UK when it was pouring down with rain and just one marquee for us all to take cover under. The ceremony was at midday, finished by 12.30, and then the groom and bride went off to take photos until 6.30pm whilst all we got was prosecco and strawberries. The marquee got flooded so we all had to take our shoes off to not ruin them. It was freezing. By the time dinner was served at 7pm the mood was terrible and most of us left as soon as that was over.

The best one I've been to was in NYC on a boat on the hudson. Everything was just so well thought through and it was over in about 4 hours.

Basically, I don't like weddings that takes a whole day and evening. I don't have the stamina. Ceremony at 5pm, dinner at 7.30pm, dancing/drinks from 9.30pm is perfect in my world.

worst: arriving for the reception and finding the previous wedding reception still going on. We were all squashed in the foyer for over an hour as it was March and a bitter wind was whipping around outside. I felt so sorry for the bride as the wedding had cost a fortune and the venue really mucked it up by over-scheduling and not ejecting the previous wedding.

Other worst: arriving at evening reception to find that dh and I were the only evening guests . All the day guests were still seated at their tables, and when our unique status dawned on us, plus the fact that there was no welcome drink let alone any buffet, we left in high dudgeon.

best: nice guests. When the guests are "for" the bride and groom it really makes a wedding. I have attended a fair few weddings full of guestzillas, ready to criticise every little thing and whine about the food/the weather/the timings/the music etc etc . So hurtful to the hosts.

Worst
Being on the last ( least important ) table at the back of the room at the reception meal. The tables at the front all got served first ( obviously the most important people in the hierarchy of the guest list) and it was quite embarrassing sitting on what was essentially the table for the least important

This happened to us at one wedding, and me and my husband were the only people on the table.

It was my brother in law’s wedding and we had travelled 650+ miles to be there! The rest of my husbands family were at the front, including his father’s awful mistress. Mostly because the wedding was controlled by the bride’s parents. It was a shit wedding all round.

They’re divorced now.

@Theworldisfullofgs was the groom’s name Ross?

Best wedding was last year, my cousins. It was in a beautiful setting, lovely staff that couldn't do enough for you, really relaxed day with the most incredible food I've ever eaten! Lots of free drinks dotted around during the day, pizza van in the evening, lots of seating and drinks while the photos went on... just a lovely day with lots of laughing and you could feel the happiness around you.

Worst was unfortunately my husbands brothers, they got married at 12pm in a registry office an hours drive away from where we all lived, then had they're reception in a pub back in our home town but they all stopped off for photos on the way back at "scenic spots." What made it really terrible is they had planned with the pub that the meal would be served at 5pm, so all the kids hadn't eaten since 9am (because of all the travelling) they didn't tell us the meal would be that late, we assumed it would be early afternoon so just took some cereal bars for them to snack on. We all (non-important guests unworthy of photos) turned up to the venue to find it all locked up and literally no-one about. Apparently the bride and groom said that the venue wasn't to be opened until right before the meal so that all us guests could get the full impact of their decorated room without it being messed up at all. It was a scorchingly hot day, there were 2 picnic benches in the beer garden but no shade whatsoever as all the parasols etc were locked in the pub, we couldn't even buy a drink. Loads of guests including young children and babies stuck out in the sun for 3 hours. Bride and groom and her family turned up at 3.30 to wait with us. Owners of pub turned up at 4.30 looking shocked to find pretty fed up guests standing outside. There was not a single drink provided for the whole day and the food was a "hog roast" with emphasis on the chicken nuggets and chips as that's all the bride liked to eat! Honestly you couldn't make it up!

I have been to a few extended family weddings recently and while all were great fun in their different ways it made a difference to me that the B&G were very engaged in the ceremony. The least expensive wedding was very religious (but fun) and this was also exactly how you could describe the B&G. Pure joy!

Another was expensive but non-religious as were the B&G. Totally respected this and their devotion to each other shone out.

Another was an expensive wedding with a church ceremony but the attitude of the B&G mocked the religiousness and it was obvious the church was just a photo opportunity. Hmm.

Best wedding was one was at a friends house/garden, BBQ and Hog roast, never ending supply of cheap bubbles or boxed wine, big top style tent on the field next to the house and we hijacked the ice cream van to pop round off their usual route. No guest tier system as all guests were there from beginning to end. End being about 11am the next day once the hangover breakfast had been BBQed too.

Worst one I was bridesmaid. I was supposed to be grateful that I didn't have to pay for and got to keep my mint (snot) green dress. Was made up and accessorised like a flower girl at 25 years old. Flat shoes, basket of petals, the lot. The other 2 bridesmaids had heels and proper bouquets.
I felt like a right muppet on the day but went with it . Binned the dress as soon as I could afterwards. The bride was gutted that she had not seen me wear it again. No idea where it would have been suitable other than panto.

One wedding some of the guests were tasked with looking after some of the other guests, I was looking after the groom's mother, made sure she had drinks and got her food from the buffet. Mother didn't know I'd been asked to do this, she just thought I was kind.

Its a great idea if you have older or single guests.

WTAF? The people are guests, not carers. What an utterly shit idea: invite someone as a guest (with expectation of gift, of course) and then snap spring it on them that actually you're just using them to babysit an elderly person or, WTAF? a 'single' adult?

I'd actually fucking leave if someone did this to me and take the gift.

Worst: My 1 year old being car sick on the way (all over the beautiful dress we'd bought for the occassion) and trying to sort that out. Then arriving only just on time whilst my parents who left before us had got lost and weren't there, which was a bit worrying at the time. Not the couples fault at all, we had a good time nonetheless.

Best: Ice cream bike at a garden party style wedding, awesome and relaxed. Lovely flavours and it was a hot day so it really worked.

Generally even if there's waiting around/not amazing food etc I do quite like a good wedding.

Two worst for opposite reasons:

First had no free drinks at all. We were uni friends still at uni and desperate for a drink. No one at the wedding drank at all except our table who single handedly drank the hotel out of prosecco (6 bottles 🥴)

Second was free bar and it was total carnage. Never ever seen so many people so drunk. I think it's because you didn't even have to go to the bar to get a drink it was just all on tables and help yourself - wine, beer, fizz, gin, whiskey.

Worst - loads of waiting around. Church weddings are the worst for this, in my experience.
Best - nice food (prefer a buffet myself) and at least some free booze.

Omg destination weddings are the worst. You know, weirdly I dont want to spend more than I would usually spend on my actual summer holiday to get to somewhere nowhere near an airport just for a long weekend. I think couples forget when they do this that not everyone has enough money for that to be a trivial thing. We recently were invited to one in south of France. For it to be affordable we would have to drive but found out week before that my husband couldnt get leave for the Friday (when we would have been doing thr long drive) so it would have been an overnight drive starting on the Friday eve to make it for the wedding. Plus it was black tie, which is expensive if you dont already have it, thankfully I had kept my dress from university grad ball ten years before and would have juuuuuust fit into it, and DH had recently lost enough weight to fit into the black tie suit he had as a teenager. We were so apologetic but it simply wasn't possible to make it. The bride sent us loads of supposedly cheaper travel ideas but it would have still been nigh on a grand once you factored I driving to random airports like Luton, car hire, two way flights (not just singles!!) Etc. We were so sad about it but it would have been a stretch even driving for our finances at the time.

We genuinely did our best but she still isnt talking to us :(.