“I’ve Never Wished So Much Pain On A Person Before”: People Share What Ruined Their Wedding
Interview With ExpertThere is a certain drama that weddings evoke, big emotions, tears, joy, and memories. But this also means that the bad is that much worse, from weather disasters to drunken, angry outbursts.
Someone asked people who have seen or experienced ruined weddings to share their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites, and be sure to share your own experiences in the comments section. We also got in touch with Jhona Yellin, editor at Bespoke Bride to learn more about wedding stories.
More info: Bespoke-Bride.com
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My sister is the bride of all brides...nothing fazed her.
The day before her wedding she went to pick up her dress where it was being hemmed and the tailor ruined it. It was unwearable and she had to grab an off the rack dress that mostly fit her.
Then during the pictures my 3 month old son had diarrhea all down my bridesmaids dress, down my stockings and into my shoes. It was 10 minutes before the ceremony. We had to wash out and iron dry the dress, I had planned to nurse the baby before the ceremony but he was whisked off to be changed so I basically milked myself into the sink while the other bridesmaids were cleaning my shoes and the priest was making an announcement about the delay and my poor sister was just waiting to see what else would happen.
Then during the wedding my milk came in and stained the front of my dress so I held my flowers across my chest for the whole ceremony.
It was a total disaster and yet my sister was so serene and smiling and laughing about it.
Now we have great stories and I totally admire her for being the complete opposite of a bridezilla.
My mom ruined my wedding (she ruined my brother's wedding, too, but that's another story). She loved my fiancé until we got engaged, and then suddenly he wasn't 'successful' enough. I wanted to get married at the yacht club because an uncle on my dads side could offer a huge discount. She shot that idea down because she didn't want it to look like my dads side paid for it (they're divorced). She tried to book the wedding at the same country club where her brother's recently failed marriage took place. She shot down every single one of my choices from dress, to food, to colors and flowers. It got to the point where I hated thinking about my own wedding, and my husband finally suggested we just elope. So we booked a date with a judge, got married in secret, and asked our families to meet us for dinner, where we told everyone what we'd just done. My mom couldn't be angry about it in front of everyone without looking like a nutcase. 12 years later, no regrets. It's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage.
My husband and I got pregnant while planning our wedding. My parents found out and moved the ceremony date closer. Two weeks before the wedding we lost our child. Not only was that hard enough my mother took it upon herself to cancel our wedding. Catering, music, venue, guests. Even SOLD MY DRESS. We still kept our date. My parents refused to come to our impromptu wedding because, in their minds, we were only getting married because we were pregnant. Also, my Aunt (fathers sister) decided to tell my father that my husband threatened my mother. My aunt was mad because we moved our wedding date before my cousins wedding. (B**ch's marriage ended 9 months later.) So my wedding was canceled, parents didn't come to my wedding. We had the nice intimate wedding we wanted with my husbands family and our close friends. We had an amazing picnic reception and a kick a*s after party. Stress aside we had our perfect day in the long run.
Bored Panda got in touch with Jhona Yellin, the editor at Bespoke Bride to learn more about what veteran wedding planners have seen. Naturally, we wanted to hear about their experiences with “ruined” weddings and horrible guests.
“As our team has been occupied with weddings for the last 13 years (!) we heard our fair share of horror stories about guests who turned weddings into their own personal circus acts. From drunken escapades on the dance floor to dramatic confrontations during the toasts, it seems like some people just can't resist stealing the spotlight – even if it's not their moment to shine.”
A coworker of my husband's (whom he had known for a week) accused him of sexually assaulting her a MONTH TO THE DAY before my wedding. After my wedding was cancelled by my family, thousands down the drain in wedding prep and lawyer bills, and trust issues arising between my now-husband and I (who had to settle for a court house wedding), she confessed to being in love with my husband and had to stop him from making a mistake. I've never wished so much pain on a person before.
