10 Real Stories of Weddings That Ended Before They Even Began

Weddings are supposed to mark the beginning of a beautiful journey, but sometimes, things go south before the vows are even spoken. These tales of weddings that fell apart at the final hour are awkward, heartbreaking, and sometimes downright unbelievable. Here are 10 love stories that crashed before the couple even said, “I do.”

1. Left at the altar by more than just her partner.

My mum thought she had been left at the altar by not only my dad but the minister as well.

She hated being the center of attention and didn’t look up from the ground until she was almost down the aisle. When she did, there was nobody waiting for her. Just then the door behind the altar flew open, and my dad ran out with his kilt flapping around him, followed by the minister.

Apparently they had been in the minister’s office and hadn’t realized the ceremony had started. — © Chel93xx / Reddit

2. Groom missed one crucial detail.

My sister called off her wedding five minutes before walking down the aisle because the groom whispered, “Wait, what’s your middle name again?” She stared at him for a solid ten seconds, turned to the crowd, and said, “Well, that was fun.”

We still had the reception, but she danced solo to “Single Ladies” and made a toast to herself. Some of our relatives still believe her reaction was too much.

3. The extra wife that ruined everything.

Wasn’t me personally, but... “If anyone here has any objection, speak now or forever hold your peace.” A woman in the back stood up and said, “The groom can’t get married, as he is my husband.”

Turns out the woman who objected and the groom were in fact married and tried to get divorced, but the divorce was never completed. So technically, the groom was still married, and the wedding did not proceed. — © linux1970 / Reddit

4. The rich but cruel mother-in-law.

My friend did this like 20 some years ago. She was engaged to a guy from a very well off family. The wedding was in California, but they were living in Seattle. Very posh, very expensive.

But the MIL was always nasty to her. Right at the beginning of the reception, the MIL came up and said some nasty things to her in a whisper, thinking she would just take it again.

She lost it, families got involved, and she ended up on a plane back to the PNW that night. Her family had already started moving her things out of the apartment that evening. Never spoke to him again. — © snail_juice_plz / Reddit

5. Same groom, different bride.

My brother went to this engagement party, everything was great, nothing out of the ordinary.

Wedding comes around three months later, he shows up... and it’s a totally different bride. Same groom, same date, same invite, just... new bride. No explanation. — © zzibhai / Reddit

6. Shocking family remedies.

My wife’s family has a story from the early 1900s, in which a bride and groom had courted mostly by mail. The day of the wedding, the bride got cold feet. The family was trying to figure out what to do when the bride’s sister piped up and said, “I’ll marry him.”

The groom thought about it for a few minutes and decided he was in. The wedding proceeded as if nothing had happened, and they allegedly were married 50+ years and produced a big, happy family. — © jasfad / Reddit

7. He left with his best friend.

My dad left his bride at the altar (it wasn’t my mom, it was years before). From what he told me, the relationship was quite toxic and got worse during the wedding preparation. My dad apparently warned her that he was very close to calling everything off. She told him he didn’t have the guts to do it.

So when the civil agent asked him if he was willing to take the lady as a spouse, he said, “No.” She (rightfully so, I would say) was enraged. My dad swiftly left with his best friend. They still got married a few months later on but got divorced pretty quickly. — © Matrozi / Reddit

8. The joker friend that messed up.

One of my relatives said he was at a wedding where it happened. Someone did it as a joke. Something like one of his friends had a huge belly, so he stood up, yanked up his shirt and yelled, “I object, he got me pregnant!”

Unfortunately, the law there said that if anyone objected, the wedding had to be postponed for a week, I presume to allow the claim to be investigated. I suspect he was NOT popular with the couple for a while. — © twohedwlf / Reddit

9. He knew about the cheating, but had a trick up his sleeve.

I know of a wedding where the groom asked everyone in the room to stand up and started asking people with certain characteristics to sit down, a giant game of Guess Who, really!

He was left with 8 men standing and asked them to turn over their plates, and the men without orange dots on their plates were asked to sit down. He then proceeded to tell everyone in the room how his wife-to-be had cheated on him with the 4 men left standing.

He dropped the mic and left. I know it’s not a left-at-the-altar story, but that man goes down in history as a hero. — © thymeafterthyme / Reddit

10. The secret admirer from work.

A friend’s coworker got up during her wedding and professed his love for her. He was saying he should have told her how he felt and how it was too late.

The groom’s friends dragged him out. The wedding went on. It was pretty dramatic, lol. — © OkSpinach5268 / Reddit

Up for some more matrimonial mistakes? Here are 19 wedding dramas that totally deserve their own movies. The scripts practically write themselves.