I stumbled across this story about a couple who'd spent $80,000 on their dream wedding, only to have their best man hijack the day and propose to his girlfriend... mid-ceremony!
Apparently, the best man was also the officiant, and he went on to talk about his future with his new fiancee, instead of focusing on the couple actually getting married. He also requested a dance for himself and his own bride-to-be alone on the dance floor during the reception. That's a lot of gall, I have to say. The bride and groom were livid.
But here's my question: on a scale of 1-10, how mad would you be?
I think I'd be about a 2, and here's why--we had a really cheap wedding! I really think the money factors in. Mr. Johns and I decided to get married... and did. It was a tiny wedding, the goal of which was to get hitched. I don't remember the vows, or much of anything detail-wise. I was just excited to be married to my guy. In fact, my most vivid memory of the day was being locked in a public bathroom with my husband at the restaurant where we were having our reception, and us saying to each other, "We're married! Can you believe it?" A bathroom. So if one of our 8 guests had proposed during my wedding, I don't think it would have phased me a whole lot.Now, if I'd put off my wedding for several years, planned the perfect wedding and spent $80 K on it, I might have been more annoyed. And while the best man was really lacking in social graces (and should be very embarrassed for his bad behavior), I'm of the opinion that a wedding is just one day. And you can't control it all! Things will go wrong. Things will go right. It's a success if you end up legally wed!
However, I may be alone in that opinion. What do you think? How mad would you be if your wedding was hijacked by a proposal?
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Don't miss out on my June and July releases!
Damsel in distress…or veiled threat? Bernadette Morgan left her cheating fiancé moments before they were supposed to marry in the society wedding of the year. Now she's stuck in Runt River, Ohio, with a broken-down car and a tattered wedding dress. All she wants is a place to hide. But what she finds are a handsome mechanic, a little boy and family secrets that could change everything. Because the toddler Liam Wilson's raising is actually her cousin's child. And she'll do anything to protect him from her politically ambitious family, even if that means rejecting the possibility of love with Liam…
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Officer Bryce Camden never expected his two-week stint in Comfort Creek, Colorado, would mean diaper duty. But that's exactly what happens when he stays at the local bed-and-breakfast where Lily Ellison is fostering an abandoned baby girl. Bryce is drawn to the lovely B and B owner, but being a dad is not part of his plans. His troubled past has shown him that he's not the nurturing type. But he soon finds himself wishing he didn't have to leave. Because Lily and the baby have taken root in his heart and made him think that maybe he could be a family man after all…
After spending that much money, I'd probably be a little upset. I like your memory, Patty. I'm not passing judgment, but my guess is someone who has an 80k wedding, will probably end up with a million dollar divorce. I love both of your covers!
ReplyDeleteOr just splitting the debt. ;) Here's hoping it got better over time!
DeleteMy husband and I were married on a beautiful Caribbean island. It was not a typical beach wedding but a black-tie affair. An elegant restaurant at the end of a long pier was ours for the night and it was stunningly decorated with, as was the long pier, with a white runner and lots of flowers. We said our vows under a floral arch at the end of the pier. The pier was seldom used for boat arrivals, we were told, maybe a handful of times a year.
ReplyDeleteWhat were the odds that a couple would arrive at the resort--by boat--just after the music started and I was about to start walking down the pier? To add to it, the couple started to bicker with the driver (captain?) of the boat, over the fee! Fortunately for us, a number of the top executives from the resort where there. One of them intervened, got the fee settled, grabbed the couple's bags and literarily ran down the length of the pier with them, in an effort to get the couple moving. The couple seemed oblivious to the fact that they were holding up a wedding and leisurely strolled down the long pier without as much as a "sorry to interrupt."
Were we angry? I can't remember if I was even a little annoyed at the time. It struck us as funny, we still laugh about it and it was one of the things that made our wedding fun and memorable.
So, I can't see I'd get too upset about the situation you described, Patty; however, I would seriously question the judgement of the best man and wonder how good a friend he really was, if he thought it was okay to do what he did (without getting the okay from the groom).
Best wishes with both your new releases!!
Your wedding sounds beautiful! And I agree--if you're getting married to the man of your dreams, any hitch in the day is mostly just humorous. If told right, it could be a hilarious story for the grandkids! :)
DeleteThat was a funny story, Patricia, and I'm sure would,have made a great scene in a movie (comedy? Or maybe a murder?). But I liked your own wedding story about being locked in the bathroom of the restaurant at your reception. I can't help but wonder how that came about? More details, please!!! LOL I guess if I'd spent that much money on a wedding, I'd have been upset. At our wedding, the nervous best man started the toast (can't recall which one now, it's been 47 yrs!!) before we had champagne. That caused a stir, a bit of confusion and running about to pour bubbly. All long forgotten now though. Thanks for the fun start to my day.
