A wedding -- where emotions (and alcohol) flow freely -- can bring out less than stellar behavior in otherwise perfectly pleasant friends and family. After talking to countless brides and grooms, we've cataloged some of the worst. Want to be a gracious guest? Don't do anything you read below!
*Names changed to protect the innocent (and the guilty)
Rude RSVPs
"I had guests who did not like the dinner choices -- they wrote on their response card that they wanted a meal that followed their macrobiotic diet. When my mother-in-law told them this wasn't possible, they phoned the reception hall to ask them!"
-- Anne, Livingston, NJ "A close friend of my husband's mother has a very small dog, and a few weeks before the wedding she informed my hubby's mom that she was planning to bring the dog to the wedding! Fortunately, my husband's mom informed her that the dog was not invited, and it all worked out."
-- Lindsey, Huntington, NY
"My friend showed up to our adults-only reception with her boyfriend, as well as her 2-year-old son. The child screamed throughout the entire ceremony -- my own mother had to take him from the room, and my friend actually stayed to watch the ceremony! He was a terror at the reception, and eventually she decided to leave, telling us that the child was tired and that his dinner should be packaged to go, and he would like a slice of cake as well (we hadn't even cut it yet)."
-- Mary, Virginia Beach, VA
Truly Thoughtless Guests
"I was at a wedding where the bride was a larger girl and one of the guests requested the 'Baby Got Back' song as a joke. The worst part is that the DJ said 'This goes out to the bride as a special request.'"
-- Vivian, Fort Worth, TX "I was at a wedding where the father of the bride yelled, 'Give her the tongue!' in the church after the priest announced, 'You may now kiss the bride.'"
-- Jessica, Peoria, IL
"I recently got married, and my husband's aunt came up to me while I was waiting for the ceremony to start, and asked what my name was! We'd been dating over a year and I see her at all the family events."
-- Katelyn, Sioux Fall, SD
"As the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding, I had a relative give me a $5 bill during the traditional 'dollar dance' and ask for change."
-- Allison, San Francisco, CA
Drunk and (Really) Disorderly
'Aside from the two women who thought it would be fun to dance on the tables, one guest brought a bottle of tequila wrapped in a brown paper bag into the reception. I can still see them laughing like buffoons and swilling booze from a crumpled bag.'
-- Deborah, Seattle, WA "My aunt was the bartender at my sister's wedding and got my 14-year-old old brother drunk. He started stripping on the dance floor and telling my brother-in-law's family members how he really felt about them. It was a nightmare!"
-- Janet, Little Rock, AR
Rowdy Receptions
"I was at a wedding where the bride and groom were avid ultimate frisbee players. As a cute favor, they gave monogrammed mini frisbees to all the guests. Some of the college guys began throwing the them back and forth across the dance floor. One even jumped up, caught it, and spiked it on the floor!"
-- Rebecca, Tucson, AZ "We placed wedding cameras on every table. After we got back from the honeymoon we were looking through the pictures when we came across one of our male guests exposing himself. We were so mortified!"
-- Heather, Durango, CO
Terrifying Toasts
"When the father of the bride was giving his speech, the bride's in-laws were all chatting and laughing. The mother of the bride had had way too much to drink, got a hold of the microphone, and told off the groom's entire family, saying they were all going to hell! She then turned to the groom and told him that she hoped they would divorce soon because he's the worst human being she'd ever met. The couple is still married almost 20 years later, but they do not celebrate their anniversary."
-- Jennie, Pittsburgh, PA "I once attended a wedding where the best man gave his toast, went through the usual wishes of good luck and a happy marriage, and then let it slip that the bride was pregnant. This came as a shock to her parents, who had not been informed yet."
-- Erin, Albany, NY
-- Miles Stiverson
See More: Going to a Wedding? , Wedding Guests
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