Worst wedding ever was definitely the wedding for my ex's sister. Here's a list of the issues in no particular order of irritation.
1. Cash bar - at the reception you were issued 2 drink tickets, after that there was a charge for everything including soda and tea.
2. Head Table - I had to sit by myself since my ex was a groomsman. I sat with another lady who was a FI to another groomsman.
3. Dollar Dance
4. They auctioned off the bride's garter. Whoever paid the most was going to be allowed to remove it but in the end the groom stepped in and did it. The whole auction thing was still super gross.
5. We never got a thank you letter...I made her a photo booth (and paid for the materials too) and brought a gift. I didn't get a separate thank you note nor did ex-BF and I get one as a couple. I also set up the food for the rehearsal dinner while the ceremony rehearsal was going on.
A family friend had a daughter who just turned 18 that getting married. Hailey and her fiance decided to get married after he finished up Boot camp. So she sends the invitation via Facebook stating that the wedding was going to be at the lodge and all was welcome. My mom and I traveled to the lodge and the wedding was in December in the later evening. We walk into the 'lodge' and it was a small room with some people seated scattered across the room. My mom gives me a look like 'what the HELL is this?".
The ceremony started with her in his obnoxious looking Marie Antoinette ball gown that wasn't fitted and he was in his Dress whites. After the ceremony finished she and Drake went outside to take photos while the rest of us (like 30) sat in the chairs...starving and wondering what the hell was going on. When they finished the photos, they came back inside and started dancing. Her parents were hosting the wedding and they didn't provide ANY FOOD or DRINKS. She ended up getting wasted off the rum her husband was drinking with this military buddies.
My mom mentioned something about being really peckish and her mom was like "well there is some food places nearby if you guys would like to get something afterwards". My mom thought that she was suggesting after she finishes dancing, we ALL would be getting dinner, boy was she wrong. Soon her mother was leaving and was thanking us all for coming to her daughter's wedding. I was pissed the fuck off, Hailey didn't understand why her family members were so hungry and bothered by 'the behavior'. My mom decided to return her wedding present and instead she got her a card saying "best wishes".
Later on while speaking with Hailey's grandfather, he took us all out and treated us all to dinner at this nearby restaurant. He was so disappointed in his family for what they did.
Don't don't be hating because you were at a true, Marie Antoinette themed wedding. I mean, if you hadn't been starving and they had fed you, that damn dress wouldn't have made any sense, right?
At least you got cake, right?
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
I've never really been to a bad wedding, BUT I have definitely been to some that had etiquette faux pas
1) I have gone to cash bar weddings. i am not much of a drinker so never really bothered me much
2) Did go to a wedding (which actually was a blast) that ran out of liquor and a bunch of us ended up pitching into get another keg for it
3) Drove to an out of state wedding where most guests were out of state and we got nothing but wine..no food or even finger foods. It was a fun wedding, but Iw as definitely hungry
A family friend had a daughter who just turned 18 that getting married. Hailey and her fiance decided to get married after he finished up Boot camp. So she sends the invitation via Facebook stating that the wedding was going to be at the lodge and all was welcome. My mom and I traveled to the lodge and the wedding was in December in the later evening. We walk into the 'lodge' and it was a small room with some people seated scattered across the room. My mom gives me a look like 'what the HELL is this?".
The ceremony started with her in his obnoxious looking Marie Antoinette ball gown that wasn't fitted and he was in his Dress whites. After the ceremony finished she and Drake went outside to take photos while the rest of us (like 30) sat in the chairs...starving and wondering what the hell was going on. When they finished the photos, they came back inside and started dancing. Her parents were hosting the wedding and they didn't provide ANY FOOD or DRINKS. She ended up getting wasted off the rum her husband was drinking with this military buddies.
