Wedding planners are in charge of it all, and they put in tons of work to make these hopefully once-in-a-lifetime events as good as possible. They don’t always go the way they were planned, however. The following stories are proof of that. Read on to find out about weddings that were – or were almost – ruined, no matter how hard the planners worked.
We Hear They're Important
There are lots of important moments in a wedding – the procession of the bride, the vows, the first married kiss – but one of the biggest is the exchange of rings. If you don't have them, it's a big damper.
One of the laws of weddings planning is if the bride doesn't know, it didn't happen. In this story, it was a last-second race against time to get the rings to the wedding before they were needed, and they just barely made it.
Irony, Thy Name is Wedding Planner
Wedding planners put in a lot of work to make sure someone else's special event is smooth going from start to finish. But what about their own wedding? This wedding planner got the dates mixed up for his or her most important day. Getting dates wrong happens to all of us once or twice, but when it's your job to coordinate these things?
Tragedy plus time equals comedy, and now we can all look back and laugh. Well, hopefully, everything else got there at the right time and the event was still a success.
Is it Supposed to Droop Like That?
Granted, the cake isn't the most important part of the event, but it's still something that a lot of people look forward to. Wedding cake designers have their work cut out for them making something to the specifications delivered to them, as well as making sure the cake is tasty and on time.
It's a specialized industry, but every once in a while the people behind it make crucial mistakes. Like when they use bendy straws to support a heavy cake.
Oh No, She Didn't!
The mother of the bride usually has a special place in the proceedings, but not all families are the same. Sometimes mothers and daughters don't get along, and the mamma is banned from the special day.
Often, it's for a very good reason, such as she's a horrible person who will wear a wedding dress to her daughter's wedding. But that's why there are wedding planners, who are part organizers, part bodyguards. It seems like this planner knew what they were doing.
Crank Up The Heat
If you aren't a wedding planner you might not really be aware of how important wedding flowers can be. They add color to the event, they make sure the room doesn't look too empty, and they can even add some nice scents to the area.
But, if you stick the flowers in buckets of water that will freeze overnight, it's going to be hard to get them ready. Thankfully, the quick-thinking planner recruited a few people and got to work. The bride never noticed, and that's the important thing.
Put a Tracker on Him
Yeah, a wedding is really important for the bride and groom, but it might be even more important for the family and friends. They want to see their loved ones get hitched. Grandfathers are great most of the time, but they can also be pretty stubborn.
They like to do things their own way, even if that means missing their granddaughter's marriage. Still, he made it to the reception and was able to dance and that's the most important part.
How Do You Misspell Smith?
Weddings are the kind of things that require high attention to detail. It all has to be thought out and designed. And while spelling something wrong on the save the dates is embarrassing, especially when it's the name of the bride herself!
This wedding planner had the eagle eye that was required to find the problem and get rid of it. She probably had to redo the whole thing! What doesn't a wedding planner do?
It Was Just a Little One
Weddings are stressful for everyone involved, sometimes that stress can hit the wrong way, such as in this example. But the wedding planner was somehow able to make sure it went off without issue.
Thankfully, grandpa was fine, and he was even able to go back and make light of the situation. The couple was oh so thankful for the wedding planner, who was able to handle such a thing in the middle of the wedding without blinking an eye.
Plus One, Minus Two
Those RSVP cards are really important, and you need to make sure you get them on time so that everyone can sit with people they like. Asking for a change one day before the wedding will put you on the naughty list. But, a good planner will know how to change things around so that at least the person can show up, right? He showed up with the girlfriend he wanted to bring, right?
They didn't? That person is going to get an earful from the couple next time they see each other.
What Are The Odds?
Wedding dresses have trends too, but the idea of all four brides having the exact same dress, on the same night is kind of amazing. What's more amazing is that only two of the brides were upset about it – even more, they were only upset at each other. Sounds like the kind of thing that would happen on one of those trashy reality shows.
Why would they only be upset at each other? Why did the other two brides escape the ire?
We Hope He Has an Important Job
So, the guy couldn't get out of work. That happens, it really does. On the other hand, the groomsman should have had plenty of opportunities to make sure he had the time he required. Some of these weddings are scheduled for a full year out, or even more!
Maybe he's a doctor and there was an emergency? Or he started a new job and didn't want to risk anything? All's well that ends well since he got there just on time
The Plot of the Next Hangover Movie
This is the kind of story that we're sure has happened dozens, hundreds, or maybe even thousands of times. A groom has a bit too much to drink the night before and gets lost somewhere. Most people would not let him leave their sight until after the wedding!
Luckily he was found, but being an hour and a half late to your own wedding isn't a great start to the marriage.
