Season 1 Episode 3 | Listener Stories: Funny Moments
Sara + Steph share some favorite humorous wedding stories from real couples and wedding professionals in the DMV, including a groom being locked out of the ceremony, a secret service encounter during the Marine Corps Marathon, and more
Subject: “He’s not here”
Hi, ladies! I saw your request for funny wedding stories on The Wedding Dish Instagram and couldn’t resist sending this in!
On my wedding day, I was determined not to see my husband before I walked down the aisle. We’re both romantics at heart and were really excited for that moment when we saw each other
One of our photographers photographed my now-husband and his groomsmen on one side of the property while the other photographed me with my bridesmaids on the other and then we were “tucked away” by the venue’s event coordinator (not to be confused with a wedding planner, as I learned after this experience) before the ceremony
As far as I knew, everything was just peachy when the coordinator told me it was time to line up for the processional
I was full of nervous energy and so excited that I thought I might just run straight down the aisle
When it was my turn to enter the ceremony, I was practically buzzing
Then, I noticed that my photographer was waving her hands at the end of the aisle. I just stood there wondering what the heck she was doing
That’s when she ran down the aisle and said, “Go back. He’s not here”
This also happened to be the exact moment that the music stopped playing
I screeched, “WHAT?!” which, of course, everyone heard
That’s when we heard it: my husband had been inadvertently locked in the room next to the ceremony space with the officiant. No one had heard his banging on the door over the music!
My dad and I high-tailed it back out of the ceremony as the venue coordinator let my husband out of the room
That was seven years ago and we’re still happily married. We are so thankful that our photographer noticed that the groom was missing and made sure that we stuck with our wedding day dream of not seeing each other pre-ceremony!
The moral of the story is: hire a wedding planner and maybe ask your wedding party to make sure that the groom is at the altar before you’re halfway down the aisle
Keep dishing!
xo, K
Subject: “Don’t Piss Off The Secret Service or Marathoners — Only in DC”
Hi, ladies! I’m a wedding photographer and knew I had to share this story when I heard you were looking for funny stories
Being DC-based, I’m sure you’ll understand this crazy-ass story
A few years ago, I had a ceremony at Lady Bird Johnson (aka LBJ) Park followed by a reception at Top of the Town in Arlington on the day of the Marine Corps Marathon
Tons of roads were closed — and, of course, they were surrounding both the ceremony and reception locations making the wedding day extra interesting — BUT I made sure to do alllllll the research so that we would be able to arrive on time without dealing with road closures (duh)
It’s DC, though, so nothing really goes as planned
I hopped in the car with my business partner and headed off. When we got near the Pentagon, we noticed that the roads were still closed, even though they’d been scheduled to open over an hour before we arrived
We were annoyed, but early enough that we figured we’d just wait a little while because surely they would re-open the roads soon
There was a police cruiser sitting at the Pentagon exit we needed to use to get to LBJ Park. When it left, we were like, “We’re golden! Let’s go!” but, being the rule-followers that we are, we decided it was best to walk over and ask the guard with the automatic machine gun if we could go up the ramp
He radioed someone, didnt hear anything back, and then said, “Well, the cruiser’s gone, so the road must have re-opened. Go on ahead”
So, we did
There was no one on the highway, which made us a bit nervous, but about 30 feet from the ramp, there was another cruiser sitting there and we decided to stop to ask him if it was safe to proceed
Rather than a polite exchange, we found a very angry, accusatory police officer who immediately began yelling at us and asking how we had gotten past the barricade (aka a single police cruiser?)
Quick aside: I know this man was doing his job, but his yelling was just a little bit scary. I am not saying he was doing anything wrong
Now, my business partner has nerves of steel and calmly explained that we’d entered the highway from the Pentagon and asked permission from a “Pentagon guard with an uzi” and that we’d believed him — because why wouldn’t we
At this point, I notice that she’s looking in the rearview mirror and has stopped listening to the police officer’s accusations (which must have been hard, because he was very loud)
I turned to look out the back window and see the Secret Service is descending upon us in about a dozen black SUVs
Nerves-of-steel next to me simply rolls down the other window, both hands visibly on the wheel, watching the men approach with guns drawn in the side mirror and says,
“Hi! We’re photographing a wedding and we were told by a Pentagon guard that we could use this ramp, but I guess he was mistaken because this police officer is mighty upset with us. Anyway, we are happy to exit right there, because that’s where we’re going for the ceremony, anyway”
I’ll admit that she can really pull out that southern-girl vibe when needed, but I could simply not believe it when the Secret Service people were like, “Ok, ma’am, go right ahead”
Needless to say, we won’t be taking any more jobs on marathon weekends. The moral of the story is: always be kind, polite, and just because someone looks like they know what they’re talking about doesn’t necessarily mean they have a clue
xo, Katie
Subject: “Don’t use a chiavari chair when doing the hora”
Hi, ladies! Love the podcast. Thanks for sharing so much information about not only wedding planning, but also about business-building. It’s awesome. Also, we love The Line Hotel — gorgeous and so unique
Let’s get down to it. My husband is Jewish and I was totally down for all traditions, but I’d never been to a wedding
Everything was awesome — until we got to the hora
Now, if you’ve ever been to any wedding, you’ve probably seen a chiavari chair — they’re those chairs that look like spray-painted bamboo and when you sit in them, it feels like they might just fall apart at any moment (again, never been to a wedding)
The song comes on, everyone gathers, someone grabs chairs, and we’re whooshed into the air
After about 20 seconds, I feel like the chair is no longer “square” or something is wrong and then — BAM! The chair comes apart and I fall into our guests’ arms (luckily, I didn't hit the ground)
It was pretty embarrassing, but I escaped unscathed and we have some pretty funny photos of the incident
The moral of the story is: Rethink chiavari chairs in general, but DEFINITELY do not use them when being hoisted into the air
xo, Nicole
Subject: “Never give up hope!”
Hiiiiiii! I heard you ladies request funny wedding stories and I wanted to share this moment from my wedding day.
On my wedding day, it pouring all morning, but I was convinced we’d still be able to hold the ceremony outside. So, we kept watching the weather and went on as planned and I figured everything would work out.
The ceremony was about to start when the rain finally broke and the sun came out! BUT, I’d waited so long to go outside that I wasn’t able to get to where we were lining up for the processional without being seen by my soon-to-be husband and all of our guests.
As a last ditch effort, my wedding party stripped the bed and used a sheet to block me while one of our photographers called everyone’s attention to the front for a “group photo.”
Miraculously, none of our guests even knew it happened even though we were all giggling so hard as we snuck behind the group. The photos of me behind the sheet laughing are some of my favorites from my wedding day.
Never give up hope!
Love, PP
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