The wedding wasn't ruined, but we narrowly avoided a minor disaster. It wasn't a guest, but our ring bearer who dropped and lost our rings shortly before the ceremony. Thankfully the rings were found and recovered in time. We can't place too much blame on him though, since he was only an 8-year old and a Pomeranian.
I once Dj'd a half black, half white racist wedding.
The groom was a skinny white nerdy looking guy and the bride was a larger african american woman, both in there early 20's. From the start, I could feel a weird tension and hostility in the room, but thought "Ok, maybe something just happened at the ceremony that I missed", and shook it off.
The night went on with a rather silent crowd, until it got to the speeches. First to go was the best man, who gave a warm hearted, nice guy roast about the groom. Then the maid of honour with an average "I don't do speeches, "love, laughter, happily ever after" cheers and escape.
Then came the parents of the bride... they both march up to the podium and the father takes the mic. "I love my daughter, and I know her to be a smart woman. I do not approve of this mixed s**t." Done. walks back to seat. My mouth is wide open at this point, while I hear major chatter from the crowd. The bride and groom must have been used to it, cuz they just smiled at each other and looked on for the next onslaught.
Father of the groom gets up to the podium. "so as most of you all know, my boy went off to university like a big shot for 4 years. 2 years in, he calls me and says "Dad, I've met a girl that I might marry." I say that's great son! when can I meet her? he brings her home for a weekend back in November, and all I can remember is sitting in the kitchen. He walks in, and she get's in behind him, and I'm like BAM! what the hell is that?! Didn't see this s**t coming. F**k it, cheers" Drinks his wine and sits back down.
As soon as the dinner and speeches were done, everybody but the bridal party left, so I said "you've got a hall, all the booze you can drink, all your best friends, your new husband/wife, and a dj, might as well celebrate!" So I set up karaoke and we all sang and got smashed for the rest of the night. Best wedding ever, despite the ignorant people.
“One of the worst wedding guest stories I’ve ever heard of was about an ex-boyfriend, who showed up uninvited to the wedding of his ex. He was clearly intoxicated and made a scene as soon as he entered the venue. He started shouting obscenities at the bride and groom, accusing them of cheating and lying. He then tried to grab the microphone from the DJ and make a speech, but he was quickly tackled by the security guards,” she shared with Bored Panda. Evidently, he forgot that one of the main rules of crashing any party is to not be too conspicuous.
50% of the people who RSVPed didn't come.
My brother-in-law who volunteered to DJ didn't actually bring any DJ equipment, so our reception was powered by Pandora. He also said he would video the ceremony and highlights of the reception but didn't bring his video camera.
The florist forgot to deliver about 50% of the flowers.
The reception venue took everything we discussed and then decided to do the opposite (Not enough tables, big weird glass centerpieces, no dance floor...) and when we tried to get it fixed, the man who was sent to change out the tables stood outside the window of the reception hall angrily smoking cigarettes. I later spoke with a friend who has worked with that man who explained that that sort of behavior happens pretty much any time he is asked to do anything, so...
We made a CD of music for my brother-in-law to play before the ceremony began. He insisted that he had something better. It was two songs played on repeat for about an hour.
My immediate family was late to the wedding, including my sister who was a bridesmaid, and my mother and father. They had originally offered to help set up everything that morning, but I guess they just got a late start.
My veil got lost the night before the wedding. It still has not resurfaced.
After everyone was done eating and the cake had been cut, I dimmed the lights in the reception hall to change the atmosphere to a more fun, party vibe and get people dancing. Everyone got up and left.
It didn't go great, but my husband and I ended up married and we're still very happy together, and that's the most important thing. Still, I wish I'd saved the money from the whole thing and gotten married at the county clerk instead.
Not me but my wife's sister... Her new mother-in-law dropped dead of a brain aneurysm during the best man's toast. It was one of the worst things I've ever experienced. They served food for those who wanted to stay but it pretty much ended there. Sadly they never got a proper wedding reception.
