Woman Hits Peak Bridezilla After Demanding Bridesmaids Pay $5,000 In Cancellation Fees
Interview With ExpertWhile many brides and grooms expect their wedding day to be something out of a movie, it might be wise for them to be careful what they wish for. Because not all films have a happy ending…
One bridesmaid recently detailed on Reddit how a former friend’s wedding blew up into a huge disaster on the day of the ceremony. Below, you’ll find the full saga, as well as conversations with the OP herself and Jhona Yellin, Editor at Bespoke Bride.
Wedding days don’t always go perfectly according to plan
Image credits: Wavebreakmedia / envato (not the actual photo)
But this bridesmaid never anticipated how much drama would ensue on her former friend’s big day
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: lrhun
Later, the bridesmaid responded to readers and shared even more details about the situation
“She was always a kind person, so her turning into a Bridezilla was not expected”
To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the Reddit user who shared this story online, u/lrhun. As far as what inspired her to tell this story, she told Bored Panda, “I just wanted to share the mess because in all honesty, she hurt someone that didn’t deserve it. And I hope she finds the post and feels some level of shame.”
The OP also noted that Dana is still trying to contact her and the other bridesmaids, but they’ve decided as a group to ignore her. “If she goes too far, I personally plan to report her for harassment,” lrhun says. “As for updates, the only thing I’ve heard is her ex-fiancé is suing her. Not sure on the details.”
We also asked about the background of the women’s friendship. “I’ve known Dana since 2015 when I started in college,” the OP shared. “She was always a kind person, so her turning into a Bridezilla was not expected. As for cheating, I never saw it coming. She always talked about how much she loved him and how great he was.”
Lrhun added that she’s had mixed feelings about the post since it went viral. “I have people that are good sports and make good jokes. Absolutely helps with the stress. But there’s also people who I’ve had to ignore since they either think I’m lying, or they just like to troll. Typical Reddit, I imagine,” she shared. “I just hope this shows that people can be very nice and turn incredibly nasty real quick. And they’ll always get caught and lose their friends for it. I for certain will never speak to Dana willingly,” the OP added.
“Most couples have weathered storms of meticulous planning, making the idea of canceling the biggest day of their lives unthinkable”
We also reached out to Jhona Yellin, Editor at Bespoke Bride, to gain some more insight on this topic from a wedding expert. “In the whimsical world of weddings, cancellations on the day of the ceremony are very rare to our experience,” Jhona shared. “Most couples have weathered storms of meticulous planning, making the idea of cancelling the biggest day of their lives unthinkable.”
“Personally, I have attended a few weddings with big dramas, but only one with a cancellation on the day of the ceremony,” the expert continued. “At this specific garden wedding, the groom got cold feet while we were all waiting at the chapel! It was a big drama, which ended really badly.”
Jhona added that one of the co-founders of Bespoke Bride has actually experienced a wedding cancellation in her own life, which you can read about right here.
According to Eventsured, about 20% of all weddings are called off sometime during the engagement period. This may be due to uncertainty about the relationship, pressure to get married, unresolved issues, infidelity, making the decision to get engaged in a rush, difference in opinions on important issues, the couple realizing they don’t know each other as well as they thought they did and more.
Canceling a wedding can be a complicated and expensive process
Image credits: Min An / pexels (not the actual photo)
Just like planning a wedding, there are plenty of costs that can come along with canceling abruptly as well. “When a wedding is called off at the last minute, it can be very expensive,” Jhona says. “You have to pay for things like the venue, the flowers, photographer, and the food, even if you don’t use them. The costs can get out of hand.”
The expert says it might even end up costing more than if the ceremony had gone on. “Simply because the couple may still have to pay for the deposits, cancellation fees, penalties, and non-refundable services that they booked for the wedding day,” she explained. “Then, they may need to pay even more for notifying the guests and returning the gifts.”
One couple shared with This is Money in 2021 that if they had cancelled their wedding due to the pandemic, they would have lost £84,000 on the entire experience. This may be part of the reason why couples choose to forge ahead with their weddings even if they have suspicions that their relationship may not last forever.
“It’s normal to be a bit nervous before the wedding, but if the frustrations keep growing, it means there’s trouble ahead”
Image credits: Emma Bauso / pexels (not the actual photo)
We were also curious if bridesmaids should opt out of a wedding as soon as they become unhappy, rather than going through with the whole experience. “When bridesmaids (it should be more than one though!) start getting annoyed with the bride, it could definitely be a sign for bad things to come,” Jhona told Bored Panda.
