13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (2024)

It's no secret that not every wedding will live up to WeTV standards, but I'm sure very few people ever imagine they'd go to one of the most important days of someone's life, and it's an utter sh*t show.

13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (1)

So, when Reddit user u/HilltOU55d7 posed the question, "What's the worst wedding experience you've ever had?" In r/AskReddit, I couldn't even dream up some of the things I was about to read:

1."I was dating this guy, and his sister sent out wedding invitations for the wedding in Hawaii. His mother offered to pay for us to attend. So, the two of us and his parents flew out. At the airport, the happy couple greeted us, and we all went to dinner. There were lots of toasts and happy memories, and quite a few of her family members attended this dinner. The day of the wedding, my then-boyfriend and I were woken up to frantic banging on our hotel room door..."

13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (2)

2."They ran out of food for the last two tables, who just happened to be the coworkers of the bride. We had to order pizza delivery and pay for it ourselves. The bride's family refused to pay for it. You never remember the good weddings, but you never forget the bad ones."

u/shockingRn

3."My husband picked up a shift at work on our wedding night. Don’t worry, though — he didn’t actually end up working on our wedding night; he was just cheating. I found that out way later."

4."My uncle got so drunk at my sister’s wedding that he confessed to having an affair and completely ruined the family."

u/Bhinzoh

5."My sister was the maid of honor at a wedding where the bride's father didn't like the groom. A fight broke out, and the bride's father, uncle, brother, the groom, his father, and brother were arrested. The bride spent her wedding night at my house, crying her eyes out. They divorced about two years later."

13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (4)

6."At my ex-friend’s wedding, I showed up prepared to be the maid of honor and found out from the makeup person that there was another maid of honor. We found out she had two of us working as maids of honor secretly. We both quit."

"I lived seven hours away, was in college, and worked multiple jobs, so it was hard for me to get away and do wedding stuff. She constantly texted me and called me to tell me how horrible of a friend I was. So she ended up telling this other person (it turns out it was a distant cousin or something) that I was no longer the maid of honor and she was now on duty. Well, I was never told this, but I continued to do what I could from far away. It was really awkward; the other girl was so sad and hurt, but I just wanted to get out of there."

u/SoggyxFingers

7."A long time ago, I was invited to the wedding of a college friend. The invitation was very fancy, so we dressed up in suits to attend. I had a difficult time finding the place. We arrived and found out that it’s in a literal horse pasture. It smelled of manure and was an extremely hot summer day, so that made it worse."

8."The priest called the bride by the wrong name for the entire two-hour-long ceremony. The poor bride corrected the priest each time, the first 10 times or so. The priest was the groom's uncle. The groom never corrected him. Eventually, the bride looked like she had tears in her eyes and was going to start bawling, so she stopped correcting him. The priest just kept using the wrong name through the end of the ceremony."

u/RuggedHangnail

9."The wedding was to take place on the East Coast. It was huge, expensive, and had been planned for two years. The wedding party traveled from all over to participate. The bride announced her apologies at the rehearsal dinner the night before, saying that there would be no wedding. Six months later, friends are told that the couple is going to try again."

13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (6)

10."It was my close friend's wedding. I flew internationally to attend and got my nails, hair, and makeup done. I bought a $500 dress. I made it through the ceremony. Immediately after, I went to the bathroom and was uncontrollably vomiting and sh*tting. It was everywhere. I had to ask staff for help. They ended up closing off the bathroom because vomit was all over the walls. I had to exit the party covered in my own filth."

u/wombatouthere

...We Interrupt This Program To Bring You A Very Important Deal Alert...

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11."I was all set to be the best man for my friend's wedding. It was going to be a small wedding at their church, with a lunch afterward. At 7:30 the morning of the wedding, the groom called me and told me the wedding was cancelled, and he said that he 'would call me and explain later.'"

13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (8)

12."I was supposed to be in the bridal party and was told that things were casual and to just show up on the day wearing something 'dressy casual' that I felt good in. I showed up, saw the wedding party in coordinated outfits with their corsages, bouquets, and the whole nine yards, and realized they hadn't had the guts to tell me they didn't want me in the bridal party after all."

"We took our gift, checked out of the hotel we'd paid for at their specific recommendation, and drove 800km back home with our wedding present. I am not friends with any of those people anymore, and thank God."

u/bbdoublechin

And finally, this person shared an experience that was horrible from top to bottom:

13."It was my own. I was trapped in an elevator with the groom for hours the night prior. I was mistakenly sent a red Hummer with no AC on the hottest day of the year instead of the limo I rented. The wedding commissioner was two hours late and didn’t have a phone. I rented a boat to get married and cruise around on it. It was an old icebreaker with lots of character, and I planned all my decor around it."

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Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Have your own horrible wedding experience you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments!