My mom mentioned something about being really peckish and her mom was like "well there is some food places nearby if you guys would like to get something afterwards". My mom thought that she was suggesting after she finishes dancing, we ALL would be getting dinner, boy was she wrong. Soon her mother was leaving and was thanking us all for coming to her daughter's wedding. I was pissed the fuck off, Hailey didn't understand why her family members were so hungry and bothered by 'the behavior'. My mom decided to return her wedding present and instead she got her a card saying "best wishes".
Later on while speaking with Hailey's grandfather, he took us all out and treated us all to dinner at this nearby restaurant. He was so disappointed in his family for what they did.
Don't don't be hating because you were at a true, Marie Antoinette themed wedding. I mean, if you hadn't been starving and they had fed you, that damn dress wouldn't have made any sense, right?
At least you got cake, right?
I'm dying lol. Off with her head. Her dress looked like like something off my big fat gypsy wedding on TLC. Half see through and boobs hanging out.
Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.
Wedding #1 - my BFF's brother. I was told by the couple they were having two ceremonies - one local and to honor his religion, another in the bride's home country to honor her religion. Personally I don't mind multiple ceremonies for religious reasons because there are so many aspects of the ceremony that make it meaningful and binding. And as long as the couple is forthcoming about it. That's just me. The reality was - they were married months before the wedding at the courthouse for immigration reasons. The only reason I knew is because my BFF told me, but I had already sent my RSVP.
Other various breaches of etiquette: cash bar. A group of guys at my table went to a convenience store and snuck in a case of beer. They were literally sitting under the table drinking cans of beer. I was mortified (and did not participate). Honeymoon registry - and they ended up not going on one so I guess they just pocketed the money.
Wedding #2 - hate to say it but it was my BFF mentioned above. No clear etiquette violations but the way I was treated and how I felt afterwards is still something to think about. She would not let me bring my newborn daughter (4 months at the time and exclusively breastfeeding). I was her MOH and was actively involved in wedding related activities.
Not wanting to be "that guest" I made do. Making do included walking from reception site to hotel (I was an out of town guest) to nurse. No head table (which isn't a big deal) but it was open seating and the venue didn't set up enough chairs and I almost had to eat standing up at the bar by myself until someone was nice enough to give up their seat to me. The only exceptions to the "no children" rule were the kids in the wedding party (understandable) and her 2 year old demon child nephew (coincidentally the child of the people in Wedding #1). That stung. I walked away from that wedding with sore feet, missing my family after having to spend the evening pretty much alone, and absolutely miserable.
Current relationship status with these people - I rarely see the people in Wedding #1. When BFF comes into town she stays with them and tries to get me to come over for dinner and I always decline. The wife and I are friendly, but the husband probably knows something is up because he de friended me off Facebook for absolutely no reason.
My relationship with BFF was a little off for a while kind of like we were trying to avoid the elephant in the room. She recently had a baby herself and has since apologized for the ridiculous amount of inconvenience she caused me and said if she could do it again she would have let newborns come (there were about 6 of us in our circle who had just had babies so I wasn't the only one in that boat). I absolutely love her and we have moved on with no other issues.
I still don't get how it's "bad" to not allow the nursing child. Several moms deal with this for work....
Anyway, the worst one I went to was bad at the beginning:
-Pastor started the ceremony by saying, "In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. NOT Adam and STEVE."
-Later in the ceremony, same pastor said that the ring was a sign that the bride was the groom's most valuable possession. Somehow the groom wasn't owned by the bride though.
-Later on at the reception, they had a cash bar and their entertainment was a dude on a keyboard playing classics like Girl From Ipanema.
Another not so fun wedding was when DH was a GM:
-Head table that split the two of us. At least they had the courtesy to seat me with mutual friends though.
-Cash bar for ALL beverages except the wine pour with the meal. My Diet Coke was 3 bucks!
-The above didn't apply to the wedding party who had free drinks for the entire time.
Well, there was no "worst wedding" but two etiquette errors stand out for me:
1) My cousin's wedding. A group of cousins on his other side (my cousin, the groom, and I are maternal cousins; these were his paternal cousins) dressed inappropriately in casual attire, jeans, and sneakers when the wedding was formal.
