Wedding Week: Five of the Most Shocking Wedding Horror Stories

Sure, marriage is about finding your life partner, but once that’s accomplished, sometimes planning your wedding can be even more challenging. Figuring out how to split costs and meld families is no easy task. Throw in a dash of ridiculous expectations and a pinch of conflicting tastes, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Just ask Jeanne Fleming and Leonard Schwarz, authors of Isn’t It Their Turn To Pick Up The Check? a manual on how to navigate through awkward money issues between family and friends. The authors surveyed 800 people nationally on their stickiest financial foibles, and shared the most shocking wedding horror stories with MainStreet.

Here are the top five, from least gauche to most offensive, with their expert advice:

5. WEDDING PYRAMID SCHEME
Friends invited me to their wedding, which was being held at a resort hotel in Hawaii. Because of the cost, I was reluctant to go, but they really twisted my arm. After I got there, I found out that the bride and groom got free accommodations for bringing in a certain number of guests. And I also learned that if my girlfriend and I hadn’t booked a room, they wouldn’t have qualified.

As soon as they return from their honeymoon, invite the bride and groom to your help-with-the-rent party. And if they seem reluctant to attend, twist their arms.

4. WHOSE PARTY IS THIS?
Last year my cousin tied the knot at a Las Vegas wedding chapel and didn’t invite a soul. Now I’m about to have a big wedding, and a good friend is giving me a shower. My cousin is invited, and she says that since she never had a shower, everyone should be encouraged to bring a gift for her as well for as me.