13 Former Wedding Guests Are Sharing Their Unbelievably Messy Experiences, And You Honestly Can't Even Make This Stuff Up (2024)

FAQs

How do you deal with difficult wedding guests? ›

If you're concerned about dealing with difficult guests, trust your wedding planner to take the lead. They can handle issues discreetly and professionally, so you can focus on enjoying your day.

What percentage of wedding guests actually attend? ›

As a rule of thumb, you can usually expect around 75-85 percent of those invited to actually attend the wedding. Sending out save the dates six to eight months in advance will give guests time to prepare for the wedding—ultimately increasing the number of people who will attend.

How do you dismiss guests at a wedding? ›

Dismiss Guests by Row

After your grand exit from the ceremony, loop back around and greet everyone as they leave their seats, one row at a time. While this is very similar to the traditional receiving line, it tends to move along because guests are more aware of everyone else still waiting to congratulate you!

How many people will come if you invite 200 people? ›

Formulas to estimate guest count

For the same 200-person wedding, you can expect about 120 attendees. For a full estimate of guests who will attend based on how many you invite, be sure to check out our wedding attendance chart.

What percentage of wedding guests don't go? ›

What Percent of Wedding Guests Decline? "How many invited guests will decline a wedding invitation? A good rule of thumb that many wedding professionals agree on is 20%," says Nowack.

How do you deal with a difficult family at a wedding? ›

Find Emotional Support

Leaning on your friends or other family members for support can help. If it causes you too much stress or worry to handle, ask others to communicate with the controlling family members. Everyone who loves you will be at your wedding, and plenty will do anything to support you.

How many guests is considered a large wedding? ›

These numbers may vary a little depending on who you're speaking with, but a small wedding typically includes 50 people or under, a medium wedding has a guest list of anywhere from 50-150 guests, and a large wedding has over 150 attendees.

How much does the average wedding guest give? ›

While the amount you should gift a couple depends on a number of factors, data from The Knot reveals that U.S. wedding guests spend an average of $160 on cash gifts. "It's common to give anywhere from $100 to $1,000. I often see the card box on the gift table oozing with overstuffed envelopes," Burton says.

Is 200 guests a big wedding? ›

The supersized: 150-200 guests

With a wedding of this caliber, you can almost certainly invite everyone you had on your list, plus some extras. You'll have room for friends and family, plus ones, friends of your parents, college pals, and second cousins—and then some.

How do you politely limit wedding guests? ›

Segment your guest list into smaller lists. While you could limit it to an “A list” and a “B list,” try narrowing the list even further. For example, create a list of your coworkers, your family, your partner's family, current friends, distant friends, etc. From there, you can choose your top attendees from each list.

How do you politely back out of a wedding? ›

“Thank you so much for the invitation, I really appreciate it and it means a great deal.” "I would love to attend, but I have prior commitments on that date." "We would love to celebrate with you but unfortunately, we can't make it work." "I've given it a lot of thought, and unfortunately, we won't be able to attend."

What of wedding guests decline? ›

Wedding guest counts can be a tricky thing and are sometimes hard to estimate. On average you can expect that 20% of your invited guests will RSVP they cannot come to your wedding. However, there are a few things that can make that percentage decrease or increase.

What percentage of RSVPs don't show up? ›

A recent study conducted by event management software company RSVPify generally corroborates that 80 percent estimate, finding that, of couples who used their platform to manage RSVPs, an average of 83 percent of invited guests accepted their invitation, while 17 percent declined.

How much do 100 invites cost? ›

Average Cost of Wedding Invitations

For a wedding with 100 guests, you can expect to spend an average of $500-$800 on your entire wedding stationery suite (before postage). That works out to a spend of $5-$8 per guest for invitations.

How many friends does the average person invite to a wedding? ›

Typically, a guestlist of 75 to 150 people is considered an "average" wedding size. However, average guest counts fluctuate too. Did you know that about ten more guests are invited to weddings this year than last year? That brings the national average to just over 100 wedding guests.

How do you deal with wedding guest drama? ›

Delegate Guest Management

With teamwork, you can keep your guests who are likely to fight too distracted and having too good a time to seek out conflict. Kids can also provide their share of unwanted drama, so if you plan on having kids at your wedding, put a close friend in charge of keeping them out of the drama.

Why do I feel uncomfortable at weddings? ›

One of the anxiety-inducing parts of a wedding can be the social aspect. Maybe you won't know many people who are attending the wedding or maybe you will know people but you don't particularly like them. Maybe you feel pressure to look, dress, or act a certain way at the wedding and fear others will judge you.

How do you deal with no shows at a wedding? ›

These are usually situations beyond anyone's control, so your best bet is to focus on the positive—that you're celebrating with many of your loved ones, and you're finally newlyweds! We also recommend reaching out to any no-shows after the event to see how they're doing and let them know they were missed.

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