weddings

Brides reveal the shocking ways guests tried to destroy their wedding day.

Guest-induced frustrations are almost a rite of passage for couples planning a wedding. Whether it’s colleagues who bring their kids without an invitation, overbearing uncles, or distant cousins who insist on being served vegan wedding cake – it seems that almost everyone who’s planned a wedding has their own story about over-demanding guests.

But those regular irritations pale in comparison to a new series of true wedding horror stories. The anonymous anecdotes, listed on online forums Reddit and secret-sharing app Whisper, detail bridal party meltdowns and guest misdemeanors so bizarre, we wouldn’t wish them on any bride.

We’ve rounded up a few of the cringiest wedding tales for your reading (dis)pleasure. They’re uncomfortable to read, but look at it this way: At least they make your own wedding guest dilemmas look trivial.

1. The one where the bride’s brother took sibling rivalry to the next level.

“My brother proposed to his girlfriend at my wedding. They tried to convince the pastor to marry them that day,” wrote one Reddit commenter.

mother-in-law horror stories
Picture: iStock.
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2. The one where a bridesmaid declared her love for the groom.

“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,” wrote one Whisper user.

3. The one where the best man ended up in hospital.

“At the reception after the wedding, the best man who had been drinking heavily, decided in his drunken state that he wanted to get some sleep, and crawled under the bride’s car to do so,” wrote one Reddit user. “The bride, not knowing he was under there and not being a drinker, was going to give someone a ride down the street to where they were staying. And yeah, obvious where this is going. The best man lived but the reception came to an abrupt ending as most of the wedding party spent the rest of the night and next day at the hospital.”

4. The one where the caterer forgot to read the fine-print.

"Catering never showed up, everyone was hungry. Also the fireworks show that night was cancelled for the first time for whatever reason...", one Reddit user wrote.

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"They went to the billing address and not to the venue, which was in another state..."

5. The one where the groom accidentally knocked out the bride.

“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,” one Reddit user said. “The reception ended shortly thereafter.”

Mamamia staff reveal their biggest regrets about their weddings. Post continues after video...

Video by Mamamia

6. The mother-in-law shows up in combat gear.

"My MIL is crazy. Her favorite thing to do is make people deeply uncomfortable, and hardly anyone talks to her for that,” one Reddit user wrote.

“Anyhow, her one daughter had an outdoor wedding the summer when West Nile virus was all over the news. So, to get attention, she threw a giant fit, and showed up to the wedding wearing a pith helmet she had brought back from Australia, in camouflage, with mosquito netting, and refused to take it off. She is in all the wedding photos like this, the mother of the bride, looking entirely pleased with herself."

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7. The maid-of-honour takes over for a public proposal

"My sister staged her engagement to interrupt the vows at my wedding. She was the Maid of Honour. She even bought her own ring and threatened to kick her boyfriend out if he didn't do it,” one Whisper user wrote.

8. The one where the groom’s father forgot the bride’s name

“My father-in-law repeatedly used my husband’s ex GF's name during his speeches, and when talking to me. His toast at the wedding was full of slurred speech, and a story about Mark and Alyssa and their budding romance and how adorable it was. I'm not Alyssa. Alyssa was his gf in high school,” one Reddit user wrote.

9. The one where a mystery guest tried to cancel the wedding

“A few weeks from the wedding, the owner of the venue was supposed to contact us and tell us the exact total to be paid,” one bride recalled. “When he didn't, my husband called him up to ask how much we owed and the guy says ‘nothing, you cancelled the wedding.’ Uh... What? After some back and forth, they figured out that someone who was not my husband had called the venue, claimed to be my husband, used his name and contract number, and cancelled the wedding. The only people who would have had access to that information is maybe one of the owner's employees, or someone in my husband's family.”

This post was originally published on our US sister site Spring.St and republished here with permission.