2) At my brother's wedding, a now-deceased great-aunt told my father it was her birthday and wanted a cupcake with a candle on it to blow out while everyone there sang Happy Birthday to her. My father actually told her he'd arrange it, but as the FOG a lot of demands were made on his time and he forgot about it. My great-aunt left a voice mail for another aunt of mine in which she went on a tirade about how angry she was that this didn't happen.
Most annoying thing to happen to me: SO and I are in the wedding but weren't allowed to eat next to each other during dinner. I ended up sitting next to BM who cried about her relationship.
Brides, please let your GM and BM sit where they want at head table.
Hmmm. The "worst" wedding I've been to was probably my mom's. My mother raised us LDS (Mormon) and when she married my step-dad, they were married in a Temple. Since I was only 15, I wasn't allowed at the actual wedding ceremony. And had to sit in the waiting room for what felt like an enormously long time, but was probably really only an hour. But I just felt really left out that I had to sit in a waiting room. Honestly, I would have rather just stayed at home while she got married and then showed up later for the reception than had to sit there in the waiting room.
My dad's fifth wedding was his tackiest - he had a ceremony and no reception. I think he thought he was being polite and low-key since he had already had four weddings. But he obviously failed. I was only 11, so I don't remember too many details.
And a "bridesmaid" at another Temple wedding for my best friend in Salt Lake City, UT with outdoor pictures in January. I don't remember the exact temperature, but there was snow on the ground. And we were not allowed to wear coats or sweaters because that would ruin the pictures. I use "bridesmaid" because you can't actually have bridesmaids at a Temple wedding ceremony. So being a "bridesmaid" means buying a dress to wear in the waiting room and to stand around in some pictures. And sometimes sitting at a special table at the reception.
I've also been a bridesmaid in an outdoor wedding in Phoenix, AZ when it was 110 degrees. Another bridesmaid almost fainted and had to sit down.
Aside from climate/temperature issues, I do think those two friends had wonderful weddings - had a great time at the receptions; they were gracious hosts. And all of the other weddings I've gone to for friends have been lovely as well. Reading some of pps' stories, I think I've been very lucky!
@allispain YUP. Because of our disaster of a move, we were staying with my partner's parents, who were also hosting the rehearsal dinner (they have three boys, so that's their thing they do). So we had to stop at a supermarket, buy a bunch of bouquets, and when we showed up, we were told to clip the flowers ourselves, put them in provided vases, and pick a table to put them on. Then at the end of the day, the only thing the bride said to me ALL DAY was to pressure me into taking a centerpiece home. Except we weren't going home--we were staying with my future in-laws.
Honestly? They could have absolutely afforded to pay for the flowers themselves. Or just not had centerpieces. I was so pissed.
@lwoehlk YUP. We had to stand around, while our significant others were actually at the ceremony watching their brother get married. The bride and groom intentionally told people that the wedding started later (even though most people showed up in time for the ceremony) because they wanted my partner's grandparents to miss the ceremony. Really. Because the bride thought the ceremony area would be too small for grandma's wheelchair. UGH. What a disaster.
I still don't get how it's "bad" to not allow the nursing child. Several moms deal with this for work....
Anyway, the worst one I went to was bad at the beginning:
-Pastor started the ceremony by saying, "In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. NOT Adam and STEVE."
-Later in the ceremony, same pastor said that the ring was a sign that the bride was the groom's most valuable possession. Somehow the groom wasn't owned by the bride though.
-Later on at the reception, they had a cash bar and their entertainment was a dude on a keyboard playing classics like Girl From Ipanema.
Another not so fun wedding was when DH was a GM:
-Head table that split the two of us. At least they had the courtesy to seat me with mutual friends though.
-Cash bar for ALL beverages except the wine pour with the meal. My Diet Coke was 3 bucks!
-The above didn't apply to the wedding party who had free drinks for the entire time.
Awkward shit pastors say:
I was once at a wedding where the pastor kept making analogies that marriage is like slavery, but its totes okay cause slavery in the bible wasn't bad!
