Bride Details All the Ways Her Venue Owners Interfered with Her Wedding

A bride says the owners of her wedding venue “cast a shadow over” her big day by repeatedly interfering with her event.

She shared the story on Reddit‘s “Wedding Shaming” forum in a post titled, “Never imagined the biggest drama at my wedding would be the venue owners.” She began by explaining that 25 people attended her wedding, which was held at a venue close to a lake, with four staff members working the event (two of whom were the owners).

From the start, the bride said, the owners — whom she described as “distant acquaintances” — “acted like guests, not vendors.”

“They interfered with the décor, criticized that we wanted to have the welcome drinks and snacks on the terrace,” she recalled. “If they didn’t like something, they’d make comments, complain, or just pull faces. Whenever we expressed our wishes, they either ignored us or got offended.”

Things went from bad to worse when the owners “barged in” during the couple’s private first look. When the maid of honor asked them to leave, they “hid in the bushes” to watch. “After being asked again, they finally left, but later loudly said that since they’re the owners, they have the right to be there,” the bride added.

She said the owners sat among the guests “so often there was nobody at the bar to ask for a drink.” They also “argued” with the bride’s husband when he requested that the leftover food be put in the fridge rather than be left out “in a room without refrigeration.”

As the celebration carried on, the owners abruptly turned off the music and closed the bar at midnight — “without saying a word, even though beforehand they promised to stay as long as needed.”

“At that point, my husband and I confronted them, saying how horrible their behavior was. Instead of apologizing, they got offended again,” the bride shared.

Reflecting on the unfortunate experience, the Redditor said it’s been “hard to process.”

“I can’t imagine what kind of person deliberately ruins a paying client’s wedding day,” she explained. “It was a beautiful day thanks to our friends, but the owners did everything they could to cast a shadow over it.”

Reacting to the story in the comments, many readers sympathized with the bride’s frustration and disappointment over the situation.

“No one deserves to have their wedding ruined like this. Horrible. I’m so sorry,” one person wrote.

Another chimed in: “Their lack of respect for you and your spouse, the lack of boundaries and lack of professionalism is simply mind-boggling and egregious. To be hired for money to provide a service, then instead of doing that very well and ensuring your day was a smooth and easy success, they decided to center themselves in every single aspect of your wedding day. I’m so sorry you went through this.”

Still, some readers suggested there might have been “blurred lines” due to the fact that the venue owners were acquaintances of the bride and groom. They wondered if the owners hosted the wedding as a favor or offered a discount. In response, the bride said in a comment that “it wasn’t a friendly favor, we paid full price for them to work.”

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But others countered that nothing justified the owners’ behavior.

“Even if there was a discount or it was framed as a ‘favor,’ the bare minimum should’ve been professionalism and respect. Charging less doesn’t give them the right to interfere, criticize or ruin important moments,” one person wrote. “At the end of the day, the OP [original poster] was still paying — contract or not, it was a service.”