What is the worst wedding , stag or hen do you have been to?

[RedAngie]

Thanks for the explanation @mi*vida*loca.

I don't have anything really all that horrible to share. Maybe two bridal showers deserve a mention. One was excruciatingly boring, the other was so saccharine sweet it was cringe worthy.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Thanks for the explanation @mi*vida*loca.

I don't have anything really all that horrible to share. Maybe two bridal showers deserve a mention. One was excruciatingly boring, the other was so saccharine sweet it was cringe worthy.

I think all showers are excruciatingly boring.

 

[dollarmite]

My friends' wedding was held at a very expensive golf club. (I knew the prices as DH and I had considered it for our own wedding only two years prior. We ultimately vetoed it as the staff seemed very rude and snobbish).

There were nine tables of guests for the buffet reception. When the main course was announced, tables 1-3 were called to go up first. We were table four. When tables 4-6 were called up there was hardly any food left, so needless to say none of us had plates piled high as those on tables 1-3 had had. They replenished the food for tables 7-9.

When the dessert was announced, tables 7-9 were called first this time, and commenced to pile their plates high once again. Same story as before - tables 4-6 were left with barely anything, and the serving staff rationed out our portions; something they obviously didn't do for tables 7-9 or 1-3. The food was replenished for tables 1-3.

Not surprisingly, tables 4-6 emptied out pretty quickly after the "meal" was finished as we were all so pissed off and hungry. We found out later that we weren't the only ones to stop at various restaurants on the way home for a proper meal as we were all still very hungry.

This was the same couple that woefully undercatered their engagement party. When we arrived there were some bowls of chips on the various tables in the backyard. A while later a few trays of party pies, sausage rolls and mini quiches came around. DH and I didn't eat much as we didn't want to fill up before the main food was served. Our mistake - turns out the pies/sausage rolls/quiches were the main (only) food, aside from the engagement cake. A trip to Sizzler on the way home was required.

All of this was completely out of the norm for any party/gathering/function/wedding I've ever been too. 20 years later I still have no idea why this couple and their parents failed to feed their guests properly at not one, but two, major events. (We've since lost touch so I don't know if they continue to fail in this area). I've been to weddings at much cheaper locations with buffet meals, and they've always had heaps of leftover food. Maybe the friends and the golf club "caterers" could learn something from them.

 

[okeydokey]

My friends' wedding was held at a very expensive golf club. (I knew the prices as DH and I had considered it for our own wedding only two years prior. We ultimately vetoed it as the staff seemed very rude and snobbish).

There were nine tables of guests for the buffet reception. When the main course was announced, tables 1-3 were called to go up first. We were table four. When tables 4-6 were called up there was hardly any food left, so needless to say none of us had plates piled high as those on tables 1-3 had had. They replenished the food for tables 7-9.

When the dessert was announced, tables 7-9 were called first this time, and commenced to pile their plates high once again. Same story as before - tables 4-6 were left with barely anything, and the serving staff rationed out our portions; something they obviously didn't do for tables 7-9 or 1-3. The food was replenished for tables 1-3.

Not surprisingly, tables 4-6 emptied out pretty quickly after the "meal" was finished as we were all so pissed off and hungry. We found out later that we weren't the only ones to stop at various restaurants on the way home for a proper meal as we were all still very hungry.

This was the same couple that woefully undercatered their engagement party. When we arrived there were some bowls of chips on the various tables in the backyard. A while later a few trays of party pies, sausage rolls and mini quiches came around. DH and I didn't eat much as we didn't want to fill up before the main food was served. Our mistake - turns out the pies/sausage rolls/quiches were the main (only) food, aside from the engagement cake. A trip to Sizzler on the way home was required.

All of this was completely out of the norm for any party/gathering/function/wedding I've ever been too. 20 years later I still have no idea why this couple and their parents failed to feed their guests properly at not one, but two, major events. (We've since lost touch so I don't know if they continue to fail in this area). I've been to weddings at much cheaper locations with buffet meals, and they've always had heaps of leftover food. Maybe the friends and the golf club "caterers" could learn something from them.