And a different wedding had the Pastor use the story of Jacob and Rachel,.......... the groom had also dated the brides sister before. It was awkward. It really made it look like the bride was "settling:"
The slavery wedding had a cocktail reception, there wasn't enough food. Not an etiquette issue so much as lack of planning. I haven't really been to a bad wedding.
I haven't been to any utterly horrible weddings, but I do recall one wedding I attended where there was no DJ, just an iPod. This wouldn't normally bother me, except that the iPod wasn't even set to a playlist. It was playing all these weird slow songs and songs about break ups and stuff, so it was really awkward. This couple also had a kissing jar. Ew.
At another wedding, the B&G did the shoe-in-the-air game. Lameness.
What is wrong with the shoe game? I've actually never been to a wedding that did this, but our DJ suggested it. It's not an etiquette issue, you just don't like it? I'd rather that than the stupid centerpiece games they do with the dollar.
My brother had his wedding at his church last summer followed by a reception in the gym. There was a long, painful gap with no food, drinks, or music while they took pictures. About a hour into things the handful of children who were there were running and playing at the end where there was nothing set up. You know, in a gym. The church pastor came in with a bullhorn and screamed at the parents of the children to get them under control and went on to say that if the children were heard any further and not just seen, the family would be asked to leave. My brother and SIL had nothing to do with it but everyone there was pretty much OMFG!!!
I still don't get how it's "bad" to not allow the nursing child. Several moms deal with this for work....
Anyway, the worst one I went to was bad at the beginning:
-Pastor started the ceremony by saying, "In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. NOT Adam and STEVE."
-Later in the ceremony, same pastor said that the ring was a sign that the bride was the groom's most valuable possession. Somehow the groom wasn't owned by the bride though.
-Later on at the reception, they had a cash bar and their entertainment was a dude on a keyboard playing classics like Girl From Ipanema.
Another not so fun wedding was when DH was a GM:
-Head table that split the two of us. At least they had the courtesy to seat me with mutual friends though.
-Cash bar for ALL beverages except the wine pour with the meal. My Diet Coke was 3 bucks!
-The above didn't apply to the wedding party who had free drinks for the entire time.
Awkward shit pastors say:
I was once at a wedding where the pastor kept making analogies that marriage is like slavery, but its totes okay cause slavery in the bible wasn't bad!
And a different wedding had the Pastor use the story of Jacob and Rachel,.......... the groom had also dated the brides sister before. It was awkward. It really made it look like the bride was "settling:"
The slavery wedding had a cocktail reception, there wasn't enough food. Not an etiquette issue so much as lack of planning. I haven't really been to a bad wedding.
I still don't get how it's "bad" to not allow the nursing child. Several moms deal with this for work....
Anyway, the worst one I went to was bad at the beginning:
-Pastor started the ceremony by saying, "In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. NOT Adam and STEVE."
-Later in the ceremony, same pastor said that the ring was a sign that the bride was the groom's most valuable possession. Somehow the groom wasn't owned by the bride though.
-Later on at the reception, they had a cash bar and their entertainment was a dude on a keyboard playing classics like Girl From Ipanema.
Another not so fun wedding was when DH was a GM:
-Head table that split the two of us. At least they had the courtesy to seat me with mutual friends though.
-Cash bar for ALL beverages except the wine pour with the meal. My Diet Coke was 3 bucks!
-The above didn't apply to the wedding party who had free drinks for the entire time.
Awkward shit pastors say:
I was once at a wedding where the pastor kept making analogies that marriage is like slavery, but its totes okay cause slavery in the bible wasn't bad!
And a different wedding had the Pastor use the story of Jacob and Rachel,.......... the groom had also dated the brides sister before. It was awkward. It really made it look like the bride was "settling:"
The slavery wedding had a cocktail reception, there wasn't enough food. Not an etiquette issue so much as lack of planning. I haven't really been to a bad wedding.
