30 Weddings That Ended Almost Before They Even Began

When we hear the term ‘shortest marriage’, our minds automatically jump to celebs such as Britney Spears or Kim Kardashian. However, is it turns out, this fantastic notion isn’t exclusive to celebrities. Recently, a curious netizen sparked a lively discussion by asking, "People who went to a wedding where the couple didn't last long, what happened?"  The responses revealed a surprising array of stories about some of the shortest marriages ever. Attendees shared tales of newlyweds who called it quits within hours to a few weeks of saying "I do.” Reasons ranged from explosive arguments at the reception to last-minute realizations of incompatibility, infidelity revelations, and even changes of heart right after the ceremony. These brief unions, often marked by drama and unexpected twists, offered a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of modern relationships.

#1 My cousin (female/bride) was “dancing too much” at the reception so the groom hit her. My uncles gave HIM a ride to the hospital which he needed very badly by the time he got there. It was annuled pretty quickly.

Image source: WhatWouldTNGPicardDo, Luca Istrate/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#2 My very sweet and adorable cousin has epilepsy.

Image source: Selkie_Queen, Terje Sollie/Pexels (not the actual photo) We really liked her boyfriend turned fiance and they seemed like a great match. We were all confused when she divorced him a year after their wedding. Turns out after they were officially married a switch flipped inside him and he became very emotionally abusive and manipulative. He would hold her epilepsy medication hostage in order for her to do whatever he asked. He was so psychologically abusive. As soon as she gathered enough courage to leave him, it’s been amazing seeing her recovery to being her authentic, free self again after him.

#3 From the first time I met him, I knew my friend's exhusband was an insecure, controlling, arrogant a*****e.

Image source: 1000121562127, Spencer Selover/Pexels (not the actual photo) Interesting that my friend didn't see it, considering what a strong and independent woman she is. Anyway, after he accused her of being in love with a coworker (she wasn't), he spent a furious evening burning all of her stuff in the yard, including her wedding dress and a not inexpensive clarinet. She divorced him before their first anniversary. The bakery that did their wedding cake had a one year anniversary cake written into their contract, so she enjoyed that cake with her mom and sister, toasting to her divorce.

#4 I attended two Disney-themed weddings, and both couples had gotten engaged at Disneyland, spent a fortune on Disney decor for the weddings, and honeymooned at Disneyland.

Image source: Key-Controls 7348, Avel Chuklanov/Unsplash (not the actual photo) In both cases, the women wanted the whole dream wedding of being a princess and they totally glazed over the reality of marriage and the flawed nature of their outlook on it. They wanted the wedding but weren't ready for the future afterward. Both couples divorced in less than two years. My friends, who had a ceremony at the courthouse, have been together for almost 10 years now

#5 I’m not sure but the thank you card from my gift arrived on the day I found out they were divorced. 2 weeks at most.

Image source: soul-shine-lissa, alleksana/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#6 My brother got married to a woman from Russia while in the army.

Image source: MotleyCute, Ali Pazani/Pexels (not the actual photo) The whole family thought she married him for a green card, but he was convinced it was love. They had their ceremony in a gazebo on a military base. It was a small gathering of family that traveled to it from out of state. His best friend since high school got ordained just so he could marry them. My brother was really excited. He wore a nice suit and the bride… well… she showed up in a bright pink track suit. They divorced a year later.

#7 During the reception the brides niece accidentally knocked over a drink that splashed the brides shoes and she back handed her in front of everyone. It caused a huge fight and the groom walked out right then.

Image source: Rare-Highlight-9674, Dimitri Kuliuk/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#8 Didn’t go to the wedding, but did go to the bachelorette/goodbye party.

