Worst Wedding You've Ever Attended

glovepuppet

We said screw it. We are getting married on a beach in the Bahamas while on a cruise and we will invite everyone. This way the people who come will be the people who really want to be there for us. We are going to upset some people who want to be there but won't be able to go but if they really do love us, they will be happy for us and won't judge us for it. Our guest list is going to be a fraction of what it would be with a traditional wedding and the cost per person is much much less so we won't have to go into debt to do it this way.

No flames here. Lost of people choose destination weddings.

Destination weddings are boss. Just went to one on the Big Island. Everyone danced barefoot on the beach, a pig was roasted, cocktails were plentiful. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The next morning, everyone went out together for the day to tour the island, eat, drink, and celebrate. Rinse/repeat for the entire weekend. It was very memorable, and it didn't break the bank for the bride and groom.

my sister did that. nobody, literally NOBODY could afford to go. they got married alone.

Lobster1987

Tacky, money-seeking "games" will leave a bad taste in a guest's mouth.

"Goldfish insurance" had to be the worst thing I've ever seen. I went to an engagement party/fundraiser with my sister. In addition to a silent auction and various paid dances, the tackiest element was something called "goldfish insurance". Someone brought a bowl full of live goldfish, and they would periodically draw a guest's name out of a hat. The "winner" had to pay for the priviledge of NOT swallowing a goldfish. If they refused, other guests were expected to cough up to buy the fish a reprieve. That's offensive for so many reasons.

These next two stories aren't about money-grabbing, but they might help you avoid some painful moments.

My mom and I attended a friend's bridal shower when I was about 12. Nobody told my poor Mom that they had, ahem, "hired help" for entertainment.

We attended a farm wedding when I was little. The only thing I remember about it was the all-night mosquito attack. :explode: :mad:

WHAT! Goldfish! People these days have these things called "stag/doe" parties which apparently are like fundraisers for the bride and groom...you pay a cover to go to the party and you drop a ton of cash at the party to win prizes but it's basically a fundraiser for the wedding...how sick and tacky. I refuse to have the dollar dance as well...There's no way in hell I'm begging people for money in any form...

Lobster1987

We said screw it. We are getting married on a beach in the Bahamas while on a cruise and we will invite everyone. This way the people who come will be the people who really want to be there for us. We are going to upset some people who want to be there but won't be able to go but if they really do love us, they will be happy for us and won't judge us for it. Our guest list is going to be a fraction of what it would be with a traditional wedding and the cost per person is much much less so we won't have to go into debt to do it this way.

No flames here. Lost of people choose destination weddings.

Destination weddings are boss. Just went to one on the Big Island. Everyone danced barefoot on the beach, a pig was roasted, cocktails were plentiful. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The next morning, everyone went out together for the day to tour the island, eat, drink, and celebrate. Rinse/repeat for the entire weekend. It was very memorable, and it didn't break the bank for the bride and groom.

Hell yea. I would do it, but we really want to be surround by all of our loved ones and if we did a destination wedding, the majority of them couldn't come....and if my dad couldn't make it to walk me down the aisle, it would be absolutely heartbreaking for me. I think destination weddings are bad *kitten* for sure! I'd get married in Europe somewhere.

breeshabebe

I'm astonished at how many of these aren't about breaches of etiquette on the part of the bride, but actually rude and ungrateful guests.

You're not at the wedding to be feted to your standards; you're there to celebrate a union between two people.

I find them quite useful actually. When/if I get married, I can consider these things and decide how much they matter to me. I'm sure that you never have a critical thought or any preferences, but I like reading these things. I don't want it to be just me and my hubby celebrating, I want everyone celebrating with us- which is why we have a wedding instead of just eloping. I would hate it if all of my guest were just politely smiling through my celebration just to make ME feel better about myself.

Athena53

this thread just serves to convince me that i should never get married.

it's a huge amount of money to feed & entertain a bunch of people who will spend more time complaining about the food & booze, being catty about the dress & music, and ticking off every faux pas they see than they will actually celebrating my union.

the whole thing is just one big old ball of ugly.

You are in control (provided you're paying for it). Do exactly as little or as much as you want
If there's love between the 2 of you and your guests love and care about you,
the details won't matter

pobalita

My own. My dad had a stroke the night before the wedding and no one knew until he showed up to walk me down the aisle. Everyone wanted him to go to the hospital, but he insisted that he walk me down the aisle no matter what. He could barely walk and when they said "who gives this woman?" he couldn't answer. I squeezed his hand and he yelled "I KNOW!" As soon as he gave me away, my aunts took him to the ER.

I had 125 guests at my reception, most from out of state and some from out of the country. I spent part of the time trying to make the rounds and tell everyone hello and part of the time trying to get a status update on my dad. Instead of going to my honeymoon hotel room, I spent it in the hospital in my wedding gown because I had no other clothes to change into.

BTW, my dad recovered fully from the stroke. I know....it was a bad day for my dad and I'm lucky he came through with no lasting effects. But, it certainly did ruin the wedding.

LMT2012

Worst part I find in weddings.. standing around waiting for the endless number of photographs to be taken. It's the worst for those who are not in the photographs, or only in very few as not part of the bridal party.

Another dislike of the weddings is the seating plans! I hate being put with people I don't know as the bridal party think it is good to mix people to get to know new people, all that happens is people are polite during dinner and as soon as it is over and the evening part happens, everyone moves chairs to sit by who they want to. (maybe I'm just unsociable though :P )

Other dislikes, I could probably go on forever...

overly long speeches
speeches that try too hard to be funny
having to do the whole line of kisses/hand shakes/congrats to the whole bridal party on entry to venue
bad food (I don't understand how it is sometimes really bad when usually the bride/groom will have sampled it first and made the selection)
long waits between anything happening when there is no entertainment or anything going on to occupy the time
too many children (this is obviously just a personal preference but I don't like too many children to be at a wedding unless bride/grooms children)
choreographed dances (another personal thing, I just dislike them, the whole start slow then break into some weird rehearsed dance, I don't get it )

So, there is my list, as you can tell, I am obviously a crank when it comes to weddings

A Kindred Spirit!!!!

kluedesigns

every wedding that ended in divorce.

in my circle of family and friends we don't really care or mind the "rules" on a proper wedding - what ever the couple can afford (bar or not - good food or not - good band or not) is great and very appreciated.

it is always heart breaking when a loving couple who took vows before family, friends, and god (if you believe) ends in divorce - this is by far the worst wedding failure.

pucenavel

If I had it to do again, I'd do a breakfast wedding with an open BARista.

Patries, Bacon, fresh fruits and a Waffle/Omelette Chef preparing them fresh.

Wedding ceremony of less than 10 minutes (no hour break for photos - do them the night before!!), reception after of not more than about an hour, then off to the airport for a noon flight to a beach somewhere.

After the bride and groom leave, the party could continue for lunch for family and close friends that came from out of town and that just want to spend time together talking and catching up instead of yelling over DJ driven music that no one really wants to hear anyway.

That would be a wedding everyone would remember as truly unique and classy.

Lobster1987

My own. My dad had a stroke the night before the wedding and no one knew until he showed up to walk me down the aisle. Everyone wanted him to go to the hospital, but he insisted that he walk me down the aisle no matter what. He could barely walk and when they said "who gives this woman?" he couldn't answer. I squeezed his hand and he yelled "I KNOW!" As soon as he gave me away, my aunts took him to the ER.

I had 125 guests at my reception, most from out of state and some from out of the country. I spent part of the time trying to make the rounds and tell everyone hello and part of the time trying to get a status update on my dad. Instead of going to my honeymoon hotel room, I spent it in the hospital in my wedding gown because I had no other clothes to change into.

BTW, my dad recovered fully from the stroke. I know....it was a bad day for my dad and I'm lucky he came through with no lasting effects. But, it certainly did ruin the wedding.

That's terrible This one takes the cake for me...seriously. I'm the biggest daddy's girl... I am so glad your dad recovered though.

Lobster1987

If I had it to do again, I'd do a breakfast wedding with an open BARista.

Patries, Bacon, fresh fruits and a Waffle/Omelette Chef preparing them fresh.

Wedding ceremony of less than 10 minutes (no hour break for photos - do them the night before!!), reception after of not more than about an hour, then off to the airport for a noon flight to a beach somewhere.

After the bride and groom leave, the party could continue for lunch for family and close friends that came from out of town and that just want to spend time together talking and catching up instead of yelling over DJ driven music that no one really wants to hear anyway.

That would be a wedding everyone would remember as truly unique and classy.

Breakfast/brunch weddings seem to be a neat idea....I would be totally into it, but I am not a morning person and my fiancé loves booze...haha. I love bacon!!!

glovepuppet

My own. My dad had a stroke the night before the wedding and no one knew until he showed up to walk me down the aisle. Everyone wanted him to go to the hospital, but he insisted that he walk me down the aisle no matter what. He could barely walk and when they said "who gives this woman?" he couldn't answer. I squeezed his hand and he yelled "I KNOW!" As soon as he gave me away, my aunts took him to the ER.

