Have you ever been to a wedding in which one of the critical parties (bride or groom) didn't show up?

psst… timing on this question is a bit off as Whatthefluther and sccrowell are getting married Friday.

I used to be a banquet server, so I’ve seen a lot of weddings. (people would get married there, as well as their reception) Guest wise, the majority of weddings I’ve gone to have been family. Only a couple friend weddings.
I’ve never once experienced the bride or groom not showing up.

I do know though, that before my husband and I got married that there was a 50/50 chance of me not being able to walk down the aisle. He knew this as well. I have weird anxiety, especially being in front of people (even though it was close friends and family) luckily, the man I was marrying loves me and even joked about the 50/50 chance of me bugging out and having to walk out. I made it through the ceremony though! I just made sure to pee before walking down the aisle because I just knew I’d have to go as soon as I got up there haha

Nope but I have had to pinch hit for a Photographer who showed up then had a heart attack. (He survived.)

No. tho I read that Gwen Stefani was 45 minutes late to her own wedding to Gavin Rossdale (Bush) in London, England. I also know that @sccrowell would be much later than that to our wedding, unless I drag her out of the house, which I certainly plan on doing.

@chyna…that would be “Sherry-come-lately”...not Susan (unless there has been a major shift in plans that hasn’t been shared with me)

@whatthefluther I knew that as soon as I hit enter, then thought I had better use her screen name.

As an event planner, I had to break the news to one side, before. I told the father of the bride. We talked and he agreed (thank goodness!) hearing that kind of news needed to come from a family member. Evidently, from what I heard later, he had tried to tell her and she wouldn’t listen to him. She tried to get him to show up for the ceremony and then agree to annul the marriage.

Very sad and very awkward moment.

Though I did not attend the particular wedding, I’ve witnessed something like this.
I was a bridesmaid at my cousin’s wedding, and heavily involved in the wedding. (I was the go to person the day of, so my cousin wouldn’t have to worry about anything and stress out)
Well, The wedding was at a hotel, and there were two weddings slotted to take place the hall we reserved that day. The wedding before ours that was supposed to have finished and cleared out before we got there was having a little trouble vacating our room.

Apparently, the groom never showed up, and the bride was insisting on waiting for him.
...later, while we were on site, the bride broke down and confessed that there never had been a groom in the first place. She just wanted to be married so badly, she planned the wedding and pretended the groom existed, and that he was just “too busy” to meet anyone or be involved in the wedding plans.

It was a very expensive delusion.
Not to mention it probably extinguished whatever marriage prospects she might have had.

Two of my closest friends were getting married. I was asked to video tape the event. I was at the altar, recording, when the vows were to be exchanged.
The bride completed hers. The groom began weeping, and was unable, or unwilling, to complete his.
I was dumbstruck. I had no idea if I should stop recording, or stop the wedding. These were two people I care deeply about, but he could not complete the vows.
Finally, they went on without the “I do” from him.
I have always felt I came up short on that day.

@filmfann So are they still married?

Yes, and it’s been around 17 years, but I don’t hold a lot of hope for it.

@noelasun: Wow, that’s an unbelievable story! I wonder if she ever stopped to think about what would happen the day of the supposed wedding! Sounds like that woman was mental!

@La_chica_gomela seriously. I actually ended up reading more about it in the newspaper the next day. I can’t believe she had no one in her life that would say: dude, maybe we should meet him first.

@noelasun – whoa! I’m so glad I never came across something that bad, while planning weddings. It’s amazing the lengths some brides and grooms will go through for some things, and to get things their way – but sheesh! Yep. It sounds like she just had a complete mental breakdown, on this one.

@noelasun: Would you feel comfortable linking the article to us? If it’s available online. That is just such a crazy story! I need juicy newspaper details!

@La_chica_gomela I could search for it, but I’m pretty sure it was only carried in a korean newspaper. There might be something in the english papers, because after this story came out, the was a flurry of stories and statistics about how this was actually not an uncommon happening.
Should I search?

Don’t worry about it. :)