Guests share horror stories of weddings so bad that they had to leave early, 'they ran out of WATER.'

"Stories of the time you left a wedding early..."

My understanding is that most folks tough it out through the most brutal of weddings to respect the bride and groom. I once left a wedding early, though, and I'm curious if others have as well.

Last year my SO and I got invited to a wedding for a long time friend. We arrived the day before and briefly ran into the bride and groom who kind of set the stage by telling us that they had little interest in a wedding but were pressured into it. They likely had little say in the event as well which had about 150 people.

The next day we arrived at the venue. The wedding was outdoors in 95F heat and 99% humidity so us guests were overheating but weren't allowed indoors as that's where the wedding party was. The ceremony was a rough hour to get through but we gritted our teeth and were relieved to get inside and get to hour table.

We got hungry during the cocktail hour since there weren't any snacks/hors d'oeuvres but looked forward to getting some dinner. Too bad they had nearly run out by the time our table got called then to top it off, had zero accommodations for dietary restrictions.

We grabbed what we could but were still hungry. Soon after, we also discovered that they ran out of water and the only place to get it was the bar, so tons of people lined up. While I waited in the line for 45 minutes, I noticed that the couple looked exhausted while their parents looked ecstatic.

Then any activities there were during the reception revolved around showing off the couple, there was no guest involvement, and it was near-impossible to interact with the couple. From my POV, it seemed like the goal of the event was really just to show them off while completely forgetting about the guests.

Even the programs we had listed when and where they were born, their favorite meals, activities, their jobs, etc. My hungry, thirsty, and impatient self got fed up and as soon as I got some water, my SO and I left (along with quite a few others). Post-wedding, the couple was very understanding, no hard feelings, no drama but I still think about it from time to time. Any other leaving wedding early stories?

OP inspired guests to share their own tales of dining and dashing on a wedding:

brilliantpants said:

I was there with the groom’s side of the family, about 10 people, compared to about 150 from the bride’s side. It was almost as if the entire reception was just held so the bride’s dad could let everyone know he was pissed at the groom for “taking her away." Every speech was about how great she was, and how crappy it was that she was being “forced” to move away. It was so awkward!

The reception also had no music, no dancing, no alcohol, and no activities after the speeches. As soon as the speeches were over all of us groom-guests fucked off to the hotel bar to try and console his weeping mother while the rest of the bride-guests stayed in the silent ballroom to, idk, gossip about the groom more? I didn’t even know the poor guy, but I felt terrible for him.

Flibertygibbert said:

I had the opposite experience - the wedding left us. It was the late 1970s and an old school friend booked a local farmhouse style restaurant as her reception venue. It was an old building with one main room and several side rooms off a short corridor.

The meal was a buffet and there was no seating plan, I assume the intention was that 60 or so guests would mingle and socialize. I can't talk and eat so eventually Ex and I took our plates to one of the side rooms that had free seats in a corner. The numbers in the room ebbed and flowed but after a while we realized the room was empty.

I was thirsty and went to look for something to drink but nobody was about but a few of the staff. The cake had been cut, there was no coffee left and there were just a few people standing in the carpark. We'd only been there a hour!

WeeWeirdOne said:

The one time we left super early was the wedding of a friend of my husband. The groom arrived late at the church. So late, the bridal party had to circle the block in their cars. He was hammered.

He'd been in the pub for hours, hadn't showered or shaved, just threw on his suit and staggered to the church. He was visibly swaying during the marriage ceremony and could barely sign the register. The bride was furious.

He continued drinking during the meal (the food was great, at least) and then hiccuped his way through a rambling speech. The bride was holding him up during the first dance and looked ready to commit murder.

We left 30 minutes later when the bride started shouting at him across the dance floor, calling him every name under the sun. They were separated within 6 months, which surprised absolutely no one.

1981ahoog said:

July wedding in the Midwest for a coworker. Invite said “Garden reception” and to bring a dish and byob, so the guests supplied ALL of the food and drinks. The “garden” was just a typical backyard (nothing wrong with that), but no one was allowed to go inside of the house.

There was no shade and only 1 porta potty which started to stink BADLY in the heat and humidity. Didn’t even stay to eat the food we brought, we hightailed it out of there and went to an air conditioned restaurant for drinks and food.

d0uble0h said:

Definitely not in the same vein, but I once left a wedding somewhat early because it was just... boring. I actually think the couple was also pressured into it, because from what I know of both of them, it didn't seem like their style of wedding.

They're both pretty laid-back, were never big party/clubbing types. I think they'd have been more down for something smaller and intimate, somewhat outdoorsy or at least with more nature.

Well, they're both Chinese, and the both bride and groom's parents are well off. Did a tea ceremony and house games to start, then a small ceremony with family/wedding party/closest friends but then also ended up booking a very expensive hotel venue, had more than 200 guests, big buffet.

It was honestly gorgeous, and the dinner portion was great. Sat with a couple of friends and some people I didn't know, so I met some new people that night as well. But when it got to the portion after, that's when everything just died down. Like I said, couple aren't the party type.

