Wedding guests who misbehave!

This post is dedicated to inconsiderate guests.

Recently, I was coordinating a large wedding. I noticed something at one of the tables…there was a couple (they’d arrived very late) and were standing over a woman who was sitting at the table. I wandered over to see what was happening and to try to help. Of course, the conversation was all in another language and I was completely in the dark about what was being said…but I got the jist that the couple wanted to sit, and this woman was sitting in their spot.

Finally, one of the guests at the table saw me and explained what was happening.

The woman sitting at the couples seat, decided last minute, to come to the wedding. She walked in and sat, well, anywhere – completely disregarding the fact that there was a placecard with someone else’s name on it.

Now, when I say last minute…I mean, that day! So here is a guest, who hadn’t replied to the rsvp and then on this Saturday evening, decided she had nothing else to do, so she may as well come to the wedding.

She saw no problem with this. At the wedding, it wasn’t my place to judge. I simply wanted to deal with the situation and get things sorted asap.

BUT…I felt it was a rude and inconsiderate. Never mind the logistics of it…she now had no where to sit, no placecard, no guest favour, thankfully caterers make extra, but otherwise, no catering for her (especially if she had specific dietary requirements).

The groom, who refused to sit and enjoy the wedding, wandered up to the table while the conversation was being translated to me. The groom says, not to worry, we’ve got a few couples who didn’t come. I respond with something like ‘this horrible weather – so many people are sick’…his response was – no, they just decided not to come this morning.

So, we have spare seats, we have people who decide not to come and have called the groom during the day to tell him (which is just awful!). We have a woman who decided to come along afterall and guests who were running 1-2 hours late for the reception.

Don’t even get me started on the guests who arrived just as the ceremony was finishing or the guest who spent half the evening on his mobile (even during speeches).

At the risk of sounding old and naggy – is this acceptable behaviour? Not to me. If you reply that you are attending an event, especially a wedding – then you attend…on time! If it’s not your bag, you smile, eat a meal, wait for the formalities to finish, say your goodbyes and leave.

What do you think?

Did anything like this happen at your wedding?

Bells N Whistles Events, Guests arriving late, Guests leaving early, Inconsiderate guests, Mobile phones at weddings, Respectful guests, Rude guests, Wedding day coordinators, Wedding Planner Sydney, Wedding Stylists