“Obviously, it’s normal to be a bit nervous before the wedding, but if the frustrations keep growing, it means there’s trouble ahead,” she noted. “I’ve been in the middle of bridesmaid drama before, and I know that sometimes the frustrations go away, and sometimes they get worse. It’s hard to decide – should you stick with the bride no matter what, or should you quit before things get ugly? I personally think that bridesmaids should trust their gut feeling. The bridesmaids in this Reddit story might have felt like they were in a boat before a storm…”
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing wedding drama, look no further than right here.
Amused readers shared their thoughts on the story, calling out the bride and applauding the bridesmaid for sharing
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If you want me to wear something specific you pay for it, I'm poor
I’ve got a few quid in the bank. If you want me to wear something specific, you pay for it.
Load More Replies...I never even bother reading the BP rehash, when I can just read the original myself.
Load More Replies...I used to run weddings and wedding breakfasts at a country house hotel, I’ve seen things, things you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. This story comes as no surprise to me at all. Human beings are awful, duplicitous, lying, cheating, stealing, conniving, evil, thoughtless, selfish, stupid and down right nasty animals sometimes. Yeah we had plenty of happy and successful weddings but who remembers all of those? I remember the car crash ones, the jilted bride, the bride who was sleeping with a bridesmaid, the MotB who was so drunk she couldn’t stand up during the ceremony, the groom who crashed his best man’s Lamborghini the night before the wedding, the bridesmaid who fell into our moat ‘cause she was legless, the Bride’s brother who ODed on coke, numerous affairs coming to light on or before the wedding day, we saw all that stupid humans can inflict on each other. The majority were happy, loving and enjoyable weddings, but that’s not what anyone wants to hear about is it?
That sounds like a crazy job. I always thought that if the couple was more focused on the wedding than the marriage it was a big red flag for their relationship. I can’t wrap my head around how brides (and probably grooms) can have such melt downs over unimportant things. Angry at a 3 year old for being sick? (But granted there is a vaccine for chickenpox) How about caring about a sick kid? The flowers? The dresses? The seating chart? That’s all just one day. Now don’t get me wrong, being upset that the bride was cheating with your uncle 30 minutes before they said I do is absolutely a reason to melt down, very legitimate. The bride didn’t just ruin her wedding, she ruined their relationship, and what would have been their marriage. I’m honestly slightly relieved the groom found this out before nuptials. Easier now than 5 years and 2 kids later. Still painful and awful, but he got out.
Load More Replies...If you want me to wear something specific you pay for it, I'm poor
I’ve got a few quid in the bank. If you want me to wear something specific, you pay for it.
Load More Replies...I never even bother reading the BP rehash, when I can just read the original myself.
Load More Replies...I used to run weddings and wedding breakfasts at a country house hotel, I’ve seen things, things you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. This story comes as no surprise to me at all. Human beings are awful, duplicitous, lying, cheating, stealing, conniving, evil, thoughtless, selfish, stupid and down right nasty animals sometimes. Yeah we had plenty of happy and successful weddings but who remembers all of those? I remember the car crash ones, the jilted bride, the bride who was sleeping with a bridesmaid, the MotB who was so drunk she couldn’t stand up during the ceremony, the groom who crashed his best man’s Lamborghini the night before the wedding, the bridesmaid who fell into our moat ‘cause she was legless, the Bride’s brother who ODed on coke, numerous affairs coming to light on or before the wedding day, we saw all that stupid humans can inflict on each other. The majority were happy, loving and enjoyable weddings, but that’s not what anyone wants to hear about is it?
That sounds like a crazy job. I always thought that if the couple was more focused on the wedding than the marriage it was a big red flag for their relationship. I can’t wrap my head around how brides (and probably grooms) can have such melt downs over unimportant things. Angry at a 3 year old for being sick? (But granted there is a vaccine for chickenpox) How about caring about a sick kid? The flowers? The dresses? The seating chart? That’s all just one day. Now don’t get me wrong, being upset that the bride was cheating with your uncle 30 minutes before they said I do is absolutely a reason to melt down, very legitimate. The bride didn’t just ruin her wedding, she ruined their relationship, and what would have been their marriage. I’m honestly slightly relieved the groom found this out before nuptials. Easier now than 5 years and 2 kids later. Still painful and awful, but he got out.
Load More Replies...
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