Every
couple is bound to have a stress-induced meltdown — OK, maybe a few —
while planning their nuptials. However, these wedding horror stories
that planners and other vendors shared in a recent Reddit thread
might just take the cake. From Yelp blackmail to road rage, you won't
believe these cringe-worthy tales! (P.S. They also prove that the
parents of the bride and groom can be just as guilty of overreacting,
too.)
In the Hot Seat
"I had a really high-strung groom who yelled at one of his young guests (the kid was 12 years old) for sitting out of his assigned seat. He told the kid and his parents to leave. Later that night, the bride's father (who was single) made out with one of the bridesmaids, and the groom punched him. We had to call an ambulance, and the groom was arrested."
Under the Influence
"I had a bride rent our facility for her 'classy' wedding. She was a b@#!$ with a capital B. She refused to make eye contact with any staff member, got people's attention by snapping her fingers at them, and made a complete and total fool of herself when she and her groom showed up plastered to the reception. A rumor had started to spread that she was pregnant, which is why they were getting married. She furiously denied this in a speech to everyone gathered at the wedding. The baby was born five months later, a healthy 10 lbs."
Freeloading Fiasco
"I had one bride who raved about how much she loved the food all evening, but the day after the wedding, she wrote a bad review about the caterer on Yelp. She told me she wouldn't remove it unless they gave her a discount — she's a horrible person."
Jump Ship
"One groom wanted to rappel via helicopter to the ceremony. When that was vetoed, he wanted to rappel from the balcony instead. After working that wedding, I now understand his desire to jump off tall objects."
Bad Romance
"I'm not a wedding planner, but I do work in the industry and my friend is the wedding planner I'm telling this story about. He is a good-looking, straight male that has an amazing eye for design and detail. He can do everything from wedding dress design and execution, flowers, you name it. And his services are not cheap. He had a bride who called him up a few days before her wedding and told him she couldn't go through with the wedding because she was in love with someone else. The conversation went something like this: Bride: 'I can't marry him, I just don't love him anymore, I think I'm in love with someone else!' Him: 'What do you mean you're in love with someone else!? Your wedding is in five days!' Bride: 'Well...I'm in love with you. You just get me! I've never met anyone else like you!' Him: '...Do you know how much your parents are paying me to get you?!" She ended up getting married five days later, and it was never mentioned again."
Now Boarding to Crazytown
"The worst was when a bride was so upset that she couldn't fit all of her bridesmaids on one shuttle back from the reception — they took two vans on a 10-minute trip back to the hotel and they only seat 12 each — that she tried to physically assault the driver. He left her on the side of the road when she tried to bite him. The kicker? When the groom and her parents heard what happened and came to get her, they found her trudging back down the highway and realized she was acting crazy, so they left her there, too."
I'm a Little Teapot
"We had one groom who was an hour late. His bride laid down on the floor, pulled the back of her dress over her head, and started singing nursery rhymes to herself until he could be located."
Do-Over
"One bride wasn't happy with her husband to be's vows, so she requested a 'timeout' in order for him to go to the back room and come up with better ones. When the guy marrying them politely explained that he was on a very tight schedule, she called him a lying b@$#%^& and huffed back up the aisle into the room. We kept everyone else seated, and she reappeared a few minutes later with new vows for her future husband. He read them, and the wedding continued as planned. Again, uncomfortable."
Dress Distress
"My mom worked in a bridal salon when she was in college, and sizing was a nightmare. One bride came in to try on gowns. She tried on the large sample dress and had it pinned to see how it would look on her if it was her size. She said this was it, so my mom took her measurements and figured out what size she needed to order. But when she told her the dress would have to be a size eight based on her measurements, the bride threw a fit. 'That's impossible! All of my other dresses are in a size four! I have been a size four since I was 14. I am not an eight! Order me a four!" My mom explained how sizes vary based on the designer, and while she might normally be a four, her measurements based on the chart were considered an eight. She also explained that it's just a number, and if it's too big, it can be taken in, but a four couldn't be taken out. The bride didn't want to hear any of it and demanded a four. A couple of weeks before the wedding, her dress arrived. It wouldn't zip (duh), and the bride had a meltdown. Her mom had to apologize and reorder a larger dress at the bridal salon's expense."
The Switcharoo
"I was the planner for a wedding and had been working with the bride and groom. A few months into planning, the groom's mom called me to change the date of the wedding. I thought it was kind of weird so I called the couple to confirm the change. Nope! The bride and groom didn't know anything about the date change. They told me to completely ignore the groom's mom and call them if she tried to get in contact."