Could you have gone through the buffet line again after the other guests were served since they filled the food up again?

 

[J'aime Paris]

When my cousin got married in 1994, my (now husband) and I were newly dating.
I asked him if he'd like to go to the wedding with me. The day was going well, traditional wedding and all.

When it came time for the entertainment, it was announced that there would be a live band instead of a DJ.
The band took the stage and started playing the loudest, most ear-splitting speed metal I've ever had the displeasure of enduring!!!
About 75% of the guests fled the dance within 5 minutes. We were among them.

We now laugh about attending "Headbangers Ball"!!

 

[yoopermom]

DH was a teenager in the 70s, redneck, working class (yes, picture That 70s show!), so he had some friends that were, let's say, not at their best when drunk, and who got really, really drunk at weddings. At DH's BF's wedding, another friend got so drunk that he accused his wife of flirting with another guy, she came after him, and he shoved her, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs (luckily she was so drunk she literally stood up laughing after she landed).

After our wedding reception, as they were walking out to the parking lot to leave, one of the groomsmen accused his wife of flirting with another guy (all of them drunk, does anyone see a pattern here?), she came after him, and he shoved her to the ground. Luckily, my FIL was nearby, saw it, and got them both separated and home safely. No one told me that story for YEARS afterwards, because they knew I would NOT be happy!

I'm not a prude, but I'm glad for the strict drinking and driving laws nowadays, because it gives me an excuse NOT to serve much alcohol at parties at our home to DH's childhood friends!

Terri

 

[Erzengel]

When one of my closest friends was getting married, we were going to to do Atlantic City. He and almost the rest of his friends were from the South.

But enough of his friends turned down the idea, which meant I had to travel down which wasn't the big deal.

But the gentlemen's club we went to was the most tame one I've ever been to, not that I'm some sort of connoisseur. But fully clothed, and you played the money on the stage. From somewhat from the NYC area, yeah it was tame.

Then we did go karts before or after, I don't remember. Then I think we went to some bar one of his friends owned and he (the friend) made sure then was the time to make sure very vocally that my friend was taken care of. Not drinking at the gentlemen's club, the go karts etc.

 

[nkereina]

A few years ago we traveled to the DC area for my cousin's wedding in July. The night before the wedding, a really bad storm hit the area - rain, wind, hail. The whole nine yards. We were staying in a hotel which had power the whole time and none of us watched the news in the morning, so none of us knew the toll that was taken on the area. Our 5 mile drive to the church turned into a 30 minute drive due to downed trees, power lines, no traffic signals. It was chaos in a very busy area. We finally made it to the church and learned the church was without power - luckily the main part of the church was lit up by sunlight, but the restrooms and areas for the wedding party to wait and get ready were completely dark. To make matters worse, they were now in a record heat wave with 103 degree temperatures - and the church did not have AC because there was no power. And the men were in suits. And half the guests were 10-20 minutes late to the wedding because of the traffic and craziness getting to the church. Ugh! It was actually an omen though - my cousin and his wife got divorced 9 months later.

 

[prprincess]

I have two:

When my cousin got married one of my other cousins, S, was her bridesmaid. Some girl that did not like S decided to crash the wedding because she wanted to start a fight with her over a guy. And so in order for not to ruin the bride and groom's day, a few of the guests got together to figure out how to kick the troublemaker out without the couple knowing. A few people went up to the girl and asked her to leave nicely, but she wouldn't budge. Somehow the bride finally caught wind of the situation, stormed up to the girl, said "you f**k with my cousin, you f**k with me, and punched her in the face." Classy, huh? Of course after that, the girl left.

An older male cousin of mine (see a trend here?) got married in the early 90s. He and his father (my uncle) were estranged, but had reunited and worked out their issues a few year prior to the wedding. Mind you, my cousin's mother didn't like that at all since she and my uncle separated on bad terms. When my cousin invited us all to the wedding, my aunts and uncles asked him to please make sure that it would be okay if we went because we didn't want to start any drama by attending. He insisted that everything would be okay and that we were all welcomed at the wedding. We show up to the ceremony and reception and everything was fine. My cousin's mother disappears for about an hour and comes back brandishing a gun! She started waving it in my uncle's face and we all hightailed it out of there! We all laugh about it now, even my cousin, but it was scary when it happened!!

