Wedding disaster stories-averted ( or not?)

Our DD's wedding was spoiled by her in-laws. I won't go into details but she's our only child. It was a shame.

I dont think you can spoil a wedding day .Most Brides panic about things but realise that actually getting married is the most important part of the day
.My best friends daughter walked down an aisle lined with candles,there were candles on the floor at the altar ,as she went to sign the register the dress caught fire .No panic ,my husband who was taking her photographs and the groom managed to put it out ,OH got some scissors and cut the damaged tulle.Photographs outside the church were set up so the damage didn't show . When we reached the reception the hotel staff stiched his efforts together and you wouldn't have known it had happened .
Photographs even when closely examined ,dont show any damage ,We did advise brides after that not to put candles on the floor .

Our wedding disasters were not averted. Despite our protestations, both DS2 and DD3 married the bad choices they made first time round.

The night before my wedding my mother cut her finger to the bone on a tin when pushing rubbish into the bin.

In all the wedding photos she's hiding the heavily bandaged finger behind her.

She didn't go to the hospital until we were on honeymoon.

I don't think you can spoil a wedding day

My parents managed it paddyann

On the morning of my wedding my Dad went to work.

I asked Mum where he was. 'He won't be at the wedding if you insist on wearing that bloody silly white dress and veil.'

They had already forced my intended husband and me to give up the idea of a church wedding ( was a church-going Baptist) with this threat.

My mil had helped me make a very simple white, cotton gown, quite pretty, with a square neck and long sleeves.
I had a long veil, floor length and edges with lace daisies. I was to wear flowers to keep it in place.

The bridesmaids were supposed to by in pale blue but they had to be cancelled as well, when my parents decided it wasn't appropriate to have bridesmaids at a registry office wedding.
No flowers either, not one photograph, no celebration meal.

We came out of the Reg. Off and my inlaws gave my husband the keys to their car; my Dad passed me five pounds, 'to go for a meal somewhere'. No restaurants were open at that time, which he knew.
And everyone walked off and just left us standing there.

My husband, in his naval uniform looked handsome. I was wearing a very old, and much hated navy and white dress from C&A. (Cheap & Awful!)

I looked and felt horrible and the expression on my fiance's face when I got out of the car in that dress and not my wedding gown, haunted me for years.

So, there you are. It certainly IS possible to ruin a wedding day.

To make it worse, my husband and I had weekend jobs as wedding photographers and I cried over many a lovely wedding album as I made it up, thinking about what I'd lost.

Well My DD's in-laws sat in the corner for the whole of the reception, didn't speak to our family, didn't join in. On an occasion when her MIL had to speak to me, she was nasty. We paid for the lot and tried to include them in arrangements. It wasn't good enough. They were very happy to take the free drinks provided though. They didn't speak to us for 15 years. All is well now fortunately.

The daughter of a friend was going to be married in picturesque Whitby and the whole family travelled up there the day before. Unpacking late afternoon/evening, my friend’s husband found he had left his suit trousers behind.
I don’t know how many gents’ outfitters Whitby has, but somehow they found him a pair of grey flannels which looked OK with the suit jacket - just

That's such a shame, BradfordLass72.
The wedding you planned sounds wonderful - and you did still get the handsome groom.

We were to leave on an overnight train after the reception, on the way to honeymoon in Austria.
The new joint passport was applied for in plenty of time - but only arrived by the last available post before the wedding.
I knew it hadn't come but don't recall feeling worried - the optimism of youth!

Our troubles with DD's wedding started at the rehearsal, future SiL's parents lived up north and were only coming down for the wedding itself. The rehearsal was on the Tuesday, so SiL banned my DH, who was reading a lesson, from going as his parents weren't going to be there.

I went into town the following day to collect the men's suits we had ordered, and they didn't have the right ones. Shop close to closing, told me my only hope was to go to the warehouse 6 miles away. Drove like a lunatic, arriving to find the place in darkness, just one car in the car park. Turned out to be the MD, who opened up and threw a huge pile of suits at me to find ones that fitted and take the rest back to the shop. I was force to leave it to my husband to take my elderly father's over to him to try on. What was I thinking? DH assured me everything was fine, but on the day the trousers were a good foot too long, and the shirt so small he couldn't do up the top button!

On the Thursday I was in the shopping mall collecting little pieces and got a dreadful pain, so bad that I retired to the loos thinking I was going to faint. After about 5 minutes the attendant started shouting at me to to come out, yelling 'I know what you are doing' Obviously thought that I was a drug user!

