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Original poster

Weddings you went to where things went wrong?

764 replies

Bupo · 09/03/2025 12:01

Please can you share any times you attended a wedding where things went awry. I’m just keen to avoid any possible issue.

The only one I can think of is where the bride was two hours late. Apparently her family were just really exacting with the make up artist and had a lot of the make up redone/touched up.

We were sat in the Church for aaaaages. It meant that the drinks reception/evening meal was really rushed as the bride and groom really prioritised the dancing.

OP posts:
SantaToSSD · 09/03/2025 17:51

Some of these are awful. The worst I know of is our hired Rolls Royce, which had taken me to the church, wouldn't start when the time came to take me and dh to the reception. It wasn't a big deal really, we just went in my dad's car.

My brother and sister in law's wedding photographs didn't work for some reason I forget now so they have no professional photos of the day.

Neither of the above mattered in the greater scheme of things. I am feeling for those couples who lost a family member on their big day.

Daisymae23 · 09/03/2025 17:53

LT1233 · 09/03/2025 17:43

Wow, some of these replies are astounding!

My SIL turned up absolutely hammered to hers, doubled over laughing as soon as she walked in the room (registry office) and doubled over cackling all the way down the aisle, randomly shouting her husband to be's surname at the top of her voice. First thing she did at the front was, whilst still cackling, belittle my husband who'd been asked at the last minute by his brother to hand the rings over - brother had obviously been told he wasn't allowed to ask my husband to be any sort of best man, but for some reason his brother panicked on the day and asked him anyway. Whole ceremony she was doubled over cackling, everyone in the entire room looked beyond uncomfortable. At the reception, her now husband had calculated the number of guests wrong and as soon as I walked in I could see there wasn't enough chairs or space. His head fell off when I told him so I had to sort it. My 2 large kids and my husband basically ended up sat on my knee for that part of the day. And the rest of the day the bride went round loudly telling everyone she'd married the wrong brother (as in she should've married my husband) and at one point when my husband was at the bar, was telling him her friend really him. Absolutely bizarre behaviour.

Are they still married??

RafaFan · 09/03/2025 17:53

KindnessIsKey123 · 09/03/2025 13:44

We’ve been to two weddings with a mandatory (!) ceilidh after the dinner. At both of them we made our excuses & ducked out.

In what way was the ceilidh mandatory? Did they cut off the supply of booze if you didn't dance?
If you're invited to a Scottish wedding with an evening reception and dance, there's about a 50% chance that it will be a ceilidh. I find that people either love or hate them. My English husband loves a good ceilidh (as do I) and is disappointed if a Scottish wedding just has a disco, whereas my sister and brother-in-law (both Scottish born and bred) hate them.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 09/03/2025 17:53

Wedding 200 miles away.
Everyone was invited to the ceremony late morning.
Family only lunch.
Everyone was invited to the evening do at 7pm.
So we kicked around for 6 hours, think we might have had a pub lunch, but what we could do was limited in our wedding clothes.
Went back for evening do.
By 9pm it was obvious that there was not going to be any food.
At which point everyone left and went to the chippy.

Cloudyvibes · 09/03/2025 17:54

Oh I forgot one!

Went to a wedding of a friend a few years ago where we were standing around after the ceremony having drinks while bride and groom had their photos done. Another friend got talking and was laughing about how she needed to talk to the bride later as she had had a card made and hadn’t edited the card properly on moon pig so the brides name was correct but the grooms was incorrect. She then said the name…it was the same name as the brides ex who she was engaged to years before and the groom didn’t like! Honestly her face was a picture when it was pointed out to her.
She then grabbed her husband told him to go and retrieve it from the post box they had on the table for cards to be put in. So during dinner the husband was sent on his mission. Poor bloke got his hand stuck and walked out to the carpark with the box attached to his hand, friend - his wife had to go and help him get it off! We was sat at the table wetting ourselves.

