As much as we would like to envision the big day, (whether that is as a bridesmaid, a groom, a parent-in-law or even a certified marriage celebrant,) as running perfectly smooth, without a hiccup, a hitch or a “holy hell” in sight, the truth is that we have to be prepared for the snags, and be willing to take it all in our stride.
Here are a few short true stories sourced from news articles, reddit users, and other online forums to give you a laugh, a groan or an eye-roll.
HEADBANGING ALL THE WAY TO HOSPITAL
In what was supposed to be a grand romantic gesture for his bride, the groom instead found himself laid up in a hospital bed wondering if it was worth it. Thanks to the real purpose of the internet – to make embarrassing videos go viral – it’s a story that we can all… enjoy? No, that’s not the right word.
In what was meant to have been a gorgeous and heart-melting moment (albeit unique,) Adam Quinn decided to express his deep love for his wife by serenading her with a song from metal band Parkway Drive followed by a dance. This wasn’t your typical, elegant waltz or even seductively sexy tango though; no, the Aussie lad decided on expressing himself by forming a circle pit with his mates. For the uninitiated that is basically where attendees of a punk or metal concert form a running circle. Someone forgot to tell Aidan that this wasn’t a metal concert and somehow, the excitement of the occasion had him instead slipping and falling heavily on his shoulder and dislocating his elbow!
Cut to groom being carried out of the venue on a stretcher by paramedics.
MOSQUITO-NET MIL
An anonymous reddit user from the US posted this anecdote about his mother-in-law who he labelled as being well outside the box and a person who revelled in making people feel uncomfortable.
“…her one daughter had an outdoor wedding the summer when West Nile virus was all over the news. So, to get attention, she threw a giant fit, and showed up to the wedding wearing a pith helmet she had brought back from Australia, in camouflage, with mosquito netting, and refused to take it off. She is in all the wedding photos like this, the mother of the bride, looking entirely pleased with herself.”
I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at that story.
HIGHLAND STING
Nicole, a bride from Scotland tells a story of her first traditional dance with her groom. Being Scottish, and getting married in Scotland, she explains that they performed a traditional ceilidh (Scottish country dance). The fact that her hubby was English may make the next part seem a little suss to anyone with a little knowledge of Scotland/England relations!
“My beloved – who, I should probably point out, is, in fact, English and therefore perhaps not to be trusted at a ceilidh – took my hands to propel me into a vigorous twirl. Sadly, he managed to connect his elbow sharply into my nose. My nose basically exploded. Blood flew across the dance floor and ran down the front of my wedding dress. I legged it into the nearest toilet, spraying blood as I went as guests looked on in horror. It took two hours for my nose to stop bleeding. I refused, point-blank, to call an ambulance – despite it obviously being broken – as the thought of arriving at the hospital in my blood-stained wedding dress was too horrible to contemplate. By the time I had ceased to hemorrhage, most of our guests had left”
I would argue that arriving at a hospital in a blood-stained wedding dress would make for some great wedding photos and stories to tell!
THE TANTRUM AND THE RINGS
One reddit user described a moment where all of the guests ended up on their hands and knees, searching for the rings that had rolled under the chairs when the ring bearer, a young boy, who was carrying the rings on a silk cushion, decided to throw said cushion at the head of the flower girl because she was “making faces”!
Ahh, life. “The best laid plans…” and all that. Still, as the headline says, “Imperfect weddings can still make for great memories.” That’s true. Our greatest memories are often speckled with challenges.
One of the smartest things a couple can do is to delegate tasks, keep things simple and employ a professional, like a marriage celebrant to keep their expert eye on things.
There are of course true horror stories that are best left for other sites and to be honest, those stories are much more rare. Little hiccups or even bigger, crazier moments like an overzealous groom’s injury-causing dance, can be mitigated and one of the best ways to help prepare for the best and the worst, is to have a professional on your team that has “been there – done that” and can help put everything back on track when things go “off the rails”. That’s one of the skills of a qualified marriage celebrant.
If that sounds like a job for you – someone who can stay cool, calm and collected when plans go sideways, then contact Rose Training Australia now!
