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I know there is a post for weddings that blew you away, what did you remember...
but how about weddings you recall sucking royally... what did you dislike about those?
For me, I remember one where they played non stop country music on a cd player in a VFW hall. The food was potluck and awful. There were no wedding decorations or linens. It was just trashy looking. That couple is divorced now.
The other I recall was a church wedding that the ceremony was literally over an hour long. I almost fell asleep.
a couple who spoke their vows so low no one could hear them. i think it was supposed to be sexy but it came across as annoying. why were we there if we couldn't hear the vows!!
Hmm, I don't recall ever being to a wedding that I thought sucked. There were some that weren't necessarily ideal. Like last year, I went to an outdoor wedding and the ceremony site was already set up for the reception...so we sat at the tables during the whole ceremony. It was kinda strange... We could see the ceremony from where we were sitting, but we could barely hear any of it. 
i went to one that the dj seemed more focused on children. they had lots of games with just the kids, and even gave away money as prizes. i felt like i was at a bar mitzvah.
Ok I'll bite ... the worst thing was actually a cocktail hour that lasted FOREVER and was really weird with no seating, very uncomfortable in high heels ... didn't really know anyone and now I hate all cocktail hours =)
I've only been to 2 weddings though ... so maybe I'll get over that hate?
Long, boring ceremonies, ESPECIALLY if we have to stand during them and/or there is no amplification and you can't hear anything!!
I went to a wedding this summer that had a very generic ceremony with a long, preachy sermon. They had a pretty reception but there weren't personal touches and it felt rushed. I didn't feel much joy from the couple.
One wedding when I was little, at the reception the only people who had a table was the bridal party and immediate family. So everyone else had to stand around or sit on the floor.
The worst hands down was a wedding I went to where the bride did not smile ONCE. Seriously, she looked to uptight and concerned that something would go wrong. She rolled her eyes at her FI when he tried to be funny. She had a phony smile in any pictures and then pitched a fit at the end of the wedding because she wanted to go change.
Not one that I went to, but my friend's cousin's wedding was in a barn. A barn can be a great venue, but it has to be cleaned and decorated properly...but this was a barn where they had just removed the animals the day before. They hadn't even bothered to put fresh hay in the barn! The food was left sitting in the barn without refrigeration for hours...and she said there were flies and other bugs crawling around on the cheese and salads. The main course was make your own sandwiches with processed meat, and guests had to bring their own alcohol. I'm all for smaller, less expensive weddings, but people still need to be tasteful, clean, and food-safe!
I went to a wedding on Saturday & the bride look disconnected and somewhat upset. She didn't look the slightest bit happy throughout the entire ceremony.
I'm 99% sure her dad made a rude comment to her right before he walked her down the aisle (he's that type) but still... I just felt so bad for her & her husband! It was really awkward.
The only one I remember that I disliked was one that had a 1 1/2 hour ceremony. Just too long.
@thecolorteale: You had to sit on the floor????? wtheck?
@gothybride2b: A wedding reception I went to last year was in an old mansion and guests were separated into three rooms because all could not be accommodated in one. I thought it was very disjointed and confusing. I dislike trying to cram a large amount of people into small spaces at any wedding.
I dont think people choose to have an hour or an half and a half long ceremony. My ceremony is going to be about an hour and a half because its a Mass...nothing I can do about it.
I feel bad because she's my friend, but since it's been over a year, hopefully she's not reading wedding sites anymore..
So at this wedding, the cocktail hour was SUPER long, and all there was to eat was a small cup of pretzels per table. I know that pictures take awhile and appetizers can be expensive, but come on!! And then they did toasts before we could eat, even though the buffet had already been set up and everyone was drooling at the site and smell of the food. So we all had to drink to all these toasts on empty tummies... NO FUN!
One wedding I attended this summer had a very abrasive Master (Mistress?) of Ceremonies during the evening, and then we found out she was the lead singer of the band that would be playing later. She went on to sing a lot of songs that aren't super wedding appropriate. It was awful.
I went to a wedding where the speeches lasted 3 hours. And they were so boring. When the speeches were finally finished it was 10:00pm and we had to be out by 10:30, so there was only a 1/2 hour of dancing. Because of this wedding we have a rule "No Speeches!"