GellerYeller · 09/03/2025 17:54

A girl I worked with was obsessive about her wedding, and had very exacting, insta perfect expectations . She cancelled her first venue (a listed, stately home) when they refused to redecorate(paint!) as the colours ‘didn’t work with my theme’.
On arrival at the night do, there were guests outside from another function at the venue which was clearly black tie. This had panicked several more casually dressed guests and apparently sparked fury from the bride that they weren’t segregated from wedding guests(in the car park?!).
The wedding breakfast had overrun. The evening guests were made to sit in an ante room with no bar, for over an hour. Staff rushed past with desserts, explaining that they hadn’t started the speeches, then they had to clear and reset the room.
The bride had told us about her dress which had a bespoke made overcoat. The colleague who told her ‘nice dressing gown Carol’ was not well received.

McSteamyorMcdreamy · 09/03/2025 17:57

2nd the cream tea for for wedding breakfast. Then they bought out what hadn't been eaten (which wasn't much) for the evening buffet! Odd considering the B&G considered it be a lavish affair with no expense spared.

Cousins wedding was early December in a marquee. Everyone sat there with coats on, and one tiny fan heater for the whole place.

Namechangedforspooky · 09/03/2025 17:57

Not me but my brother was singing in the choir as a child and the bride’s grandma died during the service. They were trying to revive her with hymn sheets.

Also been at one where the father of the bride mentioned a blow up doll incident involving the groom in his speech.
Groom was not amused!

Disastrouswedding · 09/03/2025 17:59

My own wedding where the IRA blew the hotel into smithereens the day before and our cake as well. I should have taken it as an omen.😂

Jabberwok · 09/03/2025 18:01

Two from when I "worked" the weddings as bad staff/waiter.

The first, a young couple clearly not financially well off had the social room of the bar I part own for the reception. Several guests clearly hadn't bothered to turn up and if there were 20 people in the room I would be surprised. They didn't have a dj or other entertainment booked, trying to play music from a phone into a small Bluetooth speaker. The room is big and it was lost. I'd popped in to see if our manager needed a hand as it was a weekday...we took pity and set up the music system for them . The buffet was for 75...but we charged for 50 and used good left over food for the darts team that night rather than cook for them

I used to go to an evangelical church and it was tradition that the church provided food (members cooking dishes that the b and g wanted) and served at the wedding. The guests were vile to all of us "staff". No one from the families (both sides were members of the church) said thank you...we worked for 8 hours for free. And to top it off, one of the guests accidentally hit the tray I was carrying, covering me from the chest down with champagne....she just laughed!

But one many years ago, good friends of mine...best man stood up said "I'm too fucking nervous to say anything" and sat down

LT1233 · 09/03/2025 18:03

Daisymae23 · 09/03/2025 17:53

Are they still married??

Show quote history

Yes, been together for 15 years, 3 kids and married for 6 months. I'm desperate to say something about what was said about my husband but it'll cause wider issues through the family and I just cba, I just don't want to have anything to do with them!

Goodadvice1980 · 09/03/2025 18:04

ExIssues · 09/03/2025 17:05

Groom got brides name wrong in the vows

I Ross take thee Rachel 😂

Keiththecatwithamagichat · 09/03/2025 18:04

ExIssues · 09/03/2025 17:05

Groom got brides name wrong in the vows

I Ross, take thee Rachel...

Keiththecatwithamagichat · 09/03/2025 18:04

Goodadvice1980 · 09/03/2025 18:04

I Ross take thee Rachel 😂

Show quote history

Jinx!

Toddlerteaplease · 09/03/2025 18:04

@Coffeeishot I've been to one like that as well. It was a lovely but the bride walked down the Aisle in tears. And the speeches were all about her parents.

Baggingarea · 09/03/2025 18:05

Not mine (thank gawd) but does anyone remember that newd story where the groom was wearing a kilt and hadnt wiped his bum properly? He sat on his new brides lap, needless to say the dress was ruined and there was a big punch up?

My memory may be adding extra details in...