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Worst wedding was in a dingy VFW hall for my kids' babysitter a few years ago. They were married at 19, but wanted to do a "real" wedding for their 10th anniversary. They are nice people, but it was obvious that they focused their money and attention on only certain aspects of the wedding. She had this amazing dress and veil, and they had the limo and really pretty flowers, but the venue was awful. We weren't invited to the "vow renewal" part of the wedding, so we showed up at the VFW hall for dinner. Metal folding chairs and a roll of paper towel on top of a plastic table clothed tables greeted us at first. The bar was cash only, but you could help yourself to the 2-liters of soda and pour yourself a 6-oz paper cup with ice. Dinner was pizza served out of the boxes they came in, and there was one tray of gluten-free pasta that honestly looked like the best thing there lol I don't think I've ever seen a bride in a formal wedding gown eating pizza from the local pizza joint at a wedding before!

It totally doesn't matter, and I wouldn't say anything about it usually - but here you specifically asked, so honestly, it was the worst wedding! But it was what they wanted, and what they could afford, so that is all that matters. We ate our pizza and left right after all of the dances.

OTOH, I have been to some amazingly beautiful weddings - my youngest sister's wedding was the best "formal" wedding - every single thing was spot on and the food/drinks/desserts/late-night snacks/etc were phenomenal.

But the best wedding overall I've ever been to was last summer - it was an afternoon garden party-type wedding at a Frank Loyd Wright home on the North Shore of Chicago for two men that my DH works with. They set up food stations all around the house and garden using caterers from restaurants that had significant meaning to their relationship. So we has everything from Chicago style hot dogs to Chinese food to tiny tacos to italian food to carved roast beef...and the way they set it up forced the guests to wander and mingle and take a seat wherever they wanted to. Each station had a little plaque that said where the food came from and a date, which I assume was the date of the significant event. Waiters walked around with appetizers and drinks, and the bar had this sangria wine that was out of this world. It was heartwarming to see the parents of these two men looking so happy for their kids - no matter who thinks what about same-sex marriage really ceased to matter when you could see how happy the moms were just to see their son happy in that moment. It was the nicest, most beautiful, and most FUN wedding I've ever been to!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I wouldn't say it went badly but it was just different.

Dh and traveled with our younger son and his fiance from New Jersey to a wedding in Wichita Kansas. This was wedding #2 out of 4 that we have had in the last year. We decided before the first one what we would give as a gift to the nieces and nephew that were going to get married.

When we got to the ceremony/reception the wedding was very cute. They had the grandmothers as flower girls. I thought it was a little tacky that the mother of the bride wore the same color as the wedding party. I was impressed that my dh felt the same thing.

The cocktail hour was in a tight room with only drinks and no food. When we went into the buffet line to get food all they had was hamburgers, potato salad, beans and chips. What bothered my dh was that they didn't even put the chips into bowls. They had them in the bags. There was no official wedding cake. They had a one layer ice cream cake that was only for the wedding party. Everyone else helped them to an assortment of sheet cakes.

I was a little upset of the time and the expense of travel and what we gave them as a wedding present that I felt a little cheated. Dh chalks it up to being in a different part of the country and we deal with it.

BY the way, you could tell the guys who came from the east coast. They were wearing jackets and ties. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country but we were surprised at how informal people came. It was not an outdoor ceremony.

It's not really "a different part of the country" type thing really. I know that's your take on it and that's fine but really informal weddings happen all over the country.

Personally I think it's a bit rude to say "a little upset of the time and the expense of travel and what we gave them as a wedding present that I felt a little cheated." I guess I don't associate how much I spend on a wedding gift with how much enjoyment I feel entitled to at a wedding...and by entitled I mean I don't feel like the people getting married owe me anything for being there for them on their special day.