I worked as a wedding decorator for 5 years, and while this is not my own wedding, its still pretty bad. Two years ago we did the decor for a really pretty ceremony, and halfway through the day we found out it was a "surprise wedding". Basically, they were not engaged, but the bride planned the whole thing and the groom showed up at the golf course thinking he was just playing a regular round of golf. Nope. He walked into his own wedding, saw her standing at the altar, and peaced the f**k out. As he should have.
I've also seen weddings where fist fights break out and we've had to call the cops. There was another where one of the guests was smoking inside and caused a fire, causing the entire wedding to evacuate into the rainy parking lot. Those, and countless glasses of wine spilled on wedding dresses. That happens...a lot.
We were also curious to learn if wedding planners actually had any specific strategies in place for unwanted or uninvited guests. “When it comes to considerations for wedding crashers and guest misbehavior while planning your wedding, savvy couples should always expect the unexpected. They should have contingency plans in place, like assigning trusted friends or family members to keep an eye out for uninvited guests or setting up discreet security measures to maintain order without dampening the celebratory vibe. For more tips on planning a stress-free wedding - check out our wedding planning guide.”
My aunt had a very fancy formal wedding, being four, adorable and related - I was the obvious choice for the flower girl. Here is the thing, it's a long day for the wedding party, between hair, makeup, photos and long winded baptist vows, even the most attentive adult will get tired and bored. So here we are, standing lined up by the alter and the preacher finally asks for objections.. At that moment, I yawned as loud as my little lungs would allow. The once silent room filled with 200 friends and family erupted into laughter. That is when I noticed that 200 people were watching me and I got scared and did what many scared 4 year olds do, peed, cried and tried to run away. So here I am a piss soak 4 year old in a pink taffeta dress running about a church while my mother (the maid of honour) tries in vain to catch me (running in heels and a ball gown is not easy). I still haven't lived it down 30 years later.
My (now ex) husband was stung by a bee. The morning of the ceremony. On his top lip.
Wedding photos were great.
At my mom and step-dad's wedding, my stepdad's father had a heart attack during the reception and passed away on the way to the hospital. Donna Summer's "Last Dance" was playing. It was terrible.
“Of course, there's only so much you can do to prevent the occasional wedding crasher or unruly guest from causing a scene. At the end of the day, weddings are about celebrating love and creating cherished memories – even if those memories involve Aunt Mildred doing the Macarena on the dessert table!” Fortunately, unless you are very unlucky, any wedding crashing will remain a, hopefully, funny family story and nothing more.
Not my own wedding but I attended good friends' wedding who were upstaged by the DJ, lovely gentleman that he was, who interrupted the reception to propose to his own girlfriend, a waitress at the wedding venue. Made a big deal about it over the microphone, getting everyone's attention for a very special announcement. He didn't check with the bride or groom, just figured a captive audience of strangers was the best place to make a fool of himself.
The only mishap at my wedding was a friend videotaped the whole thing, but accidentally used the night vision feature. The video is pretty surreal, with everything super overexposed. With my pale skin, I ended up looking like one of the aliens from Cocoon.
My MIL stood up at our reception and declared "This marriage between H and What's Her Name will never last".
We've been happily married for 13 years.
“Some on our team like to say that weddings are like a magnet for chaos, drawing out the inner diva in even the most mild-mannered of guests. There's just something about the heady mix of emotions, expectations, and bottomless champagne flutes that can turn even the most level-headed individuals into bona fide reality TV stars. Having said that, weddings are inherently emotional affairs, filled with highs, lows, and more than a few unexpected plot twists. Sometimes, it's not the wedding itself that brings out the worst in people – it's the pressure to conform to societal expectations, to put on a perfect show for friends and family, and to live up to the fairy tale ideals perpetuated by the wedding industrial complex.”
“In the end, weddings are as much about navigating the complexities of human relationships as they are about saying "I do." And if a little drama is the price we pay for a lifetime of love and laughter, then I say bring it on – just as long as there's plenty of cake to go around!” You can find some pictures of their work on Bespoke-Bride.com if you want to see some weddings that actually succeeded.
My cousin made it her announcement party. Told every one she is having twins. Made it about her.
This was not my wedding, but I was the flower girl (I know awhile wgo but remember like it was yesterday). So bride and company show up at the wedding. Bride had her gown, flower girl (me) had her little dress, and the seamstress was delivering the bridesmaids dresses to the wedding venue. Of course wedding party got there far in advance, long story short, seamstress never showed up with the bridesmaid dresses. Nobody knew what to do, total panic. While 7 year old me sat in the corner, wasnt quite sure what the ruckkas was about.... So I tugged on the bride and said, "they could wear those dresses." Pointing to the chior robes in the corner closent. Her eyes got wide. And they did. Wedding saved! Lol
TL;DR - bridesmaids gowns didn't show. 7 year old me asks the bride if they could wear chior gowns, they did. Wedding saved
One of our guests became a grandfather during our wedding reception. He quietly and politely mentioned it to us and being super excited for him we announced it... it's really not difficult to do these things in a way that doesn't scream "look at me, f**k your wedding its my day!"
Bride had a miscarriage during ceremony and spent the night in the hospital. Made for a very awkward reception afterwards, as they still insisted on doing the speeches, first dance, cake cutting without bride and groom there.
Not a personal experience, but Dad played in a band at a wedding where the bride's uncle dropped dead in her arms on the dance floor. Talk about bringing the party to a halt.
I briefly owned a photobooth business that was hired mainly for weddings.
The worst thing I saw was the wedding planner showed up drunk and/or high and disappeared with the best man (brother of the groom) to go hook up.
So no one was in charge and the ceremony had to be delayed while people went to find the best man. He also couldn't be found for his speech. The DJ delayed several times.
They tried to have sex in my photobooth, so I took her by the arm and told her everyone knew she was wasted and they all hated her. Pretty harsh, but even I was pissed at her as I tried to help the bride and DJ coordinate the event. The wedding coordinator left during dinner. We did our best, but the wedding sucked and the bride was pretty upset that nothing worked out. She gave the DJ and I an extra hundred bucks for our efforts, and laughed when I told her that I told off the wedding coordinator.
My wife came down with pink-eye and strep throat. We kept a bucket on the stage just in case she vomited. It was still a nice wedding, but my wife doesn't remember much of it. She felt much better the next day, and by the time we reached our honeymoon destination she was right as rain. The wedding kind of sucked, but the marriage has been awesome - 10 years and 6 kids and she is still the crown jewel of my universe :)
At my friend's sister's wedding the best mans speech caused so much pain the family have not spoken to him since. He said "Mike has always been a greedy bastard, I remember once when we all got hookers in Amsterdam, and he got three!"
This didn't happen to me, but to my cousin. During the cake-cutting portion of the evening, her new husband thought it would be funny to smash a piece of cake on her face. He miscalculated, and ended up essentially punching her in the mouth, chipping her front teeth and cutting her face. The reception ended shortly thereafter.
I got hypothermia during the outdoor photography and missed the reception because I was in the hospital—with my brand new wife, who was still in her wedding dress.
Not my wedding, but my boyfriend's (at the time) aunt's 2nd wedding. His cousin Beth (the bride's daughter) got drunk and accused a 12 year old girl of 'coming onto her man' although her boyfriend wasn't even there. She shot glares at the kid the whole ceremony, and rolling her eyes during the vows. And at the reception, Beth cornered her in the bathroom, slurring her words and screaming and threatening she was going to 'knock her out'. The poor girl was just crying, asking her what she did wrong. When her mom finally asked her to leave, Beth got mad that no one was taking her side. I don't know about you, but it's hard to feel bad for a overweight alcoholic screaming at a frightened 120 pound girl. It really brought the reception down, since there was only about 30 people who stayed after that fight. Tl;dr- Woman gets jealous of 12 year old, screams and tries to fight her. Edit- Girl was probably not 120 pounds. I'm taking this opportunity to rethink my views on preteen weight.
