Wedding Industry Workers Share Red Flags From Doomed Marriages

Kasia Mikolajczak
close up of groom holding bride's hand
Unsplash | Alvin Mahmudov

Marriage is not to be taken lightly. As adults, we all should know that by now. But it's amazing how some couples don't realize they're wrong for each other. However, it can be very apparent to other people, for example — wedding professionals.

I bet they have seen a thing or two, huh? So when I recently stumbled upon a Reddit thread that asked, "People that work in the wedding industry, have you ever seen a couple and immediately thought 'this ends in divorce' Why?" I was so curious as to what the answers were, haha. Let's check some of them out.

This Awkward Moment

man putting wedding ring on a woman's finger
Unsplash | Thomas AE

"At a wedding when the I do's came, the groom said, 'I guess.'"

Yikes! That doesn't sound promising, huh? I wonder how long this marriage lasted? I say about six months. What's your guess? I honestly feel bad for this bride.

This Speech Refusal

DJ set up with laptops
Unsplash | Feliphe Schiarolli

"Wedding DJ here. I had a wedding a few years ago where the groom was a total [jerk]. When it was his turn to make a speech, he refused to make one. When the bride's sister begged him to please make a speech or at least just tell the bride she looks beautiful, he got up, took the mic, mumbled to her that she looks beautiful, and sat back down." 

I wonder what his problem was?

This Odd Couple

surprised man with question marks around his face
Giphy

"I worked a wedding where the bride and groom hardly talked the entire wedding. It was like they had nothing in common. And then later, the groom pretty much [expletive] off halfway through and went home because, and I quote, he was 'tired.'"

OMG, what?

This Early Departure

bride and groom dancing together
Unsplash | Alvin Mahmudov

"Planner here: So, I'm closing out a reception, but can't find the groom for the farewell dance. Someone says, 'Oh, he left with his friends to go to the club.' The bride had no clue he had left! Huge red flag."

Yeah, I think she's right.

This Sad Prediction

man singing and playing bass with his band
Unsplash | Andy Lee

"I'm a musician and the son of a wedding photographer. I've actually played in a band whose leader, on the wedding day, took a deposit for the divorce party that was to follow. The groom's mother laid it down and said 'I give it six months.' Nine months later, there we were, and there she (the bride) wasn't."

Well, she wasn't wrong.

This Total Disconnect

a man standing in front of a couple saying "it's a bit odd."
Giphy | TV Land

"The groom and bride spent the entire celebration doing their own thing."

Okay, I don't understand that. Why even get married then, huh? If you want to do your own thing, then stay single. Am I right? This makes no sense at all.

This Déjà Vu

bride holding on to her groom
Unsplash | NIKITA SHIROKOV

"It was the third time the bride had hired me, and all the guys had been carbon copies." 

I think this is a tall tale of a woman who just wants to get married no matter who the groom is, alright. Do you agree with me? I feel sorry for whoever ends up with her.

This Bad Sign

bride taking a big swig of a drink from a flask
Giphy | Lifetime

"I remember a wedding that I worked catering for that involved the Groom getting rather handsy with the Maid of Honor during the reception. Both were drunk and a bit too close. The Bride was on the dance floor flopping around drunk off her ass to a point of having to be escorted to a restroom to freshen up. Honestly, it always seems when the bride/groom gets trashed during the reception, something happens that will cause them to split shortly after. Not always, but it's just something I noticed during the weddings I have assisted with."

I think I know why they get drunk. It's the only way they can get through something they know won't work anyway. Am I right?

This Interesting Story

wedding couple standing in a park by the lake
Unsplash | Євгенія Височина

"I remember one couple who really wanted an over-the-top wedding that would be good enough to be featured in a popular luxury wedding magazine. They spared no expense. They became so obsessed with this that they were even choosing members of their bridal party based on their looks rather than their relationship with them. The bride had two brothers, one brother looked like a model for Hugo Boss and her other brother looked a bit like fat Thor. Well, only the "hot" brother was selected to be a groomsman. Things like this caused a lot of tension between family members and fights between the couple. It was awkward a lot of the time. I knew for sure this couple wouldn't make it for long.