More awkward pastor shit:
I was at my friends wedding when the pastor says "I'm so proud of this couple for not SHACKING up before they were married." He really emphasized the word shacking and it was very comical to me because:
1. The way he said it
2. The very old, conservative pastor using that reference
3. While the couple didn't technically live together, he was staying at her place all the time and pretty much living together.
I almost burst out laughing because it caught be off guard. Thankfully I caught myself.
Not a bad etiquette example, but the previous post reminded me of this story.
I've fully enjoy each and every wedding I've been to. They may not have been my style but seeing the couples happy make me happy and made any details irrelevant after the fact.
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I've fully enjoy each and every wedding I've been to. They may not have been my style but seeing the couples happy make me happy and made any details irrelevant after the fact.
There's no amount of glowing bride that makes me feel better about a pastor who thinks a woman can be a possession.
I was invited to a wedding, alone. I had a serious boyfriend, but we had not beene dating when the guest list was probably made, so I tried not to be offended, and we weren't super close, so I didn't ask to bring him. The ceremony was near my house, the black tie reception about an hour away. I RSVPed yes. I went to the ceremony, where I knew no one, and another guest told me the reception wasn't for 6 more hours (the invites said reception to follow) and was really just for couples. I already had a headache, so I just went home and skipped the reception. So I was a jerk here too, for being a no show. Totally admit it. But no thanks.
Otherwise every other wedding has been lovely. There was one where it was 110 degrees and we were outside and miserable...but that was only sort of the B&G's fault, for choosing an outdoor reception site in July. The food and wine was delish. We were just miserable with the heat...cake was melting...pregnant guests had to leave early...etc.
- Cold buffet dinner with no seconds where tables were called up excruciatingly slow and there was very little left by the time my table was called.
- Cash bar
- Not enough cake for everyone when it was served
- Dollar dance
- FI and I were so hungry by the end of the night we went to McDonald's and it tasted like a 5 star meal
#2
- Massive snowstorm hit and we still made our way into the city to go
- MOB looked at us when we arrived all bundled up (after trekking through 1-2 ft deep snowdrifts) and asked why we weren't dressed properly for a wedding (we had changes of shoes, etc., in our bags)
- MOB came up to us again and said, "Thanks for coming, fuck everyone who isn't here." (Umm, there is an awful, raging, snowstorm outside, cut people some slack)
- Cash bar for everyone except BP and immediate families.
- Our coats were "misplaced" then miraculously found with empty pockets.
- MOH was wasted and gave a profanity-laced speech and then forgot she already gave her speech and gave it again.
- 7pm wedding with no dinner and not enough seats for everyone.
Oh boy, so long story short, Jacob is running along one day, sees Rachel with some sheep, falls in love with her. Works for her father for seven years on the promise he will marry Rachel, Wedding happens and the father switches Rachel for her older sister Leah, makes sure Jacob is drunk and doesn't realize it till the next morning. So Jacob is married to Leah. The father agrees to let Jacob marry Rachel if he works for him for like, another 7 years. Jacob finally gets to marry Rachel, and Rachel and Leah procede to see who can birth the most babies to be the best wife.
It's......not what I would consider an appropriate wedding sermon, esp. if the groom has dated the brides sister. Particularly if you're one of those "homosexuality is a sin" kinda churches.
That said, as far as I know, the couple is super happy together, so actual "settling" It was just a quick engagement and caught some of us by surprise. The sermon was just awkward.
I've fully enjoy each and every wedding I've been to. They may not have been my style but seeing the couples happy make me happy and made any details irrelevant after the fact.
There's no amount of glowing bride that makes me feel better about a pastor who thinks a woman can be a possession.
My brother's pastor was all about this crap. I wanted to walk out, it was so off putting. Our whole family, even my ridiculously conservative mother, was dumbfounded because my brother doesn't feel that way at all and SIL is has three degrees and a very successful career. For the life of me I still don't understand. I don't think he ever actually talked to the pastor before the wedding ceremony.