Where to start? Bride was 1.5 hours late (getting her hair done); priest had to rush through ceremony to be out of there in time for the second wedding scheduled at the church that day; bride & groom's caravan blocked several guests in the church parking lot for 30+ min as they tried to gather everyone together who needed to head over for photos; bride & groom almost 2 hours late to reception; buffet sat waiting for us as we sat through 2 hours of speeches (with no breaks); bride's aunt (a minister) felt she had to redo the ceremony because the priest had been so quick earlier, so she proceeded to give us a sermon which included the duty of the wife "to submit to her husband" so that he has the confidence and strength to make the right decisions throughout their marriage (I'm not making this up); some diabetic guests began getting faint from the long wait for dinner, so they announced that we could quickly step outside to fill our plates but please, out of respect for the speakers, hurry back so that the reception can proceed and they'd appreciate it if we didn't go back for seconds as it would be too disruptive while the speeches continued; bride & groom left for a costume change then returned and did a dance around the room -- guests got up to dance with them but after a few songs the music stopped; bride & groom went to cut the cake but no one was allowed any (!). I'm afraid at this point I could take no more and we left.
We actually had a really good time because our table (in the back of the room) was full of hilariously fun people so we were able to misbehave a little and at least keep each other entertained.
Oh, and the kicker is that the bride is a professional event planner.
I have a real doozy for this one...
The wedding was held in a huge barn but had a small guest list so it just seemed empty. The tablecloths weren't ironed and there was very little other decoration. The guests all arrived at the reception hall and had to wait almost 2 hours for the wedding party to arrive before the "buffet" was opened. The "Buffet" for this evening wedding consisted of a fresh fruit plate with yogurt, raw veggie sticks with dip, really soggy defrosting/frozen shrimp, spinach dip, and dry chicken skewers. At first people assumed that this was the appetizer section of the buffet but then it became clear that this was all that would be provided. The only beverages were sweet tea and beer. Now, all this would have been fine (in theory) if the invites had said something along the lines of "join us for appetizers/snacks/cocktails" after the ceremony, but instead the invitation read like a standard sit down dinner. The brides family left as soon as the toasts were finished. The toasts by the way were outstanding - as long as your definition of outstanding is the brides friend from elementary school (not in the large wedding party at all) stealing the microphone from the MOH and blurting out how wonderful it was that the bride had a baby on the way. Whoops! The parents of the groom were pissed all night because apparently they had sent him a large sum of money to pay for an actual sit down dinner - which clearly none of the money had been used for. They ended up going out and buying a bunch of mixers and liquor to make drinks for everyone. The groom spent 60% of the reception out in the parking lot doing shots (with alcohol he brought for him and his buddies to drink) while the bride was inside dirty dancing with not 1 but 2! of the ushers. The icing on the cake (which was the only edible thing in the whole barn) was that the favors were beer cozys which the grooms friends ended up stealing from all the tables to bring home for future parties.
But you know what? It makes for a great story now!
@KaiLunKat wow, that sounds like a wedding gone wrong from a movie.
I guess the worst wedding I attended is not bad in comparison. It was just too long. They hired a woman who played Elvis songs on her Ukulele. She was okay but the problem was there was no dancing. The bride's family and friends were more than double the groom's side and we watched no less than 4 amature (no music, 12 seconds per photo) slide shows prepared by her guests where one would have been fine. The worst part was that this was a German wedding so leaving before 4am is unthinkable unless you want to offend the couple. I think we spent the last 2 hours miserable, sitting at our table complaining about slide shows!
About a year later, while hanging out with the couple, the bride mentioned that she was kind of disapointed the reception didn't last longer. A long wedding without dancing is boring! I would rather have music I don't like than no music at all.
I hope we don't end up on this thread, our ceremony will be a full hour, it's religious and there is no way of getting around it so I will start preparing people now.
Man, I can't compete with you guys at all. The closest thing I have is that at a cousin's wedding one religious family member called her "a piece of meat that's already been sold" because she and the groom had moved in with each other the month before. Thankfully it was only in a small group of immediate family members, but it was just horrid.
My story pales in comparison! My fiance and I went to a wedding where he was a groomsmen. The ceremony lasted an hour and 45 minutes, and when we got to the reception a bunch of people who hadn't RSVP'd showed up so there were no seats left. Fiance had a seat at the head table, and I had to wander around by myself until someone squeezed a chair in for me. It was so awkward because I didn't know anyone!
At both the weddings I've been to this year, the wait for the wedding party to arrive at the reception was obnoxiously long. It's one thing to sit through a long ceremony, that doesn't bother me, but once the formalities are over and the party gets started, it better get started!