Interestingly enough, the couple divorced a week before their wedding was featured in that luxury bridal magazine."

Wow!

This Shocking Behavior

Woman wearing a wedding dress and drinking from a wine glass.
Giphy | WE tv

"Used to serve at a lot of weddings. At one very expensive engagement party, the groom got drunk and tried to pick a fight with one of the servers. He then punched another guest and had to be walked out. Bride seemed upset but not shocked."

I think it's time for this woman to walk out, huh?

This Disinterested Bride

Groom getting emotional
Unsplash | Victoria Priessnitz

"Groom was super emotional and smiling when the bride first appeared at the church doors to walk down the aisle, and the bride was more interested in "holla-ing" at her family and friends as she made her way down the aisle. I don't think she looked at the groom once on her way down. You just saw his face drop, as she got closer, and had no interest in even looking at the man she was about to marry."

Aww, that's so sad.

This Rude Groom

Diana Agron saying "well this awkward."
Giphy

"Another time was actually last summer. Just before the wedding speeches, the groom went to hang out with his friends for like half an hour leaving the bride sitting there alone and delaying the speeches. Then right after the bride and groom cut the cake he once again went to go hang out with his friends and abandoned his wife. So she was left alone having to mingle with all the guests and he made no interaction with her side of the guests.

He stuck with his friends the rest of the evening. His wife basically had to go and beg him to come and take more wedding pictures. At one point in the evening, he actually went for a drive with his friends for about an hour and his wife had no idea where he was. I mean I get wanting to mingle with your friends at your wedding but to not even mingle with your wife's family or friends on your wedding day seems quite rude."

Yeah, it seems pretty selfish to me, alright.

This Family Feud

Wedding RSVP cards tied with a ribbon
Pexels | Pexels

"Heard from a friend who did calligraphy that a bride came to get wedding invites and the usual wording of 'bride mum and dad and groom mum and dad invite you to the wedding of bride and groom,' bride didn't want groom's parents' names on the invite. My mate did an invite mock-up, called the couple for a check and the groom lost it because the groom's parents were the ones paying for most of the wedding. They didn't need any invites."

Well, at least they dodged a bullet there, right?

This Spoiled Bride

furious bride throwing her bouquet on the ground
Giphy | S4C

"Many years ago I had a side hustle doing cakes and would often get orders for wedding cakes. Long story short, the bride-to-be threw a full-fledged stompy-footed tantrum, locking herself in my bathroom, and refused to come out because the groom was 'unreasonably insisting' on having a say in what the cake flavor was going to be. Like, I'd say through the door, 'Get out of my bathroom!' and all I'd get was a whiny defiant little 'NoooOooooooOooooooooO!!!!!!' She was about 22."

Ha, ha! If I were her groom, I would run!

This Body Language

Man and woman sitting on the couch looking back with mad looks
Pexels | Pexels

"I used to serve and bartend at weddings and I have a couple: The first wedding I can think of, the bride and groom didn't even look at each other all night. Their body language might as well have said they hated each other."

Oh my!

This Early End To The Party

crying bride
Giphy | Stad Genk

"I work in a hotel. I came in one night to find the wedding was already wrapped up (it was supposed to go until 1 AM and it was 11 PM) because the wedding couple had a fight and she went home with mom."

That's not a good sign, huh?

This Red Flag

woman fixing a man's bow tie
Unsplash | Priscilla Du Preez

"I photographed the groom and saw his eyes light up when a guest arrived. I looked over, and it was a cute woman in a short dress. He smiled, walked up to the woman, picked her up, and swung her in his arms. Best smile I captured of the groom all day. Marriage didn’t last six months from what I’ve heard." 

Aww, I feel so bad for this bride.

I don't know how I would react if I witnessed any of that.

woman saying "You're absolutely right."
Giphy | VH1

It must've been pretty awkward to work with one of these couples. I wish somebody had enough balls to tell these people to think hard before they say "I do." It could have saved them some time, money, and future embarrassment. Do you agree with that?