 

[dollarmite]

Could you have gone through the buffet line again after the other guests were served since they filled the food up again?

Unfortunately not. The people at our table were discussing doing just that as were all pretty disgusted, not to mention hungry (as were the guests at the other two short changed tables we found out later), but as soon as the last person was served the staff whisked the remains away, so we didn't have time. It was so incredibly rude and inhospitable. I've never experienced anything like it (and hopefully never will!). Normally at buffets, the host/organiser is practically begging people to come back for seconds or even thirds.

If nothing else, it was certainly an icebreaker amongst the people at our table who didn't know each other.

 

[Aliceacc]

OK, not a wedding I actually attended...

One of my friends at work planned a lovely autumn wedding. It was to be right on the beach, at a place with a large picture window overlooking the ocean at the end of October.

On Long Island.

In 2012.

For those of you for whom the date doesn't strike a chord, that's when Superstorm Sandy paid us a visit. Everything was cancelled-- the church and reception site, not to mention her apartment were all destroyed. (Fortunately, her shower gifts were at her sister's house, far enough from the storm surge that they were OK.)

So she regrouped and planned another wedding for February.

The same weekend as a massive blizzard.

She said she didn't care. Her parents and sisters were able to get in for it, her fiancé was there, they had a priest, they were getting married.

Mother Nature hit my friend with her best shot-- twice. But they're going on 4 years of happily wedded bliss.

We told her that rain on your wedding day is supposed to be lucky, so she was bound to have the luckiest marriage ever.

 

[dollarmite]

Worst wedding was in a dingy VFW hall for my kids' babysitter a few years ago. They were married at 19, but wanted to do a "real" wedding for their 10th anniversary. They are nice people, but it was obvious that they focused their money and attention on only certain aspects of the wedding. She had this amazing dress and veil, and they had the limo and really pretty flowers, but the venue was awful. We weren't invited to the "vow renewal" part of the wedding, so we showed up at the VFW hall for dinner. Metal folding chairs and a roll of paper towel on top of a plastic table clothed tables greeted us at first. The bar was cash only, but you could help yourself to the 2-liters of soda and pour yourself a 6-oz paper cup with ice. Dinner was pizza served out of the boxes they came in, and there was one tray of gluten-free pasta that honestly looked like the best thing there lol I don't think I've ever seen a bride in a formal wedding gown eating pizza from the local pizza joint at a wedding before!

This reminds me of a situation I witnessed about 15 years ago, so I don't know the full story.

My family was eating at Sizzler buffet restaurant (in Australia). I don't know about other countries but here they don't take reservations. It's just turn up and hope for the best. So we thought it was unusual that the staff was setting up a bunch of tables for what we (correctly) assumed was a group.

A while later we saw some very sombre people dressed in semi formal wear filing in and being led to the group table. We thought the group had just come from a funeral as they just looked so downtrodden and miserable, and that that was maybe why the restaurant had agreed to set aside some tables. But a few minutes later the last two members of their party joined them - a groom and his new bride in a very formal wedding dress. They looked the glummest of them all. She was very obviously about 8 months pregnant.

I don't know what was more fascinating - watching the bride in her full length wedding dress, complete with train, up at the salad bar, or watching the group. There were obviously some very interesting dynamics going on. Most of their 'communication' was via dirty looks, or not looking at each other at all, and the B&G hardly interacted the entire time. I don't know if the B&G were forced to get married due to the baby, or whether they chose to get marred despite family pressure not to, but it was certainly an entertaining meal for us!