Oh gosh, I feel really bad posting this b/c I love the bride and groom dearly and they paid for it themselves but here goes:
At the wedding I went to this past weekend (destination) the ceremony didn't start until 6:00pm and the cocktail hour did start immediately after - and went on for over 2 hours with absolutely not a bite to eat or a place to sit. When we finally sat down at our table(my feet were KILLING me) instead of putting food on the tables, the speeches started. And went on for another hour. Finally, we got some food, but it was too little too late - just a light salad and a few pieces of bread. There were several people throwing up in the bathrooms and in the reception room! It was disgusting, there was throwup everywhere!!
Turns out, no one knew ahead of time there would be no food and since the ceremony didn't start till 6:00pm and we were all from out of town there was some heavy drinking going on beforehand. And we figured, why shell out money for a snack beforehand when we've paid so much for plane tickets and hotel rooms when we're about to eat? Also, it was a very expensive city, so we were all trying to save money. They also didn't give us food in our OOT bags - just bottled water and champaigne.
My theory is they obviously saved money by not feeding us, but they are both extremely skinny people who eat like birds - I know, I've been to several dinners with both of them. They probably thought no one would want anything to eat during cocktail hour and would want to dance instead of eat at the reception. Luckily, my FH and I are kind of heavy drinkers and know how to pace ourselves so we were good to go all night, and those who lasted past the salad were actually dancing and having a great time. I also feel bad critisizing anyone else's wedding - especially those who are footing the bill themselves with no help from family.
I did a post about this ... I think it's like 12 pages long now hahaha
Ok, what I hated was a cocktail hour with absolutely no place to sit ... it was weird that I had to stand around for over an hour ...
Also at another (I have only been to 2 1/2 weddings ever) which was outside ... the aisle runner was on top of grass and everyone stumbled and almost fell over. It was really squishy and weird ... nobody couldwalk on it!
I went to a destination wedding and I wish they would have put down on the invitation or something that it was an appetizer only reception because my fiance was starving and little appetizers are not going to put a dent in his appetite. They had a ton of booze (full open bar) but no food, we snuck out early just to go eat. Nobody showed up and the people that did show up didn't bring a gift!
Another wedding was a fairly good friend of ours and we were seated with other people that we had never met and at a table of 10, only two other people had showed up (she had like 10 no shows). So we sat there making lame conversation with two people we had never met, had nothing in common with and who were very shy/quiet. I get the idea of assigned seating but I wish she would have put a little more thought into it because it was very uncomfortable.
a bride who's dress was too loose (strapless) and she kept pulling it up all the time.
a reception location that was trashy - some old, dark and panelled VFW type place.
A ceremony that was behind the VFW place and next to some dumpsters in a gravel parking lot.
Food that was gross - deep fried chicken and nasty mashed potatoes with boxed gravy.
DJs that play terrible music from the early 80's that no one can dance to.
In general I always remember the personal touches that make a wedding great - stories about chocolate truffles that were hand made by the bride's german mother. Also I always remember plated dinners vs buffet dinners. I always like the weddings with plated dinners better. I always like weddings better that have assigned tables too. I hate it when weddings dont have assigned tables and i have to hold my spot all the time.
wow - some of you guys are harsh i gotta say!!
i don't think i can remember anything i really felt that strongly about to list here except their being not enough food at cocktail hour and everyone decedning on waiters as they came out b/c they were starving - and even that really wasn't so horrible.
I agree that my worst was the ceremony that lasted almost 2 hours! I'm not catholic but I was assured by the groom's very catholic family that the mass would last an hour AT MOST. Two hours later I was pretty frustrated. I think that if there is going to be a super long ceremony, let the guests know! We had to board the coach bus at 12 to be at the 1:30 ceremony (that started late and didn't get out until 3:30) and then we were bussed back to our hotel for our 5pm cocktail hour. To be on the bus by 12, we all ate an early breakfast and we felt like the day went on FOREVER! I think either having a ceremony that was closer to the reception or giving us a real break to eat (not cocktail hour "snack") would have been much nicer.
I have to say that I think the food and entertainment are the most important things...so those are what I am focusing on..
The worst receptions didnt have enough food or really bad music! We have left receptions so we could get some food. You play music so people will dance, not terrible stuff to be respectful, I'm sorry! The worst wedding was a good friend who loved great music and obviously married a guy who didnt like it, so she played a lot of weird Disney stuff and Sponge Bob Square Pants stuff...
I don't like cocktail hours in general, I think they are super awkward if you don't know anyone. Other than that... um... none of the weddings I've been to have been anywhere NEAR as terrible as what other bees have described. Quite the opposite, but I've only been to a few!
Wow! Some of these stories are just nuts. I guess the things I didn't like are just minor annoyances in comparison.
