While planning your wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in the details, but don’t lose sight of what’s important. To avoid making big gaffes, blunders, or tacky wedding mistakes, we’re compiling this list. In it, we’re sharing some of the responses from a poll online where we asked recent wedding attendees to send us some of the tackiest wedding trends, mistakes, or things they don’t like about weddings.
Here are some of the responses from A to Z.
First, let’s talk about what tacky means in regards to weddings.
What does tacky mean?
If you’re wondering what tacky means, it is when something is gaudy, or showy, or done in a way to gain attention. Some call it “cheap showiness”.
What is the tackiest mistake you’ve ever seen at a wedding?
A good wedding planner never reveals, so I’ll never tell. :)
But I think it’s helpful when the couple plans ahead for the guests: have enough food, drinks, room for dancing. That sort of thing. Give the people what they expect.
On to the list!
Tackiest Wedding Mistakes and Ideas
We’re outlining the top responses from A to Z for fun. Remember, these are all opinions from people and may be considered tacky to that person, but not necessarily deemed tacky to everyone! This is really just for fun, so don’t take any responses too seriously.
Accidentally wore the same dress as the bridesmaids
“This is my own fault but I recently went to a wedding where I wore the same exact color of dress and style as the bridesmaids. I was mortified. Everyone kept asking why I was sitting at a regular seat instead of the head table. I felt tacky.”
Big, Elaborate Wedding – That Skimps on the Basics
“I think it’s tacky when the wedding is big, expensive, and has all the elaborate details – but skimps on the basics like good food, a nice drink menu, and good music. I won’t remember the place settings, the flowers you had flown in from some island, and what designer brand gown you wore. But I will remember if it was a good meal or not.”
Complaining at the Wedding
“Guests can make the biggest wedding mistakes with tacky comments! If you didn’t get to bring your kids, stop complaining about it all night. Don’t like the wedding decorations? Keep it to yourself. It’s so tacky to talk about the wedding AT the wedding!”
Dance with the Wedding Party
“The bridesmaids and groomsmen did a huge choreographed dance. I thought it was fun, my cousin thought it was tacky because some of the wedding party didn’t really remember the moves.”
Elaborate Dress Code
“My gripe is when the wedding has a specific dress code, like please dress in your finest 1950’s attire or everyone must white for our beach wedding. I don’t own white linen pants and I definitely don’t have vintage 50’s garb, so now I have to go costume shopping? Tacky.”
Forgetting to Say Hello
“I get it, the bride and groom are busy, but I think it’s tacky when they don’t go around and say hi to guests at the wedding. Just a simple hello, thanks for coming. That is not that difficult to do!”
Going for Hours Without Food
“I was at a wedding where there was no cocktail hour. The ceremony ended at 4pm and the reception didn’t begin until 5:30pm, but there was a lot of waiting around and dinner didn’t get served until nearly 7pm. We were starving by then.”
Honeymoon Fund
“I’m all for a honeymoon fund as a couple’s gift registry, really I am. But when the couple puts a sign on the table asking guests to contribute, when we’re already there and brought a gift, it’s extremely tacky!”
Invitation That Look Cheap
“My cousin sent cheap invites, but they looked really awful. Nothing wrong with DIY in my opinion, but it felt and looked cheap. But she included a link about the dress code, which was black tie. It just seems funny she wants us to be formal when the invites gave the impression of less than fancy. No doubt she expects a big gift!”
EDITOR NOTE: Go cheap on invites in price – and not quality – with the best wedding invites you can get.
Jealous Guests
“I think one of the biggest mistakes it when guests are not happy for or even jealous of the newlyweds. If they’re not real friends, or don’t support the marriage, leave them off the guest list. It creates unnecessary drama.”
Kids Running Wild
“I’m all for having kids at a wedding, but when parents just let the kids go wild in the reception, I don’t like that at all. At least have them color or keep busy during the ceremony and the toasts!”
Long Speeches
“It’s tacky when the speeches are really long. Don’t walk me through your entire history together from elementary school through college – I get it. You’re friends. Just share a few highlights. I’m hungry and we should probably eat these really expensive meals the newlyweds just paid for.”