The worst wedding I have ever been too would have to have been my dad's second wedding. Of course, it didn't help that my sisters and I don't like my stepmom and weren't happy with the wedding to begin with, but then the wedding itself sucked.
First of all, it was on a Thursday. The bride wanted a late December wedding, but the last weekend of December was Christmas day, so she chose to have it on a Thursday instead.
Second, it was freezing. Probably around 40 degrees. Which for someone in Phx, AZ it means that you feel like you're going to turn into an icicle. When the guests arrived at the venue, they were made to wait outside. In the cold. And of course, the ceremony began late because the bride was running behind and ended up wanting to take more pictures than originally planned. DS1 was four months old at the time, and FI had to skip the ceremony and wait inside with our son because it was way too cold for him to be out there for so long.
Cocktail hour was outside as well, with no drinks or appetizers. But at least there were heaters that everyone got to snuggle around.
The food was quite good, so no complaints there. However, there was a cash bar. At least soda was free. There was a head table, and while most of the bridal party got to sit with their SOs, one did not. One wife was excluded from the head table where her husband, a GM, sat. (We later found out that this GM had been sleeping with one of the BMs for months at that point, and the wife had no clue). And it's not against etiquette, but there were way too many "dances". At least the first half hour - forty five minutes there was special dance after special dance. It's just annoying.
And then came the toasts. The bride's father gave a creepy speech about how she pursued the groom (all about photo of him on her desk and visualizing how one day she would have him). At the end of the speech he addressed the groom (my dad) and complimented him on trading up families. Yup, trading up families.
The bride's brother caught the garter, and proceeded to wear it on his own thigh for the rest of the evening. Just awkward.
Oh boy, so long story short, Jacob is running along one day, sees Rachel with some sheep, falls in love with her. Works for her father for seven years on the promise he will marry Rachel, Wedding happens and the father switches Rachel for her older sister Leah, makes sure Jacob is drunk and doesn't realize it till the next morning. So Jacob is married to Leah. The father agrees to let Jacob marry Rachel if he works for him for like, another 7 years. Jacob finally gets to marry Rachel, and Rachel and Leah procede to see who can birth the most babies to be the best wife.
It's......not what I would consider an appropriate wedding sermon, esp. if the groom has dated the brides sister. Particularly if you're one of those "homosexuality is a sin" kinda churches.
That said, as far as I know, the couple is super happy together, so actual "settling" It was just a quick engagement and caught some of us by surprise. The sermon was just awkward.
Reduced Shakespeare Company does The Bible has a great skit about Rachel/Leah. The guy does it like it's story time for little children and gets to the point where Leah has a bunch of sons but Rachel can't have any and he goes: "but because Rachel was so easy on the eyes, God let her have a baby too. And her son became Jacob's favorite! So kids, the moral of the story is, God loves beautiful people more than ugly people."
The worst acctual wedding etticuite mstake was at my sister's wedding. I was a BM and the guythat I had been dating for four years wasn't invited to the wedding. He was ticked and it should have bothered me more then it did. It ended up being one of the nails in the coffin of that relationship. It ended up working out, but I would not recommend any one else take the risk.
We had a close call on what could have been a disaster. One of DH's childhood friend's got engaged just before we did. DH's parents are still good friends with the friend's parents and found out through them that the Bride's family had a "no ring, no bring" rule, and they were asking around for the guest list count just before we got engaged. His parents knowing DH had gotten a ring but not knowing when he would proposed, ended up intentionally delaying getting back after we got engaged. It makes me sad to think that if my DH had proposed a month later that I probably would have gone to that wedding.
My worst was outdoors in Oct, about 6 degrees C. All guests were in winter coats. Us bridal party bought ourselves shawls to stay warm. The ceremony was nice, but photos after took forever, and I was freezing by the point. Cocktail hour was outdoors and we had no transportation to the reception. I had to phone DH to come back and get me and another girl. I sat in the car for 10 min with a heated seat and the heater on full blast before I stopped shivering. I think I was actually hypothermic.