Frenemy Fail
"A bride once called having a meltdown because her friend got engaged as well, and was planning to get married in the same year as she was. Apparently, it was her special year and not just a day. She threw a huge fit that this girl was only getting married to 'steal her thunder.' Yes, because no one else can have a life at the same time as you. Her friend's date wasn't even in the same month or season. Her wedding was in October, and her friend's was in June. Sometimes brides don't think rationally."
Take the Heat
"We had a bride that booked her wedding ceremony in August, in Georgia, outside on a paved patio. She showed up an hour-and-a-half late. We were worried some people were going to get heat stroke."
Relay a Message
"I'm a photographer and came onsite the day of a wedding to meet with the planner/coordinator, who promptly told me to be careful around the bride. Apparently, at the rehearsal dinner the night before, the bride thought the coordinator was taking too much of her time (after asking two questions), and relayed through her bridesmaid that the coordinator was no longer allowed to speak to the bride or even look her in the eye. All communication would have to go through a family member from there on out. I had worked with this coordinator in the past and knew her to be a consummate professional and pleasant person to be around. She had actually assumed the bride would get over her tantrum the day of the wedding, but nope, still no talking or eye contact. The coordinator tried her best to keep the wedding day going smoothly and on time, but it was really tough to do so through proxy. Taking photos took forever because I had to make sure a bridesmaid or sister was always with us to tell the couple where to stand and how to pose. It was one of the most awkward jobs I ever had."
Starting Off on the Wrong Foot
"I had a bride that was trouble from the day she signed the contract. She complained about everything and was always looking for a way to get a cheaper price from me. The day before the wedding, she was in a panic and would not tell the on-call manager what was wrong. The florist, the DJ, and the banquet manager couldn't calm her down either. I was at a family event that day, and when I saw all the calls late that night, I went to bed thinking the worst. Did the groom run away? Was her dress ruined? What could be so awful that she would be this upset? I called her first thing in the morning, and she was so relieved. I asked her what was wrong, and I could hear her dad in the background yelling, 'Is it her?' Then, she asks me, 'What foot do I walk with first down the aisle?' (I dropped the phone)."
Out of the Picture
"My friend is a photographer who does weddings. He got punched in the face by one groom because he decided that the photographer was 'taking too many photos of the bride.' Weddings seem to bring out the worst in humanity."
Green Scene
"I had a mother-in-lawzilla one time who, after seeing and approving of the chairs that we provided, caused a scene of epic proportions after she decided that the chairs weren't good enough anymore. The bride was sobbing by the end of it, being consoled by monster-in-law, who simply kept telling her 'It'll be alright, even though everything is ruined by these green chairs.'"
—Stefania Sainato
In the Hot Seat
"I had a really high-strung groom who yelled at one of his young guests (the kid was 12 years old) for sitting out of his assigned seat. He told the kid and his parents to leave. Later that night, the bride's father (who was single) made out with one of the bridesmaids, and the groom punched him. We had to call an ambulance, and the groom was arrested."
Under the Influence
"I had a bride rent our facility for her 'classy' wedding. She was a b@#!$ with a capital B. She refused to make eye contact with any staff member, got people's attention by snapping her fingers at them, and made a complete and total fool of herself when she and her groom showed up plastered to the reception. A rumor had started to spread that she was pregnant, which is why they were getting married. She furiously denied this in a speech to everyone gathered at the wedding. The baby was born five months later, a healthy 10 lbs."
Freeloading Fiasco
"I had one bride who raved about how much she loved the food all evening, but the day after the wedding, she wrote a bad review about the caterer on Yelp. She told me she wouldn't remove it unless they gave her a discount — she's a horrible person."
Jump Ship
"One groom wanted to rappel via helicopter to the ceremony. When that was vetoed, he wanted to rappel from the balcony instead. After working that wedding, I now understand his desire to jump off tall objects."
Bad Romance
"I'm not a wedding planner, but I do work in the industry and my friend is the wedding planner I'm telling this story about. He is a good-looking, straight male that has an amazing eye for design and detail. He can do everything from wedding dress design and execution, flowers, you name it. And his services are not cheap. He had a bride who called him up a few days before her wedding and told him she couldn't go through with the wedding because she was in love with someone else. The conversation went something like this: Bride: 'I can't marry him, I just don't love him anymore, I think I'm in love with someone else!' Him: 'What do you mean you're in love with someone else!? Your wedding is in five days!' Bride: 'Well...I'm in love with you. You just get me! I've never met anyone else like you!' Him: '...Do you know how much your parents are paying me to get you?!" She ended up getting married five days later, and it was never mentioned again."
Now Boarding to Crazytown
"The worst was when a bride was so upset that she couldn't fit all of her bridesmaids on one shuttle back from the reception — they took two vans on a 10-minute trip back to the hotel and they only seat 12 each — that she tried to physically assault the driver. He left her on the side of the road when she tried to bite him. The kicker? When the groom and her parents heard what happened and came to get her, they found her trudging back down the highway and realized she was acting crazy, so they left her there, too."