My mom's best friend (and maid of honour) showed up the day of my mom's first wedding with her head shaved. Apparently she was in love with the groom and this was her silent protest.
The marriage only lasted 2 years and the groom eventually married the maid of honour.
Didn't ruin the wedding for everyone but pretty bad. My dad got remarried when all of us kids were adults. His new wife had an adult son. My sister dated and slept with her now step brother.
Later when my step brother was marrying someone else, my sister decided on the day of the wedding it was her duty to tell the bride that she had slept with her fiance. Somehow the day had to be about my sister.
I was at my two best friends wedding as the best man. As we were walking down the isle after the ceremony, the MoH boyfriend grabbed a mic and proposed to her. This was immediately (think 30 seconds) after the bride and groom kissed and we were walking down the alter to the reception.
I worked weddings. The best was the estranged, divorced father hadn't been in the picture for 20 years and who was not invited that showed up. Recognized the bartender as his ex-wife's friend, and starts grabbing everything available to throw at her. Police escorted him off the premises.
My mother sulked like a little b***h all day, we argued and then she called all my family and got them to cancel coming to the reception we held a month later where we live (we married out of town). Half empty venue, food wasted and we haven't spoken since. I will have been married 5 years in July. I still have fond memories though, the wine was very good!!
He married some one else behind my back. We were supposed to be married January 6th, 2009. He married her January 8th, 2009. They've been together ever since and have 2 kids. I did a lot of self discovery and lived my life and learned to love myself ever since I was left at the alter. Currently in a very healthy relationship with my family, friends, work and my SO. Life, it's awesome.
We specifically asked for no small children to attend the wedding. We were not kid people and didn't want to have to deal with that. My sister decided to ignore that request, so my 3 year old nephew was shrieking all the way through my vows. Me and the wife were pissed.
I live in Colorado Springs, CO. Friends of ours got married last year (2013)
They *were* going to get hitched the year prior(2012) at The Flying W ranch (a tourist attraction west of the Springs) but it burned down in a massive forest fire.
So they rescheduled the wedding for the next year at a b&b in Black Forest, CO (just outside of C. Springs).
Another forest fire happened and the mandatory evacuations prevented them from using that venue.
They ended up poaching a public park near a pond for their big day instead. It turned out beautifully.
When my mom and dad were set to marry (before i was born), my dad got there early to make sure everything was setup and to help with final prep of everything and my mom was sent to pick up the cake. She says that when she got to the church and saw all the cars and people, she couldn't handle the pressure and just drove home without saying anything. Dad comes home, after the wedding had been called off due to her no show, to see mom in the kitchen eating the wedding cake. They didn't last long after that.
My 3 year old brother got loose and pulled the fire alarm during the ceremony. They definitely got their "memorable" moment.
Catering never showed up, everyone was hungry.
Also the fireworks show that night was cancelled for the first time for whatever reason.
During my wedding, my brother passed out while standing at the alter in the middle of our vows. WHAM! The whole ceremony stops, and the groomsmen carry his limp body out of the room. I start smiling and my bride glares at me says "you sons of b**ches are drunk, aren't you!"... we are like 2 feet away from the pastor reading our vows. That's when I lost it... I couldn't stop laughing at the greatness of the situation, which made my bride even more angry, which made me laugh more. We weren't drunk, my bro just locked up his knees for too long. It was great :-) TL;DR: Groomsman passes out leading to ceremony of anger and laughter.