Invites were via e-mail, and only to me. I had to ask if DH was invited (he was, but she didn't have his e-mail address). The venue date then changed, but no new e-mail was sent out with the info until a couple of days before. Invites said no gifts please.
Reception was cold too, since the door was left open. Cash bar (I received tickets as a WP member, so I didn't pay), and it was staffed all night by 2 other couple's friends. The Groom had forgotten to confirm the staff for the reception, so there was no one to clean up dishes. Guests therefore cleaned up their own tables of dinner plates and garbage.
B and G then did their "speech" which was a slideshow about where they live that they just ad-libbed, for about 10 minutes. We were all then asked to help cleanup at the end of the reception by grabbing black garbage bags to throw out plastic cups and such.
I finally received a thank you card about 8 months after the wedding. No mention of the cash we gave, so I'm not sure if she even received our card.
This girl is my best friend and I love her to death. I've never said a word to her and never will. I know she didn't do all of this to be rude. She honestly had no idea how this would come across to people because she would be so willing to jump in and help out. But I was pretty miserable that night, and DH was even a little offended, which is near impossible to do. It's hard to be that miserable when I wanted to celebrate and enjoy such a happy time for her.
I hope that people who are lurking and planning their weddings pay attention to a lot of these terrible weddings (or terrible moments at weddings). A lot of people here are pointing out that often, they're attending the weddings of people they care about very much, and would NEVER tell these loved ones, "Hey, your wedding was awful. This thing you did was super rude." So keep in mind that people might tell you to your face, "Great wedding, congrats!" but really be thinking, "Oh my god, I wish I had stayed home."
Re: Worst Wedding You've Ever Been To?
I will be awarding prizes to the Most Epic Fails. So far, anyone with a 6 hour gap is getting a
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
At least you got cake, right?
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
I've never really been to a bad wedding, BUT I have definitely been to some that had etiquette faux pas
1) I have gone to cash bar weddings. i am not much of a drinker so never really bothered me much
2) Did go to a wedding (which actually was a blast) that ran out of liquor and a bunch of us ended up pitching into get another keg for it
3) Drove to an out of state wedding where most guests were out of state and we got nothing but wine..no food or even finger foods. It was a fun wedding, but Iw as definitely hungry
Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.
1) My cousin's wedding. A group of cousins on his other side (my cousin, the groom, and I are maternal cousins; these were his paternal cousins) dressed inappropriately in casual attire, jeans, and sneakers when the wedding was formal.
2) At my brother's wedding, a now-deceased great-aunt told my father it was her birthday and wanted a cupcake with a candle on it to blow out while everyone there sang Happy Birthday to her. My father actually told her he'd arrange it, but as the FOG a lot of demands were made on his time and he forgot about it. My great-aunt left a voice mail for another aunt of mine in which she went on a tirade about how angry she was that this didn't happen.
Brides, please let your GM and BM sit where they want at head table.
Hmmm. The "worst" wedding I've been to was probably my mom's. My mother raised us LDS (Mormon) and when she married my step-dad, they were married in a Temple. Since I was only 15, I wasn't allowed at the actual wedding ceremony. And had to sit in the waiting room for what felt like an enormously long time, but was probably really only an hour. But I just felt really left out that I had to sit in a waiting room. Honestly, I would have rather just stayed at home while she got married and then showed up later for the reception than had to sit there in the waiting room.
My dad's fifth wedding was his tackiest - he had a ceremony and no reception. I think he thought he was being polite and low-key since he had already had four weddings. But he obviously failed. I was only 11, so I don't remember too many details.
And a "bridesmaid" at another Temple wedding for my best friend in Salt Lake City, UT with outdoor pictures in January. I don't remember the exact temperature, but there was snow on the ground. And we were not allowed to wear coats or sweaters because that would ruin the pictures. I use "bridesmaid" because you can't actually have bridesmaids at a Temple wedding ceremony. So being a "bridesmaid" means buying a dress to wear in the waiting room and to stand around in some pictures. And sometimes sitting at a special table at the reception.