I'm a Little Teapot
"We had one groom who was an hour late. His bride laid down on the floor, pulled the back of her dress over her head, and started singing nursery rhymes to herself until he could be located."
Do-Over
"One bride wasn't happy with her husband to be's vows, so she requested a 'timeout' in order for him to go to the back room and come up with better ones. When the guy marrying them politely explained that he was on a very tight schedule, she called him a lying b@$#%^& and huffed back up the aisle into the room. We kept everyone else seated, and she reappeared a few minutes later with new vows for her future husband. He read them, and the wedding continued as planned. Again, uncomfortable."
Dress Distress
"My mom worked in a bridal salon when she was in college, and sizing was a nightmare. One bride came in to try on gowns. She tried on the large sample dress and had it pinned to see how it would look on her if it was her size. She said this was it, so my mom took her measurements and figured out what size she needed to order. But when she told her the dress would have to be a size eight based on her measurements, the bride threw a fit. 'That's impossible! All of my other dresses are in a size four! I have been a size four since I was 14. I am not an eight! Order me a four!" My mom explained how sizes vary based on the designer, and while she might normally be a four, her measurements based on the chart were considered an eight. She also explained that it's just a number, and if it's too big, it can be taken in, but a four couldn't be taken out. The bride didn't want to hear any of it and demanded a four. A couple of weeks before the wedding, her dress arrived. It wouldn't zip (duh), and the bride had a meltdown. Her mom had to apologize and reorder a larger dress at the bridal salon's expense."
The Switcharoo
"I was the planner for a wedding and had been working with the bride and groom. A few months into planning, the groom's mom called me to change the date of the wedding. I thought it was kind of weird so I called the couple to confirm the change. Nope! The bride and groom didn't know anything about the date change. They told me to completely ignore the groom's mom and call them if she tried to get in contact."
Frenemy Fail
"A bride once called having a meltdown because her friend got engaged as well, and was planning to get married in the same year as she was. Apparently, it was her special year and not just a day. She threw a huge fit that this girl was only getting married to 'steal her thunder.' Yes, because no one else can have a life at the same time as you. Her friend's date wasn't even in the same month or season. Her wedding was in October, and her friend's was in June. Sometimes brides don't think rationally."
Take the Heat
"We had a bride that booked her wedding ceremony in August, in Georgia, outside on a paved patio. She showed up an hour-and-a-half late. We were worried some people were going to get heat stroke."
Relay a Message
"I'm a photographer and came onsite the day of a wedding to meet with the planner/coordinator, who promptly told me to be careful around the bride. Apparently, at the rehearsal dinner the night before, the bride thought the coordinator was taking too much of her time (after asking two questions), and relayed through her bridesmaid that the coordinator was no longer allowed to speak to the bride or even look her in the eye. All communication would have to go through a family member from there on out. I had worked with this coordinator in the past and knew her to be a consummate professional and pleasant person to be around. She had actually assumed the bride would get over her tantrum the day of the wedding, but nope, still no talking or eye contact. The coordinator tried her best to keep the wedding day going smoothly and on time, but it was really tough to do so through proxy. Taking photos took forever because I had to make sure a bridesmaid or sister was always with us to tell the couple where to stand and how to pose. It was one of the most awkward jobs I ever had."
Starting Off on the Wrong Foot
"I had a bride that was trouble from the day she signed the contract. She complained about everything and was always looking for a way to get a cheaper price from me. The day before the wedding, she was in a panic and would not tell the on-call manager what was wrong. The florist, the DJ, and the banquet manager couldn't calm her down either. I was at a family event that day, and when I saw all the calls late that night, I went to bed thinking the worst. Did the groom run away? Was her dress ruined? What could be so awful that she would be this upset? I called her first thing in the morning, and she was so relieved. I asked her what was wrong, and I could hear her dad in the background yelling, 'Is it her?' Then, she asks me, 'What foot do I walk with first down the aisle?' (I dropped the phone)."
Out of the Picture
"My friend is a photographer who does weddings. He got punched in the face by one groom because he decided that the photographer was 'taking too many photos of the bride.' Weddings seem to bring out the worst in humanity."
Green Scene
"I had a mother-in-lawzilla one time who, after seeing and approving of the chairs that we provided, caused a scene of epic proportions after she decided that the chairs weren't good enough anymore. The bride was sobbing by the end of it, being consoled by monster-in-law, who simply kept telling her 'It'll be alright, even though everything is ruined by these green chairs.'"
Photo by Coleman Photography