I emerged and just about got myself home, collapsing into bed sobbing. DH came home and thought I was upset about the rehearsal! Finally persuaded him to take me to the doctor's. Diagnosed with imminent gastric rupture, told to go to A and E immediately. I wasn't going to miss my daughter's wedding, pleaded for the strongest painkillers to get me through. GP not happy, but prescribed four times the recommended dose of PPIs and told me to come back in 24 hours if the pain hadn't eased.

On the Friday we were having a family meal when the prospective bride looked thoughful and announced she had forgetten to get her contraceptive prescription for the honeymoon. Meal abandoned, back in the car to the GP, burst in for the second time in two days with an emergency. Fortunately they took pity on her and we departed clutching a prescription. 8.30pm that night, as we were making cones to hold confetti, I casually asked DD if she had had the script made up. From the alarmed look on her face, she had obviously managed to forget! The only all night pharmacy was 22 miles away, so back into the car on a long round trip to get the pills.

On the actually day we drew up at the church to be greeted by the vicar telling us to drive round the block again as propective SiL's parents hadn't arrived and we obviously couldn't start without them. Seems they had booked a hotel at the bottom of the hill and not realised how steep it was, took them ages to walk up, and when they arrived, prospective MiL was appeariing to be having a heart attack. She eventually calmed down and the wedding began.

It was the day of an England international football game, and I then noticed that the ushers (DD's 3 brothers) all had earphones in and were listening to that instead of the service. As we came in, the vicar's first words were 'what is the score?' We could have hardly missed it due to the roar that went up in the town when England scored.

With obvious supporters in the congregation, DD had organised a big screen so that it could be seen afterwards at the reception, swearing everyone to secrecy. In his address the Vicar gave out the score, calling his talk 'Match of the Day!'

In the rush I had forgotten to put any rings on, and the thought of standing in the reception line with no rings was unthinkable, so eldest usher was dispatched to pick them up on the way over to the reception. He took so long that everything was further delayed, hungry guests milling about making heavy use of the bar on empty stomachs.

When we eventually got in to sit down, I noticed SiL scribbling a few words on a napkin. I jokingly said to him 'please tell me that is not your speech you are writing?' It was, you can guess what it was like! MiL was presented with a huge bunch of flowers and profuse thank yous for supplying the groom. I, who had managed to find the church and talked the vicar into agreeing to it when they couldn't get a venue, who had made the bride's dress, and the wedding cake, didn't get a mention. Bit hurtful, but not my day so lived with it.

I was taken aside by the hotel to say that the wedding cake wasn't cooked in the middle and they couldn't serve it, It was, but I had overdone the brandy afterwards, and it was really soggy!

There were light hearted moments, the venue had belonged to the playboy millionaire Victor Lownes, and when we were shown our room, that bathroom had mirrors all round it, and in the corner a saddle and whip!!

If you have read this far, congratulations on your patience, the happy couple left the following day for their honeymoon and left their wedding certificate at the airport, never to be seen again.

DSiL is now Ex Sil...

Bradfordlass that is so sad and a shame that you weren’t confident enough to stand your ground. Why don’t you renew your vows and have the wedding you were denied!

At DDs wedding we’d just arrived at the reception venue and waitresses were bringing round drinks. One of them tripped and several glasses of orange juice were deposited down the back of DDs wedding dress . DD was fine about it but the poor waitress was distraught, this being her first day in the job! DD even sought her out to comfort her, she was so distressed.

It was a sunny April day, a bit breezy but dry.
The groom and best man were in the car on the way to the church. They had the window open and a new flew in. They stopped and leapt out of the car, flapping at the bee to make it fly away. Fortunately they weren't late.
Everything went off without further incident and DH and I left the evening reception to catch the midnight bus to London.
We were flying to Italy on honeymoon the next morning.
We went to check in.
My passport was still in my maiden name and DH had booked the tickets for Mr and Mrs.
That wasn't a problem said the check in clerk, but he needed to see the marriage license.
Now, where was the marriage license?
In my mother-in-law's handbag, back at her house!
The very kind man let us on to the flight, saying that he wouldn't stop anyone going on honeymoon.

B9 how could anyone be so unlucky. Some would say an omen.

DD in-laws ignored our family at the reception in fact they spent most of the night in a small room off the main hall.
My brother was hit by a taxi rushing to my sister's wedding no injuries fortunately.
DH's aunt was sick in the reception hall at our wedding after the meal as a result of too many glasses of Baileys. She recovered and kept on drinking !!