They Look so Good
Ah, the wedding cake. It's beautiful, it's tasty, and it's a lot of fun for everyone. Also, it tends to attract kids. Kids like cake, the wedding cake is huge, and that's going to make little eyes go wide. This girl did what we all wish we could do and sampled the cake even before it was being cut.
Apparently, the planner approached the little girl's mother, who responded that they should just go ahead and cut the cake already. Thanks, lady.
Should We Have Not?
Repeat after us: if the bride doesn't find out, it doesn't matter and didn't happen. Still, having the servers chew down on the wedding cake right after it was cut isn't exactly kosher. But a wedding planner is ready for all kinds of events, including the help going off-script.
It only took a couple of swipes of the knife to cut the pieces down to size and re-serve them to guests.
Not Usually How These Things Go
We aren't sure if this is cold feet or something else entirely, but usually, when a bride and groom sit down to fill out the final paperwork, this isn't how the conversation goes.
It seems this groom had never been happy with the situation that he was getting himself into, and he realized that it was his last chance to back out. And back out he did! It's not often a wedding planner gets to be in residence when a relationship falls apart!
Sometimes You Have to Bring in the Backup
Some people just don't know a good thing when they see it. This groom had just married his bride, but he was too busy schmoozing with the people around him to spend any time with her. Important, maybe, but if you're at a wedding reception you should make some time for the woman you just married.
We do wonder why there weren't family members or friends, or bridesmaids for the bride to sit with. At least the wedding planner kept the bride company. They really do everything, don't they?
That Cake Had Better be Worth It
Toasts come with almost every wedding. They can be all over the spectrum, from short and sweet to long and involved, humorous to serious, and everything in between.
Then, there's this lady's speech, which probably had everybody in the audience falling asleep in their chairs. It was nothing but a full third of an hour of name-dropping, and we really have to wonder if the bride was okay with this kind of display. We don't have to wonder about the guests, they hated it.
Some Dads Take it a Little Harder
We can only imagine the scream of the server that found him. Fathers sometimes have a hard time watching their little girl be all grown up and off on her own, and there's no better story than this one to show that.
Still, can it even be a wedding without an embarrassing story to tell at family gatherings? This is a good one, and we're sure that the dad is going to get tired of hearing it pretty quickly.
We Know What He Thinks of the Groom
Churches are made with a particular set of elements. They have a lot of very beautiful embellishments, but they're also made so that sounds carry. We didn't always have microphones and speakers for everyone to use. So, when a father of the bride asks his daughter an important question and everyone in the church hears him, he only has himself to blame.
Even if the entire rest of the wedding, and the relationship in general, went well, the groom and the father of the bride is going to be at odds for a while.
A Quick Speech
A lot of people dread speaking in public speaking, it's the most common fear for people to have. This includes grooms who are trying to make sure their weddings go well. Surely the wedding planner will be able to help – they see lots of wedding speeches at work. Yup, here are a couple of easy bullet points.
But, you know, do more than just read exactly what I've written or your new wife might consider becoming an ex sooner than you'd hope.
Well, at Least She Was Happy
This impromptu vocal performance happened right after the bride and groom exchanged vows, so thankfully the mother of the groom waited until the ceremony was actually over. What's even weirder is it seems as if she wrote her own lyrics to the song and used an existing tune. Some people might be able to do that, but not everyone. Was the song all that bad?
We don't know, we weren't there to witness it. But the wedding planner remembered it, so it must have, at the very least, been memorable.
You Were Warned
Some kids would just let loose without even giving the planner a chance to make room. Still, this wedding planner didn't really have any chance either, since most four-year-olds don't have bladder control for more than five seconds.
We also have to wonder about how the flower girl managed to do this on someone else's foot...that's just not the kind of thing that you hear about all that often. Too bad for the wedding planner, but at least it didn't ruin the wedding.
Please Stop Talking About This Subject
If you've ever worn or helped someone slither into a wedding dress, you know that they can be pretty form-fitting and tight. Tight clothes put pressure on the skin.
This is pretty gross, but the bride had a good point. It could have messed up the dress or been a distraction for someone during the wedding. Better to deal with it before it becomes an issue. Is a wedding planner prepared for something like this? We almost hope not.
Miracle Workers
As far as things to happen to a wedding dress right before a wedding, getting covered with dirt and mold has to be the worst. Somehow, someway, the wedding planner's husband and the dress designer used a “special solution” to get it perfectly clean.
We want to know what that special solution is because if it can clean dirt and mold off a wedding dress so that nobody will notice it can clean anything. Not even the bride noticed, and she has the best chance of discovering something like that. Incredible.
Good Thing They Aren't in Charge
When it comes to weddings, there are a few unwritten rules. One of them is whatever the bride says, goes. So, if she's picked out flowers, the bridesmaids – her friends, one assumes – should be fine with them. Not so in this case.
They fell upon the bouquets like a pack of dogs, rearranging them to their own desires. There was just no time to put them back in order, so they had to hope that no one noticed. Thankfully, no one did. Or, at least, the bride didn't.
Last-Minute Doesn't Even Begin to Describe This
There's one last piece to this story: this event happened on the day of the wedding. Plenty brides have second thoughts about the dresses they picked out, but most of them either make the change or realize that nothing can be done.
It's too late, she's about to walk down the aisle, and that's the dress she's wearing, one way or another. Dip-dying is complicated and time-intensive, and if it's done wrong, then it will undoubtedly ruin the dress. Trust us, lady, just wear the dress.
Always Have a Rain Plan
Wedding meltdowns are a dime a dozen these days, but we feel like this one could have been prevented with a better attitude on the bride's side. They were even able to have a backup plan set up quickly but the bride didn't want to walk down the aisle anyway.
Thankfully, the rain did eventually stop so the wedding could happen outside as she wanted. The poor vendors had to wipe down all the chairs, however.
Have Fun, Everyone!
Every once in a while there's a wedding that has a long gap between the ceremony and the reception. Sometimes it's because of pictures, sometimes it's because of travel time between the venues, and sometimes it's because the people in charge aren't being considerate.
On this occasion, it was the last option. Eventually, the planner just went ahead and told the caterers to start serving. We hope at least the groom and the bride enjoyed their limo time!
All Over Some Chairs
Are green chairs really all that bad? Maybe they aren't perfect, but nobody minds a bit of green. As long as they're a nice dark green. One of the best colors in the world, prove us wrong.
Also, if you're getting married and the mother of your future husband is making you cry about some chairs, that's when you call in an older brother who will very politely, but firmly, tell the MoG to shut her flapping yap!
A True Horror Story
No, obviously, she wasn't invited. But, she showed up anyway. And she made sure that people noticed her arrival. She was the mother of the groom's son and took every chance to let others know what she thought of his parenting skills.
The story goes that the police had to get called. We only have to hope that no one was hurt, and the party was able to continue nonetheless. With people keeping an eye out around them, just in case.
There are a Lot of Problems Here
A lot of brides will take the biggest party of their life as an opportunity to get smashed, but most of them know that they should be careful. They also aren't usually pregnant. It turns out this bride also took the reception as an opportunity to announce that she was pregnant and then headed right for the drinks table.
Thankfully the wedding planner was able to trick her into drinking non-alcoholic drinks. Good luck, kid. You're really going to need it.
Drive Faster, Father!
Weddings have a lot of moving parts, such as the officiant who leads the ceremony. Just like everyone else involved in weddings, priests are humans and can get details mixed up. The priest had to put the pedal to the metal and probably break a few speed laws on his way to the church.
Meanwhile, the poor groom was left standing at the altar wondering why the wedding hasn't started. Poor guy. His big day and he has to spend all that time just standing up there alone.
What Do You Mean I Have to Pay?
There must have been some kind of miscommunication that went before this story. What kind of person would expect the wedding planner to pay for the decorations out of her own money? Why just the decorations and not the cake, invitations, etc? It's so strange.
Surely she knows that money is used to purchase goods and services! We wonder how long the lawyer put up with this silly little feud until he called it quits.
Her Little Boy, or Something
There are plenty of stories about mothers-in-law causing a scene, and this one has gotta be one of the best. Worst. Whatever.
While the groom and bride were supposed to be enjoying their first dance as a married couple, the groom's mom had an...episode, let's call it that. Hopefully, it was the kind of episode that got the woman to take a good long look at herself and make some big changes in her life.
Sir, There's a Line Waiting
This couple wanted to have their reception in an older building because they look so much nicer than a lot of the stuff that gets made nowadays. But, in a building that is a century-old there are going to be some things that might go wrong, such as the bathroom door getting accidentally locked.
It was made worse by people deciding to gather around the room and take videos rather than help the poor fellow find his way out.
Maid of Horror
Doesn't this lady realize that getting all that stuff done is the wedding planner's job? And that she's going to be way better at it since she has a lot of experience and knowledge about how all the parts of a wedding works?
And that she isn't going to make everyone angry at her, since she's actually a kind person? No, apparently none of these details crossed the Maid of honor's mind. She even stressed the bride out all day – how did she ever get picked to fill this position?
Maybe it's for the Best
Some relationships just don't work out. Usually, the people involved find that out while they're dating, or maybe after they get engaged. The number of relationships that have crashed and burned because of a discussion about vest colors before a wedding? It probably doesn't rank that high.
Maybe the guy was having second thoughts, and he grabbed the first reason he came across to call things off. Maybe the bride was just really, really particular about the colors of her wedding, and this was just the last straw for him.
Trying to Look Healthy
Brides always want to look their best. This one decided she would try to make her skin glow like the setting sun, but she chose the wrong time to do it. A day before she joined with her groom, she got her very first bit of tanning, and it just didn't work out.
