Fury as groom’s parents invite 10 guests to wedding without warning

There’s no doubt that weddings can be stressful at times, but one newlywed has shared their frustration after the groom’s parents invited 10 extra guests without any forewarning.

In a now viral Reddit post, u/SignificanceMany1470 explained that the wedding nearly “went off perfectly,” which was a huge relief for the happy couple. However, one thing they hadn’t counted on was that the “in-laws invited about ten extra people,” without even telling either of the couple beforehand.

While the 10 uninvited guests happily blended into the crowd during the ceremony, the problems arose during the reception when there was a noticeable shortage of seating and food available.

“I did not notice them at the ceremony, and it wasn’t until the reception that there were issues. There was no seating for them. Our best man and groomsmen found a folding table and chairs for them to sit at. There was food, we went with a buffet, but since we sent the tables to eat by number, and they didn’t have a number, they were sent last after everything had been picked over,” u/SignificanceMany1470 wrote.

Since the Reddit post was posted on October 20, it has already amassed more than 19,500 votes and over 1,600 comments from horrified social media users.

It certainly isn’t ideal to have uninvited guests turn up to a wedding, but certified wedding and event planner Emily Coyne notes that it does occasionally happen, so it’s vital to have a plan to recover the situation.

With the experience of more than 500 events throughout her career, Coyne suggests that it’s down to the person who invited the guests to rectify their mistake.

“The ideal outcome is that the couple is not alerted to the issue and the guests are not made aware of the situation,” Coyne told Newsweek. “In an extreme situation like this, it’s likely impossible, so you want to ensure it’s handled with grace and utmost hospitality. The first step is to take responsibility and address the situation with the guests: the person who invited them should explain and apologize for the situation.”

By confronting the situation openly and honestly, Coyne insists that it will make for a better guest experience all round and can even save anyone involved from embarrassment.

“It’s fair that they receive an explanation from the person who invited them, a genuine apology about any miscommunication that took place. There is no need to point fingers, it’s simply about accepting responsibility for what took place,” she added.

The bubble of newlywed bliss didn’t last for very long for the Redditor, however, as they were confronted by the in-laws about the situation, because they felt “embarrassed that their friends were being treated that way.” u/SignificanceMany1470 insisted that there was little they could do if 10 people turned up unannounced on their wedding day, and they weren’t going to sugar coat the situation for the friends either.

“I, very politely, asked them what they expected when they invited people without telling the people planning and paying for the wedding?” the Reddit post continues. “They said we needed to go apologize for their treatment. I said I would, but I would also explain that they had not actually been invited. If they wanted their guests told anything else, then they had to go explain.”

Reddit Users React

After sharing the dilemma on Reddit, u/SignificanceMany1470 has been inundated with comments from people expressing their shock, and many people supporting the newlywed for their firm stance.

One comment reads: “Who goes to a wedding without an official invitation. Those ten people should have realized that they weren’t really invited.”

Another Redditor commented: “The fact that in-laws don’t seem to want the guests to be told they weren’t invited makes me think the in-laws told them they were.”

While another person asked: “How did they convince 10 people that it was cool to show up to a wedding they didn’t receive invitations for?”

Newsweek reached out to u/SignificanceMany1470 via Reddit for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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