I've also been a bridesmaid in an outdoor wedding in Phoenix, AZ when it was 110 degrees. Another bridesmaid almost fainted and had to sit down.
Aside from climate/temperature issues, I do think those two friends had wonderful weddings - had a great time at the receptions; they were gracious hosts. And all of the other weddings I've gone to for friends have been lovely as well. Reading some of pps' stories, I think I've been very lucky!
@allispain YUP. Because of our disaster of a move, we were staying with my partner's parents, who were also hosting the rehearsal dinner (they have three boys, so that's their thing they do). So we had to stop at a supermarket, buy a bunch of bouquets, and when we showed up, we were told to clip the flowers ourselves, put them in provided vases, and pick a table to put them on. Then at the end of the day, the only thing the bride said to me ALL DAY was to pressure me into taking a centerpiece home. Except we weren't going home--we were staying with my future in-laws.
Honestly? They could have absolutely afforded to pay for the flowers themselves. Or just not had centerpieces. I was so pissed.
@lwoehlk YUP. We had to stand around, while our significant others were actually at the ceremony watching their brother get married. The bride and groom intentionally told people that the wedding started later (even though most people showed up in time for the ceremony) because they wanted my partner's grandparents to miss the ceremony. Really. Because the bride thought the ceremony area would be too small for grandma's wheelchair. UGH. What a disaster.
I RSVPed yes. I went to the ceremony, where I knew no one, and another guest told me the reception wasn't for 6 more hours (the invites said reception to follow) and was really just for couples. I already had a headache, so I just went home and skipped the reception. So I was a jerk here too, for being a no show. Totally admit it. But no thanks.
Otherwise every other wedding has been lovely. There was one where it was 110 degrees and we were outside and miserable...but that was only sort of the B&G's fault, for choosing an outdoor reception site in July. The food and wine was delish. We were just miserable with the heat...cake was melting...pregnant guests had to leave early...etc.
First of all, it was on a Thursday. The bride wanted a late December wedding, but the last weekend of December was Christmas day, so she chose to have it on a Thursday instead.
Second, it was freezing. Probably around 40 degrees. Which for someone in Phx, AZ it means that you feel like you're going to turn into an icicle. When the guests arrived at the venue, they were made to wait outside. In the cold. And of course, the ceremony began late because the bride was running behind and ended up wanting to take more pictures than originally planned. DS1 was four months old at the time, and FI had to skip the ceremony and wait inside with our son because it was way too cold for him to be out there for so long.
Cocktail hour was outside as well, with no drinks or appetizers. But at least there were heaters that everyone got to snuggle around.
The food was quite good, so no complaints there. However, there was a cash bar. At least soda was free.
There was a head table, and while most of the bridal party got to sit with their SOs, one did not. One wife was excluded from the head table where her husband, a GM, sat. (We later found out that this GM had been sleeping with one of the BMs for months at that point, and the wife had no clue).
And it's not against etiquette, but there were way too many "dances". At least the first half hour - forty five minutes there was special dance after special dance. It's just annoying.
And then came the toasts. The bride's father gave a creepy speech about how she pursued the groom (all about photo of him on her desk and visualizing how one day she would have him). At the end of the speech he addressed the groom (my dad) and complimented him on trading up families. Yup, trading up families.
The bride's brother caught the garter, and proceeded to wear it on his own thigh for the rest of the evening. Just awkward.
Just an overall unpleasant evening.
We had a close call on what could have been a disaster. One of DH's childhood friend's got engaged just before we did. DH's parents are still good friends with the friend's parents and found out through them that the Bride's family had a "no ring, no bring" rule, and they were asking around for the guest list count just before we got engaged. His parents knowing DH had gotten a ring but not knowing when he would proposed, ended up intentionally delaying getting back after we got engaged. It makes me sad to think that if my DH had proposed a month later that I probably would have gone to that wedding.