Maybe it was because it was her very first time, or maybe it was just a bad tan job, but it wasn't going to fly. The wedding planner, as always, knew exactly what to do.
Guess What Decade This Story is Set In
Well, at least the fight between the maid of honor and her boyfriend didn't out-and-out ruin the wedding itself. It still got pretty close to it, of course. It definitely put a damper on the day, but at least the couple actually got married. We don't think a wedding is allowed to go perfectly.
Even the ones that don't have big issues usually have some funny almost folk-like tales attached to them, like this one.
Medical Emergency
Every once in a while a groomsman will tip over during a ceremony. But it isn't often an officiant passes out. Thankfully it wasn't due to anything serious, but it still required smelling salts. Amazingly, the officiant was able to recover and finish the ceremony after little more than a short break.
We have to imagine that it was partially because he was embarrassed, and wanted to prove he could do it. We hope they can all laugh at it now.
There's a Story There
They were fighting when they GOT to the reception? Is this the kind of couple where people receive the wedding invitation and then wonder to each other when they'll find out about the divorce?
Anyway, getting to the reception and being so mad at your brand new husband or wife that you have to start pounding wine? Might mean it's time for couple's therapy. He couldn't even make a speech, but that was probably a blessing in disguise.
I've Got an Apology For Ya
Now, we aren't wedding planners, but if we were, and we were part of this story, we'd laugh and tell them to go sit back down.
It wasn't our fault, we had nothing to do with it, and if you and your girlfriend can't figure out what your relationship is, how are we supposed to? Also, it's perfectly reasonable to write “and guest” on an invite card.
Woof
Brazilian mastiffs can grow up to thirty inches tall at the shoulder and can weigh up to a hundred and eighty pounds when full-grown. Imagine two of these running through your wedding ceremony, and you can picture how stressed out everyone was.
Somehow, the dogs didn't seem to do any damage, and it sounds like they were having fun, at least. They were just getting the party started.
Just Play Nice for One Night
Early in this wedding planner's career, this story happened. It was apparently more than twenty-five years ago and still perfectly memorable. The story goes on to say that all four of the parents were unhappy about the seating arrangements.
Well, we're sorry, but there's not much else we can do if there are three other people you hate in the room. The wedding planner lost contact with the couple afterward, and it's easy to wonder how long the relationship lasted with that many immature parents in the picture.
I'm Only up by Four!
Fifteen minutes isn't a ridiculous amount of time to be waiting for a wedding. Surely we've all had to wait longer. Still, we kind of hope that none of the guests found out WHY the groom was so late.
Did you guys know there's a really easy way to get a Madden game to end? You grab the plug for the Xbox and yank. To no one's surprise, the couple got divorced nine months after the wedding, the relationship didn't even last two full years.
This is Why We Have the Term “Bridezilla”
There are oodles of stories out there about brides that turn into beasts as soon as they start planning their wedding, even if they were sweeties before. They're called bridezillas, and this one might just take the cake.
If the man officiating your wedding thinks you're possessed by a demon, you need to chill out. Ladies, at the very least, don't be so mean that the officiant has to be begged to marry you.
I Just Hit Play
Weddings are expensive, and couples will try to shave pennies off the cost. One of the more common ways is asking a friend to be the DJ – perhaps in lieu of a gift, or for a nominal fee. Often this is no trouble. Throw together a playlist on a laptop that has iTunes, hit play, and enjoy some cake.
This guy, unfortunately, didn't know what he was doing and didn't even recognize the most famous wedding song ever. Even if you don't know the name, you've heard “Canon in D Major” before.
Like Shopping Candy on Halloween
A wedding is very likely the most important moment in a person's life. Pretty much everyone understands that you have to be prepared for it long before. We guess this MotB didn't get the memo. Maybe she could have found something that worked that late in the game, but we wouldn't be holding our breath.
And you have to hope that the makeup artist had some kind of terrible emergency like their car fell into a sinkhole or something like that.
You Had Your Chance
Emotions run hot during weddings, from joy and happiness to embarrassment and despair. When you find out that the one who got away is getting hitched, you might be tempted to do what this lady did, and declare your love at the last possible moment.
But, don't. Just don't. It's a bad look, and once you sleep off whatever liquid courage you used to amp yourself up, you're going to wonder how the heck you ever allowed yourself to do something like that.
THIS IS THE YEAR OF MELISSA!
The bridezilla strikes again, and this time she has declared that no one else can have a wedding during the year of her nuptials! The weddings ended up being months apart.
We understand that to a bride, her wedding is the most important thing to ever happen, but to the guests, and even a lot of the family, it's just another event to go to. We're sure that plenty of you have had months that have two or three weddings all close together, but this bride wasn't interested in sharing the spotlight.