Image source: LAX_to_MDW, Min An/Pexels (not the actual photo) We were in college, she was 19, from a super conservative family. Her long time boyfriend visited her once and was terrible - wouldn’t talk to anyone, basically sulked the whole time. He clearly hated that she was in school. When he proposed, her parents pulled the plug on college tuition because “she didn’t need it anymore.” So she dropped out at the end of her freshman year, moved back to central California and got married to the sh*thead. I never saw her again, but from what I’ve seen on Facebook she finally dumped him in her mid-20s, moved across the country to get away from her family, and was working restaurant jobs while trying to get a degree. We’re in our 30s now, and she still seems pretty angry about everything she missed out on and how she was treated, but she’s living her life on her own terms. Not a happy ending, but I’m happy for her.

#9 We went to a wedding and the bride found out the groom was cheating on the bride with her maid of honour. The maid of honour was (unknowingly) pregnant with the grooms baby at the time of the wedding. The bride found out on their honeymoon when she saw a text message from her “best friend” on her husband’s phone informing him of his new parental status.

Image source: sweetiejaxon, Irina Iriser/Pexels (not the actual photo) The bride filed for divorce when they came back home and she moved back in with her parents. She felt betrayed and humiliated by her friend and husband. We dropped the husband as a friend as my husband and I have zero trust with cheaters.

#10 Groom caught bride cheating with the best man at the wedding, it had been going on for months. They Kept it together for the night so no one knew. They tried to make it work but only lasted 3 months.

Image source: nomorepumpkins, Ron Lach/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#11 The bride had a very Instagram wedding, which was quite over the top. She had two different dresses and a videographer who made it look like it was a film. It turns out the groom had been sleeping with the maid of honor for six months before the wedding, and it was found out when the MOH was crying, saying, 'This should've been me,' at the party afterward. The cake tasted absolutely incredible, though, 10/10

Image source: Bruce___Wayne, Emma Bauso/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#12 One of my best friends got married. None of us had met her before but we hadn’t seen him in years and were super excited to reconnect. This was the most elaborate wedding I had ever been to. Tuxes, an incredible meal, a hall that resembled hogwarts, an opera performance and a string quartet playing his favourite rap songs. It was incredible, yet we just knew it wasn’t “him”. We started to mingle with her friends at a table and we soon learned they didn’t really know her.. We brushed it off as we just wanted to be there for him and have a good time.

Image source: ZeddM, Jeremy Wong Weddings/Unsplash (not the actual photo) That was until the mother of the bride made a harmless joke about the bride being difficult as a child. This led to the bride eventually storming off after the dances, locking herself in a room, getting blackout and berating him, his family and many guests who had flown across the country to be there. It all started to click that she was just absolutely psycho. Most of the guests caught the vibe and left by 930pm. Me and my friends eventually sat with her “friends” and shut down the party. From 150 guests down to 8. Why would we let everything go to waste? He quickly came over after he was able to calm her down and apologized to us and left. We honestly thought we’d never see him again. 6 weeks later he called me, he had returned home. They were done. The story just has so many layers to it. Looking back, in the one day we had been around the situation there was SO many red flags. Thankfully we have him back and he’s thriving.

#13 The groom was about 35 the bride was 25. The groom was a high-flying corporate lawyer with no understanding that his young wife was far more intelligent and driven than he was.

Image source: MrAlf0nse, Emma Bauso/Pexels (not the actual photo) His entire speech was about how she was a total idiot and how he was her meal ticket and life-guide. They lasted a year. He’s still doing very well as a lawyer, she was on the board of major organisations before she was 30. He either utterly misjudged her as a person, or was threatened by her. Either way she divorced him and moved on.

#14 Groom smashed the cake into the Bride’s face when she had specifically told him not too.

Image source: FawkesFire13, Jill Wellington/Pexels (not the actual photo) I have never seen rage shoot from someone’s eyes like that before. She walked out of the wedding, and tore up the certificate. Called the whole thing off. Apparently there had been other red flags with the groom but this was the final straw sort of thing. Honestly, I’m happy for her. Groom gave me weird vibes the few times I’d met him.

#15 I'm offering up this one because it actually, ultimately, has a happy ending.

Image source: bad-at-science, