A bride and groom tied the knot in an outdoor ceremony on a sweltering hot day — and their thirsty guests were forced to pay for their own water.
One of the guests detailed what they described as the “disaster of a wedding” in a post on Reddit’s “Wedding Shaming” forum. They wrote that the event was “a mess” from “start to not-even-finish” because they ultimately ended up bailing and leaving early.
“It was an outdoor wedding on a humid 95° and sunny afternoon (thought it was indoor because I looked up the venue),” the OP (original poster) wrote, describing how guests — who were given little information about the event setup — differed in their approaches to dressing for the occasion.
“People were in shorts, tees, and slip-ons, and others were in floor-length gowns. One lady was in a full white dress,” they noted.
After sitting in the sun for the ceremony, the OP said they were “drowning in my own sweat” by the time the cocktail hour began.
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Outdoor wedding ceremony (stock image)
“All I want is water,” they recalled. However, when it was the OP’s turn in line at the bar, they were disappointed — and taken aback — to discover that there were “no free beverages — not even water.” The bar staff said a water would cost $2 — and only cash would be accepted.
Things went from bad to worse during the dinner when the OP went up to the buffet and saw that the food was “homemade” and attracting flies. “There’s flies ALL OVER the food. Seriously, all up in the food,” the Redditor claimed.
“I take the smallest amount possible to be polite. I was so hungry and desperate that I did take a few bites. Within hours, I was creating jobs for local plumbers,” they continued, seeming to imply they got sick after eating the buffet food.
As for the dessert, the OP said guests were left to eat it without plates, forks or napkins because the buffet equipment had been cleared. “So I watched as people walked around holding dessert in their hands,” they wrote.
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Drinks at a wedding (stock image)
The unfortunate series of events culminated during the speeches, when the groom got into a fight with a relative that “got taken to the lawn,” according to the OP.
Needless to say, the OP took that occasion to “slip out” and go home.
“I truly don’t feel like this was real life. Like this had to be a practical joke, right??” they concluded their post, adding, “I may politely decline invitations I have no information about moving forward.”
In the comments, many readers were shocked by the OP’s story, particularly the lack of free water.
“Yikes. I’m glad no one got dehydrated and passed out or worse. I’m both glad and amazed,” one person wrote.
Another wrote, “How could they subject their guests to an outdoor wedding in the heat & humidity & not provide any free water? There should’ve been beverage dispensers placed throughout the venue so nobody would have to wait in line for a drink of water.”
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“I don’t care how small your budget is, those are details that should not have been overlooked,” the same commenter continued. “People could’ve gotten heat stroke or food poisoning. I wouldn’t want that to be the memory of my wedding day.”
Attempting to make light of the OP’s bleak wedding experience, another reader joked, “This wasn’t a wedding. It was a survival challenge.”
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