Not sure it spoiled the day, but it was certainly not the wedding I had planned or wanted. My mother's reasoning was as she was paying for it she would decide what was happening.
We had wanted a very small family and friends gathering, low key and not expensive.
How wrong were we.
As my father had died many years previously, my creepy BiL walked me down the aisle ( I had an uncle that I had already asked to give me away. I was over ruled).
One of my many sisters had an argument with mum the week before my wedding and refused to come.
My DH and I were only permitted 1 personal guest each, and DH's best man was counted as his one !
All my relatives were invited, including those I had not seen since I was a child.
I was allowed to chose my own dress, in fact mum took no interest in my outfit at all. She only saw it when I dressed for church.
My in laws and my family did not get along at all and were barely polite to each other on the day. MiL and FiL left the reception ASAP after the speeches.
Happily we survived and are still together all these years later.

My own wedding wasn't much better than my DD's come to think of. It was to be a small affair, just close family and two friends, about 15 people and in the Registry Office. The reception was to be held at MIL's house. She didn't like me, as I was 'too quiet and didn't join in' . (Actually, I was 19, unworldly and quite traumatised by my upbringing). Anyway she decided the day before that she wouldn't come to the wedding and we couldn't have the reception at her house. She told all DH's relatives not to get us gifts as I had been 'unhelpful' so they didn't. She was a very scary woman. We had to go back to my mum's front room after. I felt so sorry for my DH as only his sister and young brother were there. Fifty years ago this year.

I had a severe chest infection and cracked my ribs coughing, the day before my wedding.
I walked down the aisle with my ribs strapped up.
The morning of the wedding, my husband fell off a ladder, putting up curtains (at my insistance) on the very high bay window in our new flat.

It was all downhill after that!

One we were invited to was at 2pm. Nobody realised that the ceremony itself was at 2pm so several people were rushing to the building from the car park!

If the invitation was for 2pm why were people rushing?

Both daughter's weddings went well and were enjoyed by all.

It was elder daughter's honeymoon that didn't go well.

A July wedding, sunny, bright and a bit breezy.
By the time evening came and they got on the boat to the IOM, a gale had whipped up ! Enough said. There was no " hanky panky " for quite a few nights after that. Poor things were so ill.

MawB, no time was allowed for the guests to find the (complicated) way in. It was on a farm up a narrow single-track road, with the building at quite a distance from the parking. People thought they'd be OK to arrive just before 2pm - but no, the usual road in was closed due to a fire, so only a long way round remained! I think it's always sensible to ask people to come half an hour before the event.

Still don’t get it Hetty, would it have been unreasonable for the guests themselves to allow time to get there?
Nobody turns up to a wedding with seconds to spare unless they got lost on the way. Extenuating circumstances cannot be foreseen so no need to build in a “buffer” time allowance.
If the invitation says “ceremony at 2pm “ then that is when it is due to start- not 10 or 20 minutes later!

My sons wedding was the most wonderful I've ever been to - but it was not without some drama!

The wedding was in Mauritius, on the beach with the beautiful blue/green ocean in the background. It was a very moving service.

DIL's parents refused point blank to attend (her father is an idiot - he believes flying in aeroplanes gives you cancer). Her brother did not attend either as he didn't dare to upset his parents, so nobody from 'her side' came to the wedding. They didn't attend the reception held back in the UK either. My DIL broke her heart crying.

I was suffering from to much sun so had a crashing headache and had been bitten all over by something. I was covered in blisters which closely resembled chickenpox. so I was bright red and spotty!

On leaving the hairdressers after having her hair done my DIL didn't realise that the glass door was closed. She crashed into it and ended up with a big red bruise on her nose.

They had compiled a selection of their own wedding music but couldn't find the memory stick so had to use the music that I had on my laptop. The first song that played after the actual service was ' Time to say Goodbye' by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman!
That was definitely an omen - they are now divorcing.

Our wedding wasn`t exactly a disaster, but it wasn`t your traditional wedding either. I lived with my grandma before getting married, but she didn`t like my hubby to be, and didn`t want us to get married. We didn`t tell her I was pregnant, she`d have gone bananas!
She was also mad because it was registry office not church. My in-laws to be offered to help her out with the cost of the reception, but she refused. The reception (??) was held in the front room of the house we were going to live in, a few doors away from my grandmas`s house, just sandwiches, cakes and tea, no alcohol, heaven forbid! 2 rows of chairs, my relatives on one side of the room, his on the other, and never the twain shall meet!
We, bride, groom and 2 witnesses, were relegated to the kitchen no room in the front room, we`d have gone hungry and thirsty if my auntie hadn`t brought us something.
Thankfully we escaped about 4pm, my friend drove us to the coach terminal to get the coach to Blackpool for our glamorous honeymoon in my in-laws caravan.

Loving this thread - thank you Maw!

Gosh there were some bluddy controlling parents around ‘in the olden days’ weren’t there?

Mossfar you’ve given me the best giggle of the day with your music ‘Time to Say Goodbye’!! Yikes.