For drinks, there was only a limited amount of table wine (which, as one would expect, ran out and did so during dinner). And a fairly significant number of the guests were family/older family friends.

So imagine this big reception hall, open dance floor, lights, DJ (albeit playing a fairly generic "wedding party" playlist - nothing that stood out as the typical of the couple) aaaaaand...nobody's dancing. Most people are just chilling at their tables chatting. At around 9 pm, the older guests and those with kids start (understandably) filing out.

I'm still trying to have a good time and being with some friends helps, but I can definitely tell the energy isn't there. I take some pictures with the couple and hang out a little longer, but I ultimately last maybe another 45 minutes before I say my goodbyes and uber home. From what I saw on snapchat/IG, they ended up calling it a night around 11 even though the venue was booked until midnight.

I've been to other Asian weddings, especially Chinese weddings, and they've all been massive parties. But this one definitely felt like it was more for the parents to throw a big party than for the couple to enjoy their dream wedding. Couple is still together and actually expecting their first kid, which is awesome, so at least their story keeps going on a better note.

pepperedpeas said:

It was winter in a very damp, cold climate. The ceremony took place outdoors at the base of a waterfall. The bridal party was late because they first went to a different waterfall for photos on an iconic bridge, but they didn't plan the time well so all the attendees were waiting at the freezing cold ceremony site while the photos were being taken several miles away.

During the ceremony, the wedding party was visibly shaking from the cold. Then we all got in our cars and went to the reception site, where they tried to fit like 150 people into a space meant for about 50. Although the ceremony was in the afternoon and the reception was in the evening, they didn't serve food...

You had to go down the hall to a restaurant to order your own meal, and that hadn't been arranged with the restaurant at all, they weren't expecting all these extra people, so it took forever for people to get food. And then once you got it, there was nowhere to sit.

The reception site was like a subway during rush hour, and the restaurant was fully booked. Several invited guests didn't even try to come in - they just peered around and left because what were they supposed to do, crowd-surf over to the bride? I had been close friends with her, but I couldn't hack it and I left after about an hour.

Our friendship didn't last much longer - that whole fiasco was pretty emblematic of how she treated people in general - like fans, not friends. My job was to fawn over her and as soon as I realized that, I quit the friendship. The wedding was a huge part of it.

bluedragonfly319 said:

My bestie was marrying her kid's father, who happened to be my manager, after all of us found sobriety. Had the most stressful moment of my life before the ceremony when MIL is zipping up the bride's dress and the zipper breaks. I had my mom on speaker phone giving me directions to literally sew her into the dress.

We ended up dancing down the aisle 10 minutes late, and I felt so bad, but she was just thrilled we got it fixed and it wasn't noticeable. Their kid's were maid of honor and best man, so I tried to take over as many duties as possible in my bridesmaid role. It was such a gorgeous and emotional ceremony. It didn't seem possible when we all met, and I was just SO proud of them. Never tried not to cry so hard!

Anyway, I'd made most of the decorations, helped set up, and just wanted everything to be perfect for them. I had tried to help as much as possible and had planned to help take things down after. Intended to be one of the last ones there, and I certainly didn't think I'd leave before everyone else.

So, the couple is happy and dancing while I'm sitting down, making friends with a stranger after the cake is cut. My own Prince Charming was heavy on my mind ALL night, but he couldn't ask off work due to their busy season. I was super disappointed he wouldn't see everything but had planned to go by his house after the wedding and be there when he finally got home.

I can't explain the feeling I felt when I saw him walk into the entrance. Best surprise I'll ever get. I was so shocked to see him but also shocked that seeing him sent the most intense butterflies I've ever felt into my chest. "When you know, you know," rang so true, and in that moment, I knew I had to spend the rest of my life with him. They're not as intense, but I still get them thinking about it.

The bride and groom knew how much I had wanted him to be there and see how magical we'd made the place, so they were thrilled he got to stop by. They ended up "dismissing" me and said if I stayed, they still wouldn't let me lift a finger as the church boys could handle takedown and cleanup.

I ended up leaving earlier than I'd ever considered and just feel so lucky to have gotten such a special memory on such a special day with such special people. Figured I'd share a little happiness since things rarely go right, and it's odd to have such a happy reason to dip a little early.

Witty-Unicorn109 said:

Cousin’s wedding, 2 weeks after mine…had to drive from Boston to Maine for a late morning wedding, which was beautiful! The reception was at a historic inn and we’d heard how amazing it was going to be. No air conditioning in front of very tall windows on a quite sunny day in mid September! It was hot!

The food was basically inedible and my husband, other cousins, and I left early and stopped at a roadside stand on the side of the road in our wedding finery to finally get some edible food!! Ah, good times!

snickerdoodleglee said:

The wedding ceremony was at noon. The reception was across town with an awkward length of time in between, more than enough time to get there but not enough time to go anywhere else. So we went to the reception and like most people hung out in the bar a few doors down until the reception started.