 

[luvsJack]

Wedding was ok, reception a disaster. My ex-sil's wedding. The wedding was held at a church and went fine. Very pretty. Neither the bride nor the groom were members of the church so a committee had to agree to allow them to have the reception at the church with their wedding (they don't turn anyone away, apparently, for a wedding). Because my ex-inlaws were well known for their partying, the church voted NOT to allow the reception. Sooooo. . . she had it at her parents home. And of course that meant there was an extreme amount of drinking. The plan was, for a short reception with cake to be at her parent's house and then the wedding party and a few others would go out dancing. Well, no one went anywhere because they broke out the booze and everyone got falling down drunk. There were at least 2 fights at her parent's house. Then her dad was driving her great uncle (HIS uncle) home due to the uncle being too drunk to drive (no idea who decided on this arrangment as her dad, my fil, was at least as drunk as the uncle. Anyway, on the 2 blocks over, some how they managed to get into a fight. Fil stopped the car and the two old idiots got out and fought in the ditch by the road. The uncle pulled a knife on fil and fil proceeded to knock him down and leave him on the side of the road. Someone called the law and the uncle went to jail for public intoxication (they didn't know about the knife and fight).

Any wonder why these are my EX in laws??

 

[dadtoagirl03]

My SIL was getting married and we went early to help decorate the church as it was a low-budget wedding which is okay. We come in to find out SIL crying as she "remembered" she had never finalized her divorce from husband #1 so she was still legally married (did I mention she's an idiot). She was determined to still have a ceremony and reception.

Minister finds this out and refuses to do the "mock" service about 90 minutes before it started. Luckily a family friend of the groom had a son who was in seminary and needed some practice so he officiated the ceremony. Only a choice few people knew the circumstances and when the stand in minister didn't declare them husband and wife the entire crowd was looking at each other with confused looks on their faces. It still amazes me how my DW turned out so normal with the family she has.

 

[arminnie]

Picture 200+ guests arriving for a wedding at a church. And the church is locked with no one around. Multiple calls to church officials - finally get the child of the minister who says "My dad is at the mall." Yes the minister totally forgot about the wedding.

The family had been long-term members of this church. The plans had been set for months. The minister had even performed the funeral for the another family member a year earlier.

There's a special place in "you know where" for that man. He only offered a lame "oh I guess I forgot" the following week.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

The first of my friends to get married asked me to be a groomsman. The day of the wedding, we had roughly a 70 mile drive to where we were staying (and dressing), then another 25 to the church. 40 miles into it, my truck broke down on the interstate. Luckily, my friends realized I'd dropped out of the caravan (pre cell phone days) & circled back around to pick me up. Now, we're going 115 MPH with a driver who made me nervous at 55. Get to the house, grab tux, changing in the car as my friend takes us back up to triple digit speeds, now on a state highway rather than the interstate.

We get there just in time, and the guy who drove couldn't even get a seat. They had invited at least twice as many people as the church would hold.

The bride's parents hosted the reception at their house. Beautiful place, but nowhere near enough space. Ate my dinner with a paper plate of food on my lap. No tables, even for the bridle party. And it was knife & fork kind of food as opposed to something like pasta that wouldn't have required cutting. Real pain.

We all chipped in on a nice TV for the happy couple as a wedding gift, which we later learned was sold as TV was "against their religion".

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Could you have gone through the buffet line again after the other guests were served since they filled the food up again?

Decades ago I attended a co-worker's wedding. My date and I were seated near the back with other co-workers, so of course we figured we'd be among the last tables to be called up to the buffet. Well, this one co-worker and his wife, let's just say they were lacking in certain social graces, would have none of that. They went up immediately when the serving began, and each returned with two plates heaping with food, one hot and one cold. Then they proceeded to shovel it into their mouths at record speed. They were done by the time our table was called, so of course they went back and got two more heaping plates each. The wife went back a third time and returned with a plate of cole slaw. Nothing else, just a dinner sized plate full of cole slaw.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Decades ago I attended a co-worker's wedding. My date and I were seated near the back with other co-workers, so of course we figured we'd be among the last tables to be called up to the buffet. Well, this one co-worker and his wife, let's just say they were lacking in certain social graces, would have none of that. They went up immediately when the serving began, and each returned with two plates heaping with food, one hot and one cold. Then they proceeded to shovel it into their mouths at record speed. They were done by the time our table was called, so of course they went back and got two more heaping plates each. The wife went back a third time and returned with a plate of cole slaw. Nothing else, just a dinner sized plate full of cole slaw.

Mooooooooooooooo