ReplyDeleteHow we ended up in the locked bathroom? ;) Well, we'd arrived at the restaurant where our reception was being held, and my husband grabbed my hand and tugged me into a unisex bathroom for a couple of minutes alone. While in there, the pastor was pounding on the door because he needed to pee, and we were just giggling, because it was all hitting home for us that we were actually married!
DeleteYour nervous best man sounds adorable! :)
I suppose I'd be pretty angry if I'd spent that kind of money on a wedding, but mostly I'm thinking about how many great trips could be had for that kind of money. My mind goes there every time someone throws around numbers for weddings these days. I translate it into tickets and reservations. What a great cover, by the way. It's sure to appeal to readers. Great story, too, and the stuff of cherished memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Virginia! :) Yes, I do the same thing when I hear numbers like that. But for me, I think of down payments on homes. LOL!
DeleteWe were more like you, Patty--we just decided...and did. Our kids' weddings were nice but focused more on fun than formality, although I think Kate's island wedding sounds gorgeous. I love your bathroom story!
ReplyDeleteYes, Kate's island wedding caught my imagination, too! It sounds beautiful. I'm not as good of an event planner to make something like that happen. If it weren't for my mother's insisting, we'd have just gone to city hall.
DeleteI think of all the stories I love, wedding stories are at the top of my list. Patty, your is about the most abrasive thing a friend could do. I don't know how angry I would be, but you can be those parents who were paying for at least some of that wedding had to be furious. I love Kate's story...but again, the couple didn't even ask to be pardoned for interrupting everything?
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband and I got married it was in his backyard and was so lovely and meaningful. Sunset on the winter solstice in Scottsdale. BUT OUR STORY was that the Judge who married us was 45 minutes late!! We kept the bar open and my husband and son told jokes to the guests while we waited for the judge to show up. Again, it's a "blip" in the overall joy of the day...but does make for a fun memory!
Those blips make for good stories later on! :)
DeleteThat best man was definitely a questionable friend choice...
I saw that on TV and thought he was a jerk, but maybe he was so excited about his fiancée saying yes that he thought it was a tribute to the couple that were his best friends. Who knows. Seems it would take a lot more than that to break up a really solid friendship.
ReplyDeleteBut he did propose during the wedding! And it sounded planned... Hm. Well, they chose him for best man for a reason, I suppose. I say live and let live. Or marry and let marry. LOL!
DeleteAh...weddings. Never so much joy, never so much angst. I would never spend a fortune on a wedding, but if I did, I must admit I'd be a bit miffed at a high jacker. The wedding is the one day that is all about him and her. No other day other than the fifty anniversary will ever put them in the spotlight. When the bride says on her wedding day, "This is all about me," she is right.
ReplyDeleteCynthia
Oh yes--it's definitely supposed to be focused on the bride and groom. I wonder how badly the best man felt afterward? Especially when that story hit the news?
DeleteOh my gosh! Talk about stealing someone's thunder. If someone proposed at my wedding, I wouldn't be mad at all. But during the vows? Yes, I might just be a 10 (especially if they interrupted the vows) because the vows are sacred. Can't you just wait until the reception? But I just read the article and it seems that the best man proceeded to turn the entire wedding and reception into his own day, making a toast about him and bride to be instead of the married couple and even requested a dance just for them. Apparently, during the video of the ceremony, the videographer kept cutting to shots of the newly proposed to fiancee and the couple couldn't hear their vows over her tears. I would have thought that if they were such great friends, the best man would have let his friend, the groom in on the plan to propose? Seems that like would have been best so they could have planned it out together. Then again, maybe he thought he would say no and decided to just go for it.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, you books look lovely. The dress on "The Runaway Bride" makes me sigh - so, so pretty!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Krissie!
DeleteYes, I definitely think that videographer has some responsibility there, too! There should have been some wedding professionals around to handle it, you'd think!
Haha yes! I would have loved for Jennifer Lopez's character in "The Wedding Planner" to have been there to save the day for this couple! She would have had that best man and videographer taken care of in no time. :) I also can't help but think how it seems like they must not have brought up their collective annoyance to the groom after the ceremony. Maybe if they had, he wouldn't have taken over the reception. But I can see how one might want to tread carefully in that very awkward situation.