My parents were at a wedding. Everything went well at the church service, and also at the wedding dinner. The problem started at the evening reception when the DJ was playing the music too loudly. A woman went up and asked him politely to turn it down a little. The DJ nodded, and as she was walking away, he started calling her names, and turned the music up even further. A man walked up, unplugged the PA equipment, and in a loud voice announced that was the mother of the bride who had been so rudely insulted, he was the father of the bride, and 'this terrible excuse for a man' (pointing at the DJ) 'would be leaving'. There was a huge cheer from the guests. Then one guy stood up, and asked if he should nip home for his violin. Within 40 minutes, there was an impromptu Scottish ceilidh band play. Everyone had a great time, apart from the DJ.
Quick PSA from a musician: If you insist on getting attention by going onstage and grabbing a mic, bring your own. Don't expect to come up and spit germs and garlic breath all over something I paid $1,200 for and have to have my mouth right next to for two hours afterwards. I actually have to remove my mic during breaks at bar and event gigs because of drunken attention seekers. No, it's not part of the service, the band doesn't have to allow it. We have, however, learned to show up with a cheap old one just in case someone needs to make an a$$ out of themselves. Show some courtesy and ask first. (Event halls provide one for the wedding announcements so there is no excuse).
My company used to throw a big event every year and my boss loves this local 40s big band so he hire's them every year. AND every year he wants to do a number with them. He's not particularly talented, but thinks he's super charming and funny. He's not. It's mostly embarrassing when he does this. He pays them VERY well, so they comply to him performing with them. As a "gift" they bought him a cheap gold mic so we would stop using their equipment. He thought it was so fancy and has no idea it's basically one of the cheapest mics out there. It's basically a toy. But they also take their mics off the stands during breaks because people think it's open mic.
Load More Replies...We had a small wedding but after an hour or so I would have been absolutely fine if some guests had announced that they are expecting triplets / are getting engaged to some really (in)famous person / won the lottery / whatever. I can't possibly be the only introvert to feel like this?
Seems like a very practical time to do it... I mean, the whole family are there. And surely all it does is enhance the joy?
Load More Replies...My parents were at a wedding. Everything went well at the church service, and also at the wedding dinner. The problem started at the evening reception when the DJ was playing the music too loudly. A woman went up and asked him politely to turn it down a little. The DJ nodded, and as she was walking away, he started calling her names, and turned the music up even further. A man walked up, unplugged the PA equipment, and in a loud voice announced that was the mother of the bride who had been so rudely insulted, he was the father of the bride, and 'this terrible excuse for a man' (pointing at the DJ) 'would be leaving'. There was a huge cheer from the guests. Then one guy stood up, and asked if he should nip home for his violin. Within 40 minutes, there was an impromptu Scottish ceilidh band play. Everyone had a great time, apart from the DJ.
Quick PSA from a musician: If you insist on getting attention by going onstage and grabbing a mic, bring your own. Don't expect to come up and spit germs and garlic breath all over something I paid $1,200 for and have to have my mouth right next to for two hours afterwards. I actually have to remove my mic during breaks at bar and event gigs because of drunken attention seekers. No, it's not part of the service, the band doesn't have to allow it. We have, however, learned to show up with a cheap old one just in case someone needs to make an a$$ out of themselves. Show some courtesy and ask first. (Event halls provide one for the wedding announcements so there is no excuse).
My company used to throw a big event every year and my boss loves this local 40s big band so he hire's them every year. AND every year he wants to do a number with them. He's not particularly talented, but thinks he's super charming and funny. He's not. It's mostly embarrassing when he does this. He pays them VERY well, so they comply to him performing with them. As a "gift" they bought him a cheap gold mic so we would stop using their equipment. He thought it was so fancy and has no idea it's basically one of the cheapest mics out there. It's basically a toy. But they also take their mics off the stands during breaks because people think it's open mic.
Load More Replies...We had a small wedding but after an hour or so I would have been absolutely fine if some guests had announced that they are expecting triplets / are getting engaged to some really (in)famous person / won the lottery / whatever. I can't possibly be the only introvert to feel like this?
Seems like a very practical time to do it... I mean, the whole family are there. And surely all it does is enhance the joy?
Load More Replies...