I had 125 guests at my reception, most from out of state and some from out of the country. I spent part of the time trying to make the rounds and tell everyone hello and part of the time trying to get a status update on my dad. Instead of going to my honeymoon hotel room, I spent it in the hospital in my wedding gown because I had no other clothes to change into.

BTW, my dad recovered fully from the stroke. I know....it was a bad day for my dad and I'm lucky he came through with no lasting effects. But, it certainly did ruin the wedding.

wow... your dad must love you to the moon and back.
he got you down the aisle and he made a full recovery, too?

that's not anyone's dream wedding but it certainly was a day of miracles.

Lobster1987

That is true...she got to marry her best friend, and her dad made a full recovery!

VeganSurfer

It will probably be the one that we will be attending in July this year....
My fiance and I are both atheists and the wedding that we will be attending is a catholic wedding..I cant wait :laugh:

Justjamie0418

Mine.
Married the wrong man, realised it at the reception.

I think as long as you have that part covered, you should be ok.

This.

And I did it again.. I dont learn.

By the way.. the bar wasnt the issue. We rented out a whole lounge and got married there. :drinker:

KarenJanine

This is why I hate weddings so very much.

Some people just use it as an opportunity to judge and critique people they're supposed to care about. Never once was it mentioned about how happy the couple looked, or that it was a beautiful thing to see them starting their lives together.

Nope. Just cash bar, value of present, quality of food, even criticizing them for playing the kind of music they wanted at the dance. Oh the nerve of them...

If this is proper etiquette you can keep it. I don't care if my friends have a wedding in their backyard and make it BYOB. I'm there to see them get married and celebrate their love and lives together. Not to be catered to for gracing them with my presence.

You left your "friends" wedding in the middle of it because you didn't approve of her choice of songs. I think she did the right thing ending the relationship.

Well said.

All the weddings I've been to were cash bars (or just bars, as they're known in the UK). But as others have said that is totally normal here. Catering company's would not routinely offer all inclusive bars and if they did the costs would be astronomical. Usually the provided drinks are a welcome drink, champagne toast and a couple of bottles of wine on each table.

If someone I care about wants me to share their day with them then I will be there. If the food, drinks, music, timings, speeches, etc are not to my liking then that's my problem and not something to hold against the couple as its their day and they've planned it to their likings.

A dear friend has asked me to be her bridesmaid next year. They don't have much money and are desperately trying to save up for their first home. To me this is more important than spending a fortune on a lavish day tht would get them in debt. I am happy to buy my dress as it's for me to be there for her and I know she'd do the same for me if ever needed.

Kerri_is_so_very

Years and Years ago...the wedded couple were opening the cards in search of cash to pay the DJ. :noway:

At the same wedding I caught the bouquet and a 10 or 12 year old boy caught the garder....once again :noway: Don't let children participate in such festivities!!!

Lobster1987

Years and Years ago...the wedded couple were opening the cards in search of cash to pay the DJ. :noway:

At the same wedding I caught the bouquet and a 10 or 12 year old boy caught the garder....once again :noway: Don't let children participate in such festivities!!!

Oh gross.

da1128

Attended a wedding where the groom was a recent widower...his painted old lady bride was determined to get her hooks into him ASAP and she didn't waste any time. Poor old "Squeak" was practically dragged down the aisle.

His dearly departed wife was named Lucille and she was a hoarder, albeit a neat one. She had everything from fancy clothing to exquisite serving dishes and the tacky new bride made use of everything she could. Rather shocking to see her marry Squeak wearing one of Lucille's gowns and to see the wedding table set with Lucille's china.

We, the guests, were all quite appalled by the spectacle.

When it came time for the bride and groom to dance their first dance as a married couple, the brown goo hit the fan! You see, Squeak's grandsons approached the deejay and asked him to play "the couple's favorite song" for the wedding dance.

The newlyweds took to the floor and the music began to play a song by Kenny Rogers. The song?

"You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille." :bigsmile:

It was the highlight of the entire wedding debacle. Throughout the venue, snorts of laughter could be heard and Squeak was one of the loudest gigglers.

The worst wedding? Well, maybe the tackiest. The new Mrs. Squeak was a wretched old woman and ended up making Squeak's life miserable, cutting him off from family and friends.

Poor Squeak passed away not long after the wedding and there was definitely a suspicion of foul play.

mfrkorey

.... the groom never showed up :grumble:

How horrible is it that I would love to be at a wedding where someone gets left at the alter. I know that has got to be a terrible feeling but that is the twisted brain I have...

ETA: okay, maybe not someone I love. Maybe if I'm a plus one sometime. It's like when you HAVE to look at a car accident or watching the blooper reels.