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 09/03/2025 18:06

Jabberwok · 09/03/2025 18:01

Two from when I "worked" the weddings as bad staff/waiter.

The first, a young couple clearly not financially well off had the social room of the bar I part own for the reception. Several guests clearly hadn't bothered to turn up and if there were 20 people in the room I would be surprised. They didn't have a dj or other entertainment booked, trying to play music from a phone into a small Bluetooth speaker. The room is big and it was lost. I'd popped in to see if our manager needed a hand as it was a weekday...we took pity and set up the music system for them . The buffet was for 75...but we charged for 50 and used good left over food for the darts team that night rather than cook for them

I used to go to an evangelical church and it was tradition that the church provided food (members cooking dishes that the b and g wanted) and served at the wedding. The guests were vile to all of us "staff". No one from the families (both sides were members of the church) said thank you...we worked for 8 hours for free. And to top it off, one of the guests accidentally hit the tray I was carrying, covering me from the chest down with champagne....she just laughed!

But one many years ago, good friends of mine...best man stood up said "I'm too fucking nervous to say anything" and sat down

Best best man's speech ever!

To be honest, I can remember almost nothing about our wedding, except that it happened and I was very, very happy. Well over 40 years later, I'm still very happy. So what matters is picking the right person, and of course there's a huge amount of luck in that. Can't remember the last time I looked at our wedding photos. I don't even know where they are. Weddings are far less important than marriages.

Etten1 · 09/03/2025 18:07

After the ceremony, newly married groom decided to go to nearby pub with his fiends. Eventually arrived at the reception at the wedding venue much the worse for wear. Blazing row between bride and groom. Marriage didn’t last long (probably for the best).

Beaverbridge · 09/03/2025 18:11

Girl I worked with had the flu, she barely made it through the ceremony, ate nothing, and retired to bed alone. The groom partied away like a good one.
A friend decided in the taxi with her father that she wasn't going through with it. True soap style!!!. We were all in the church when the minister came out and told us it was off. We all went out for a meal in the town and had a good drink!!.

LakieLady · 09/03/2025 18:14

At the reception, a buffet affair at the the bride's family home, her mother kept making bitchy remarks about the groom's family and friends, including his best man. He asked her to stop, she went into one, and the bride's brother punched the groom for upsetting his mother.

A full-on brawl ensued...

They were only together for two years after that.

Snowpaw · 09/03/2025 18:14

Been to many where the person doing the speech shouts "CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME?" at the start but then proceeds with the rest of the speech in a dreary monotone getting quieter and quieter, and no idea what they are saying.

LT1233 · 09/03/2025 18:16

I've just remembered another one. My first wedding was in Cyprus. It's a conveyor belt of weddings over there and our hotel was 95% wedding parties. We got speaking to a couple who it turned out we had mutual friends at home with. Anyway, they liked a drink and were not very loved up at all. We went out with them one night and they lasted about 20 mins before they had a blazing row and the guy stormed off. Also, the day after their wedding they weren't even speaking and the bride was constantly on the phone trying to arrange to come home. Turned out the grooms stag do 3 nights before the wedding had turned silly, the groom and his dad (and/or best man - I can't remember exactly) had both had sex with women who weren't their partners down an alleyway and the whole family ended up getting dragged into this massive fallout. I was only in my early 20's and it was certainly an eye opener for me.

Pippy1820 · 09/03/2025 18:16

This is one I'll never forget. The church service was at 2pm, then straight to the hotel for drinks reception/meal whilst the room was being set up. Went into a room and noticed the tables weren't set...then platters of sausages, chicken goujons, sandwiches etc. got brought out. By 6pm, I'd say 90% of the guests were pissed (including me!) due to lack of food. No more food brought out for the rest of it. Luckily there was a McDonald's across the road

Biglifedecisions · 09/03/2025 18:16

Isn’t this the truth. A marriage is very different to a wedding!

ClearHoldBuild · 09/03/2025 18:17

We went to a friend’s wedding where the best man was so drunk he couldn’t string a sentence together. It was awful.