DeleteWow. That's quite a story. It's difficult to guess how I'd feel. Like you, my wedding was all about the marriage. I couldn't wait to "be" married to my husband. I didn't really care about the "getting" part. (We also had 8 guests, all family.) I just can't imagine one of my friends being that insensitive. I'd be tempted to exact some "revenge" at their wedding and make a baby announcement or something...?
ReplyDeleteThat's very funny! :) They'd certainly have it coming!
DeleteDuring our wedding, the minister called me by my sister's name. Twice. Finally my father corrected him and we started over. Of course, that was an accident. The best man hijacking the wedding was deliberate and over the top. Still, not worth losing a friend over. He should apologize and the bride should be glad she's married to her sweetheart and not that the self-centered jerk. Now as, for an $80,000 wedding, I'm with you. Buy a house.
ReplyDeleteI'm just so practical that way! I love other people's beautiful weddings, but for me, if I had $80K to play with, it would definitely go into real estate. LOL!
DeleteP.S. Love the story. Bernie and Liam were great charaacters, and the whole family dynamic was so well done. Great opening scene.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Beth! It means a lot!
DeleteI'm sorry but I would have been furious!! $80,000 on my special day and someone else, my best man at that, using the occasion to his own advantage? That's just wrong.
ReplyDeleteWe got married at city hall because we didn't want to, or couldn't, wait the year or longer to rent the place we wanted for the ceremony. Honestly, we would have married in the bathroom and been just as happy.
We had a reception a couple of months later and it was a disaster. That's a story for another time though.
DeleteI love your books cover. I really like the British?? Mills & Boon version of it too. ( :
A reception disaster? I'd love to hear that story!
DeleteAnd thank you! I really like it, too!
I wouldn't pay 80,000 for a wedding either (much rather have an RV and go traveling), but I'm with Krissie and Laurie, I'd be a 10.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a big mouth and probably would have interrupted the officiate and said, "My wedding, mine, remember...."
Not good video, but it would get the job done.
LOL! Better than simmering later on... and heck, it's YOUR video, right? It would be educational for the coming generations. "This is how granny took care of that!"
DeleteMy maid-of-honor bought her dress at a thrift store, and the only flowers I had was my bouquet which I remember my shaking hands could barely hold onto. Many of our 25 guests commented it was one of the best weddings they'd been to. We had games in the afternoon. The married couples had to answer questions about how well they knew each other, and the single men had to answer questions to the two single women who then selected the most eligible bachelor. And yes, $80,000 for a wedding is too rich for me but who knows...could be easy peasy for this couple. 'The Runaway Bride' cover is very pretty, Patricia! Love your bathroom story.
ReplyDeleteYou're right! The $80K might be a lot for me, but maybe it was very affordable for them. :)
DeleteThank you! I really loved to cover, too.
As someone who didn't have a wedding and had always dreamed of one, I'd probably be furious. My wedding consisted of my husband and I standing in front of a JP and exchanging vows. No one in our family even knew we'd gotten married until over 2 weeks later. We did it in a rush because I pointed out to my husband that the next day would be the 3 years from the day we met. He thought it would be cool to get married on the same day we met, so we just rushed around the next day and did it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good reason to rush! It would be such a meaningful anniversary that way. :)
DeleteTo quote Bette Midler "Enough about you, let's talk about me!" Congrats on the back to back releases.
ReplyDeleteLOL! And at a wedding, no less!
DeleteThanks so much!
LeAnne and I had the same type wedding. :-) And I think if I'd paid $80,000 for a wedding (something I'd NEVER do. Here in the South, that would buy a decent house!) I'd be a 10. Your covers are awesome!
ReplyDeleteI do think the money factors in to how mad I'd be, too!
DeleteThanks--Harlequin did such a good job on them!
I'd be a 10 at that. It's the bride and groom's day and all that fanfare for the best man was rude and out of lie.
ReplyDeleteI once went to a society wedding at St. Patrick's Cathedral (reception at the Waldorf) and I was a livid guest that they didn't even stop the tourist from visiting during the ceremony. This wedding had to cost at least 80K for the reception alone, not to mention what St. Pat's costs.
Happily, 40 years later, the couple are still married.
I agree--tourists shouldn't be wandering through weddings!
DeleteGlad to hear the couple is still going strong. :)
In that situation, I'd be 10+. LOL That's just so wrong!!
ReplyDelete