When the reception finally began (nearly an hour late) we went in to find a few trays of cheese straws out for people to eat. Unbeknownst to us dinner wasn't for a few hours and before then we had multiple "performances" to watch.

Finally dinner was served. Tables were called up to the buffet one by one. During dinner there was another performance. After dinner, yup, another performance. We left immediately after that, around 11pm, decided not to stick around and wait for dessert or dancing etc.

redpoppy42 said:

Summer, outdoor pavilion, buffet ran low on food that was kept at questionable temp, cupcakes had flowers on them that likely weren’t food safe. They had the cheap white folding chairs meant for skinny people. It also started late.

I was third trimester pregnant, hot, hungry, and my hips were hurting from the chair. We made it fairly far into the reception but were the second to leave (didn’t want to be first). I made my husband stop at the grocery store so I could buy some cake.

KarizmaWithaK said:

My best friend from high school's wedding a few years after graduating. And I was a bridesmaid. Hands down, this was the most boring wedding I had ever attended. I was looking forward to it because I had assumed that there would be many of our friends from high school attending. Nope. Not a one, which surprised me.

The majority of the guests were friends and business acquaintances of the groom's parents, who paid for the the wedding. I think the only people under the age of 50 were the bridal party. The whole thing felt like a corporate function.

There was another reception going on in a different ballroom of the hotel so at one point, half of the bridal party, including me, went over to that reception, which was a helluva lot more fun and we were welcomed by everyone there and told to please join the party, the more the merrier.

I felt bad for my friend but she later said she didn't really care about having a wedding, it was the parents of the groom who insisted on it and she just went along with it.

Zealousideal-Olive34 said:

A very hot summer day. My husband and I drove 2 hours one way to attend. Pictures were taken before the wedding. It took 45 min for the couple to come out of the church (we were all asked to stay so pics could be taken of them leaving). After, we went to the reception location.

Small, unchilled bottles of water were on the tables. Pretzels and popcorn were available. We waited another hour and a half and no wedding couple. My husband is diabetic, I always carry snacks, but he needed to eat a meal. We left.

OaknessOnest said:

I left early because I almost got heat stroke in the blazing hot 100 degree Texas heat with nary a tree or bush for shade. Some kind gentlemen helped me wobble to my air conditioned car. Even the poor butterflies they handed all the guests in paper origami could not survive. It was pitiful. So. many. guests. sneaked away to their cars or to find water.

I later heard how mad the couple were seeing people leave during the middle of the ceremony. But, hey, let’s torture your friends and family for an outdoor setting to look pretty for social media points.

mrhenrywinter said:

My nephew's wedding was hot dogs, hamburgers and tater tots. Also capri suns.

Simple_Bowler_7091 said:

My cousin's wedding. A beautiful semi-formal affair held at a country club in Toronto. My Mom's people are Canadian but my Mom and two of her siblings emigrated to the US. We were all looking forward to the wedding and a whole contingency of us US dwellers flew up to attend.

Both my parents were elderly and not in the best of health. Dad was wheelchair bound and had limited use of any of his limbs and was incontinent to boot. My Mom had caught bronchitis in the weeks before the wedding and was still healing. My SIL had just given birth two months earlier to a premie (1 mo premature) and was exclusively breastfeeding.

Nevertheless we were there by 2:15 for a 3pm wedding in all our finery. Wedding ceremony was beautiful and tear inducing. My niece was the best most quiet, sweetest, newborn ever and didn't utter a peep.

Moved on to a slow jazz cocktail hour while they set up the reception. Got into the reception for a decent meal. Moved onto the speeches and first dances. Bride and Groom and wedding party did a choreo number to a Beyonce song. So far so good.

As the evening went on the music moved into club territory and got loud. There were no quiet areas or other rooms. There was a pre announced prohibition on card games or board games or anything of the sort. Everyone was expected to be out on the dance floor. While many were, again, you have some elderly people present (beyond just my parents).

By 11pm my Dad is visibly in pain and shifting in his wheelchair seat. My Mother is having coughing fits and is flushed and obviously exhausted. They beg to go back to the hotel. My brother is having too good of a time dancing with his wife while people are lined up begging to hold the newborn for them - who still has not uttered a peep. So it's left to me to leave the party and drive my folks back to the hotel.

We get there and find two Aunts and cousins who had also snuck out. I get my parents settled in their room and was planning on returning to the party. Only to find more family (elders) in the lobby when I come back down. I was assured the party was winding down and was scheduled to be over by midnight soooo I stayed put and played some spades and cribbage.

Found out the next day the party went on until well past 2 am (so another 3 hours) - we missed the garter toss, the bouquet toss, cousins pics and sending off the bride and groom. Our absence was noticed and we were soundly scolded by the non bridal Canadian cousins. Bride and groom came for a families brunch and didn't seem too put out. Nobody forewarned us it was going to be a 12+ hour party. Oh well.