One wedding I went to, the ceremony lasted ages with a really corny and awkward officiant, and it was in the same room where the food was, so people lost attention pretty fast since it was so long and the caterers were setting up 50 feet away.
Another wedding I went to was a lot of fun, but the only problem was that the reception started over 2 hours later than when the reception ended, so my FI and I sat around drinking at a bar for awhile, since we had no idea what else to do.
The wedding was on Dec 31st. The ceremony was in the town hall and lasted 5 minutes due to officiant screw up (the best man stepped in and had no idea what to say).
The reception was in an air hanger...that was not heated in snow weather.
1) minister getting into a fight with the photographer DURING the ceremony
2) several too-long-between-ceremony-and-reception gaps
thats all I've got :) I just think its kind of annoying when you're waiting around for like 2+ hours after the ceremony for everyone to get there. I totally get the pictures thing so I guess its maybe a necessary evil.... but I feel like some of it can be done before-hand... or at least not go to some place far away for pics.
Receiving lines- I hate them! I always feel so awkward going through them.
One wedding stands out to me, hands-down. Luckily they were just friends of friends, and not real friends of mine. The ceremony was well over an hour, in the middle of summer, with no AC. It was extremely preachy, and I’m not religious at all, so it was very uncomfortable (and boring) for me.
Then, the reception venue had a no alcohol policy. I guess in theory this is fine, but after that ceremony, I wanted a drink, and to have a glass of wine, or champagne would have been nice.
The kicker though was that they had food for the bridal party and NO ONE ELSE. Seriously, the bridal party came in, sat down at the head table and were served food. Everyone else assumed our food would be forthcoming, but no…no food. Not even little snacks. Nothing.
Most people left after 20 minutes or so to get something to eat, some came back, some (like me), did not.
I've been to several weddings where I haven't been crazy about the food, decor, music, or whatever, bu tthat's just a matter of opinion. I'd never complain about them - it's just a matter of taste.
The worst thing I've ever seen at a wedding was when the reception was held on the second floor of a venue that wasn't handicapped accessible. The groom's brother had been in a wheelchair since birth and the only way up to the room was through a small, winding staircase. The groom's whole family (minus the groom himself) was struggling to get the poor guy and his wheelchair up the stairs when the DJ started the introductions, so they didn't even get to come out during their song.
It was very awkward and the groom's father was FURIOUS.
-I went to a dry wedding once. I respect their decision to do it that way - it stemmed from the conservatism of their families and the cost of alcohol - but I know I wouldn't have done it that way if it were me, and toasting with water or juice just felt a little weird.
-Like @MsHymanRoth, I was in a wedding with an aisle runner over grass that was really hard to walk on - I almost tripped and I look ridiculous in the video lifting my feet up to make sure my heels didn't trip me up on the fabric!
-I was at a wedding where I was seated at a table where I didn't really know anyone (even though there were people I knew at other tables.)
All in all though, to be honest, I try to just be gracious and happy to be there - its not my day, and I don't know what went into the decisions to do things the way people do at their weddings. I'm definitely more understanding now that I'm planning my own!
I guess I don't have any horrible wedding stories. Just some slightly bad ones:
1) A super religious sorority sister had her reception in the basement of the church. The lunch reception was cold cuts and cheese, but not sandwiches because there was no bread. Then there was just one song, so they could have their first dance. (I know it was something from a Disney movie but I'm not sure which one. They named their first child Ariel and took their honeymoon on the Big Red Boat.)
2) Another sorority sister got married in her Coptic church, which is like Egyptian Catholic. It was 1.5 hours long, there was lots of chanting in a language other than English, and the incense made me sneeze. I don't blame them for the religious ceremony, but the pews started to really hurt after awhile. Plus, none of us could follow along even though we all had programs with the entire ceremony explained. The bride and groom didn't kiss or even speak during the ceremony.
3) Last summer my FI's cousin got married. It was a beautiful location, on the water in San Diego. Unfortunately, you had to look straight into the setting sun to see it and it was close enough to the airport that the ceremony was often drowned out by the planes. There weren't enough chairs at the ceremony, so half the attendees were standing around in the back. Then there wasn't enough food at the reception. Luckily, our table got to go near the beginning. She had goldfish as her centerpiece and FI's brothers kept trying to pull them out of the bowls. (Yes, the brothers that were 25 and 27.) Basically, we figured out all the things we DON'T want at our wedding by attending this one. I'm still surprised my FI proposed just two days later considering the bad taste that was left in his mouth.
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