Okay, so I went to a wedding this summer for one of my best friends. I love him to death, and his wife is pretty cool too, but their wedding was pretty... awful.
So they had to plan it "on a budget," which I totally get, but there are some things you just don't do. The bride's dress was so thin and cheap, I could literally see her underwear through the back of her dress! It was a nice design, but obviously not very well made. I felt kinda bad for her. She didn't bother to get her hair or her makeup done. All she had on was mascara and lip gloss... kinda weird. The ceremony would have been fine, if I could have heard the pastor at all! I was sitting near the front, too. It was in a fairly large church and they apparently neglected to get a mic, so nobody could hear him. After the vows, there was the exchange of rings. Because they were on a budget, they had the pastor change out "circle of gold (or whatever it was)" to "circle of titanium (or some other cheap metal). It was very awkward to say the least. Then, they went to do their unity candle, which I think is a really cute tradition. However, the didn't light it right away, they stood behind the table talking to each other quietly for several minutes while the audience just sat there, confused and waiting around. If I thought the ceremony was bad, it was nothing compared to the reception.
The reception was held at a very old but beautiful church I had never been in before. Unfortunately, the road to get to it was closed, so all of the guests had to take a detour through a really seedy part of town. When we all got there, there was no music, no drinks, no appetizers, no nothing. We were just expected to sit there and wait for the bride and groom. I forgot to mention that it was in a gymnasium done up in the finest 1970's style. They tried to doll it up using fabric, but it kept falling down on the guests. It was in the middle of summer in the hot and humid midwest and the church had no air conditioning or open windows. The room was not nearly big enough to hold all the guests they invited, so we were sandwiched together in our formal wear in a swelteringly hot confined space with nothing to eat or drink. The bride and the groom took their pictures, which is totally fine. After they were done with their pictures, they decided to take off and "do something else," that something else being having sex in the back of their car. They made everyone wait so they could have sex. I was seated at the "family and important people" table according to the check in list. I got to the table and there was no name card or place setting for me. I was sat with a bunch of old people who I didn't know and an inept young dad with two screaming toddlers. When the bride and groom FINALLY arrive, the food is served. It was buffet style, and since I was at the "important people" table, we got to go after the bridal party. They got it catered from some obscure place, and half the time I couldn't tell what it was supposed to be. I literally could not tell the difference between a fish fillet and a chicken breast.vAfter eating the mystery meat, I immediately began to feel sick and had to go to a nursery and lie down. I wasn't the only one either.
I think that this wedding could have been decent if there weren't technical difficulties and awkward pauses during the ceremony. I doubt if the reception could have been salvaged though. A hot gym with falling down decorations with nothing to drink and horrible food made for many unhappy guests. I would have to say this is the worst example of a "budget wedding" that I've ever seen. I still love my friends to death, even though their wedding was like hell on earth!
