I don't know if you've watched those old National Lampoon comedies with Chevy Chase, but when I read this story that I'm about to tell you today, I couldn't help but feel like I was reading some kind of script for a similar movie. Perhaps Hollywood will create a film based on this tale in the future, but today it is just a story.
There's a strict rule - the larger and more crowded the wedding, the greater the likelihood that something unexpected will happen during the ceremony, or after it. And elopement is actually an excellent opportunity to minimize the risk of such awkward moments. However, this story from the user u/GLL420 is further proof that elopement is like any secret operation - everything needs to be kept in the strictest confidence.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post and his girlfriend have been together for 7 years and they recently found out she's pregnant
Image credits: Sammie Chaffin (not the actual photo)
So the partners decided to take their relationship to the next level and tie the knot
Image credits: GLL420
Their main idea was to elope because of the woman's overly nosy relatives
Image credits: Daroon jasm (not the actual photo)
Image credits: GLL420
So the couple rented an RV, picked out a great Airbnb in Colorado - and drove there with friends and a hired photographer
Image credits: Los Muertos Crew (not the actual photo)
Image credits: GLL420
The bride-to-be made only one mistake - she let slip her upcoming elopement to her younger sister...
Image credits: Gustavo Fring (not the actual photo)
Image credits: GLL420
So when the newlyweds-to-be arrived at their venue, they found a crowd of the bride's relatives waiting for them
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov (not the actual photo)
Image credits: GLL420
The relatives crashed the wedding and ruined nearly everything
Image credits: Los Muertos Crew (not the actual photo)
Image credits: GLL420
So it was a true elopement disaster and the now-spouses felt devastated while returning home
So, the Original Poster (OP) and his girlfriend have been together for 7 years, and recently decided to tie the knot. As the author of the post admits, an important factor in this mutual decision was the news that his girlfriend was pregnant. The couple saw this as a sign that it was the proper time to take their relationship to the next level.
No sooner said than done, especially since the partners had a long-standing idea to go somewhere where the scenery is beautiful and there are not many annoying guests. So, the decision was made and the newlyweds-to-be, along with four close friends, picked out a cozy Airbnb in Colorado. They actually chose it for two reasons.
Reason one is the picturesque views. Reason two - Colorado is as far away from the girlfriend's relatives as possible, because they're, as the author says, nearly crazy. Especially the woman's mom. From childhood, all members of this family were brought up strictly following the rule “family is all you will ever have” and the mother didn't hesitate at all to use manipulative techniques to get her way.
In general, neither the OP nor his future wife were eager to see their relatives at the wedding, especially since they had completely different plans. The small group rented an RV, and invited a photographer and videographer to capture iconic moments of the trip - and as a result, they were supposed to get a whole avalanche of impressions, a lot of cool photos, and a great movie about the trip...
However, every secret sooner or later comes out... The author's sweetheart made a strategic mistake when she let slip about the upcoming trip to her younger sister, assuming that she would keep this secret. No matter how hard it was!
Immediately after arriving in Colorado and getting ready for the ceremony, they unexpectedly received a call - and the conversation plunged them into horror. It turned out that the entire crowd of relatives took off almost instantly, traveled over a thousand miles across the country - and were already at the entrance to the wedding venue!
The relatives showed remarkable detective skills, finding out which place that very RV was located near - and crashed the wedding out of the blue, ruining literally everything. For example, the bride's mom interrupted the ceremony to make a heartfelt speech, and when she also found out that she would soon become a grandma... well, in general, the plans for a romantic elopement were buried under a hill of harsh reality.
The newlyweds returned home without much joy, squeezed like lemons, without the desired movie, and with only a couple of dozen wedding images... As the author of the post sadly admits, “It’s been a stressful month and I’m just glad it’s over.”
Image credits: Sebastian Coman Photography (not the actual photo)
“Quite an awkward story, it seems to me,” says Denis Tsikanovsky, a wedding host from Tel-Aviv, Israel, whom Bored Panda asked to comment on this situation. “I can’t even remember anything similar from my extensive professional experience. And, of course, when a lot of uninvited guests burst right into the ceremony, nothing can be done about it, so the relatives chose the perfect moment for their appearance, we must give them their due.”
“Perhaps the main moral of this story, it seems to me, is that if you don’t go into the psychological details of each family, because this is a question for specialists... so, if we consider this case from the point of view of only organizing a wedding, then the first and main rule is to keep everything a secret. Especially when there are such guests from whom you can expect literally anything. Especially when you plan to elope," Denis concludes.
Most of the commenters on the original post, of course, also expressed sympathy for the author and his wife, and advised them to try to cut the overly nosy relatives off. Apparently, some commenters do believe that the OP’s wife will definitely need therapy in the near future, because given her pregnancy, unnecessary worries are literally contraindicated.
And also, as some people in the comments think, the spouses should, perhaps, in the nearest future, after the birth of their baby, redo their wedding - exactly as they initially planned. "I hope you and your wife can have a 'redo' at some point," some person in the comments wrote - and the original poster couldn't agree more with this idea. "As do I!" the author replied.
Well, weddings have always been (and will be) a truly inexhaustible source of all sorts of weird and bizarre stories and cases - as, for example, those described in this collection of ours. By the way, if you have also ever witnessed anything similar at any wedding, we'd appreciate your own tales in the comments as well!
People in the comments also felt sorry for the couple and suggested they could redo their wedding after childbirth
