Six most embarrassing things I’ve seen at weddings as a photographer

We’ve all heard a wedding horror story or two – from family fights on the day to random guests popping the question in the middle of someone else’s wedding reception, it seems some people simply don’t know how to behave at weddings. I’m a professional wedding photographer, and I’d like to share some terrible and silly behaviors I often see while behind the camera at weddings.

Bringing a stranger to the wedding

Most wedding hosts allow a plus one for their friends and family, but this is usually for guests they know are in relationships. However, a few rude guests either bring an extra guest even though they weren’t given a plus one invite or bring total strangers they just met. Sometimes this doesn’t cause too much of a fuss – until the stranger ends up being a party animal and overindulging.  

Blocking the photographer’s shot

Wedding photographers will bend over backward to get the right shot at the perfect moment. I’ve frequently photographed happy couples while bobbing and weaving around guests. But some wedding guests don’t seem to notice that they’re blocking the wedding photographer when they’re trying to take photos of their own photos!

There have been many occasions where I’ve had to ask a sweet little grandma to scoot over a few inches so that I can get the perfect shot. Remember, whatever photo you are capturing on your phone, the wedding photographer will be capturing the same one – but in better quality!

Talking over important moments

We all love to chat with old friends we haven’t seen in a while during a wedding, but there are certain moments, like the ceremony, the cake cutting, and speeches, where silence is golden. There is often one guest who’s talking too loudly, and they often don’t seem to notice the dirty looks everyone else is shooting them.

If you notice you are near the photographer or videographer during a special moment, keep your voice down or stop talking altogether. This not only ensures that the professionals can capture the moment without having to cut the sound or edit the extra voice out later, but it also means that the bride and groom aren’t distracted from their own ceremony. Many times I’ve had to edit wedding videos with background music because people were talking right over the most important moments!

Making inappropriate speeches

After everyone has sat down for dinner, it’s customary for certain people from the wedding party to make speeches. This can go one of two ways. Either they make a lovely and moving speech, or they try to be a comedian and accidentally reveal secrets from the bride or groom’s past that their significant other didn’t know, and probably didn’t want to know.

Topics to avoid when giving toasts or speeches: exes of either the bride or groom, inappropriate stories about drugs, sex, or any other illicit topic (weddings are usually family-friendly, and no one wants grandma to hear these stories), and anything that could offend the bride or the groom.

Taking it too far on the dancefloor

After a few drinks, everyone eventually makes it to the dance floor to enjoy the classic hits the D.J. has queued up, but some guests like to boogie a little too hard, leading to some embarrassing mishaps. I’ve seen people attempt the splits and instead split their pants. And I’ve also seen some serious tumbles on the freshly polished dancefloors of many a wedding venue. Although alcohol allows people to release their inhibitions, it also leads to performing dance moves that can lead to a quick trip to the emergency room, so I advise you to be cautious even while you’re getting down.

Fighting (literally) for the bride’s bouquet

The throwing of the bouquet is a classic moment that most people don’t take that seriously. But there are a select few guests who will give it their all every once in a while. When there is a real fight for the bouquet, I have witnessed bloody noses, elbows to the face, and women fully splayed on the ground. Aside from potential injuries, this bouquet-catching frenzy can lead to embarrassment in the following moments and awkward conversations between attempted bouquet catchers and their significant others.

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