Mother in Law Wore White
“I was at a wedding where the groom’s mom wore white. No, not champagne or slightly ivory, but stark white, as in, trying to upstage the bride.”
No Boxed Gifts, Please
“A friend of mine put, ‘No Boxed Gifts’, on the invitation and she said it was because ‘it’s an easy way to get only cash’. I think that is such a tacky thing to do.”
Open Bar is Canceled
“I went to a huge wedding, easily 250 guests, and it was cash bar only with one drink ticket per person. Tacky! I wouldn’t have cared if they couldn’t afford it, but this place was fancy and the meal itself was easily $75 a plate so they could have easily covered our drinks.”
Potluck Style Wedding
“This friend of mine was planning a wedding where she thought it was fun to make it like a potluck where guests brought dishes to pass. Yeah no. I didn’t go to it.”
Quiet Dinner with No Music
“It’s so awkward when the dinner portion of the evening has no music playing. Maybe it’s just me. But I think it should have some kind of nice relaxing music playing to add to the ambiance a bit. If you can’t afford music during dinner, just plug in a Bluetooth speaker and connect it to a playlist or something.”
Running Out of Food at the Reception
“At a wedding last April, we were the last called for the food and the caterer said there was no meat left. We only had a half-picked-through salad, some cold rolls, and cake.”
Smashing Cake in the Bride’s Face
“I was at a wedding where the groom smashed the cake into the bride’s face and it messed up her hair and makeup. She wasn’t expecting it at all. Rude!”
Themes
“This isn’t really a specific wedding but I don’t like themes. Just get married already. I don’t want to sit on a straw bale at the ceremony for you to have a more authentic barn wedding. Just have nice food, drinks, and music.”
Unable to Bring a Plus One
“I think it is tacky when the wedding invitation does not include a plus one so I can bring a date. I am single, but it would be nice to bring a date since I won’t really know anyone at this wedding.”
Very Long Break In Between the Ceremony and Reception
“I think the tacky wedding thing that bothers me the most is when the wedding ceremony is early, but then the reception starts a lot later. What am I supposed to do for a two hour break with no cocktail hour, all dressed up? It’s irritating as a guest.”
Wine Glass Clanking for a Kiss
“I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t like when people clank on glasses for the couple to kiss. Is it tacky or not?”
EDITOR’S NOTE – My vote: not tacky. I actually like when people do this. :)
X to Dancing
“I understand if the couple doesn’t like to dance, but honestly, a wedding with no dance floor? I think that’s tacky. What are we supposed to do, stare at each other all night?”
You’ll Have to Stand
“No chairs! My husband and I went to a wedding where the ceremony had no chairs. Just standing. Like, standing in rows. It was so weird. I am not sure if they ran out of money for chairs, they didn’t get delivered, or whatever, but the ceremony went on as normal and we were all just standing there. Never had that happen before.”
Zany Family Drama
“It’s so tacky when wedding guests get into drama or there is some family drama going on. Leave it for a day and celebrate the couple!”
What do you think of these gaffes? Do you have any wedding mistakes to add to our list? Share yours in the comment box below!
2 comments
My mother-in-law wore a white beaded dress to my wedding- looking back, the pictures are pretty cringey and it could’ve been bought from an actual wedding dress boutique. It was incredibly rude and selfish, but I thankfully paid zero attention to it the day of and so it didn’t ruin my day. Also, like, TO BE FAIR, she’s had 3 of her own opportunities to wear a wedding dress, so she could’ve like let me have mine, but
Just is kind of a funny story to tell people now, and I think it made her look pretty stupid and mean, to be honest, so she’s her own worst enemy. I think it would’ve caused much more turmoil and damage to have tried to destroy the dress or kick her out, but I am so so glad I didn’t really notice how wedding-dress-like it was in the moment.
Wow! It’s surprising when anyone wears a white dress to a wedding, especially someone so close to the bride! Good for you on not letting it ruin your day and paying zero attention to it. That’s great advice for future brides-to-be. Thanks for sharing your story!
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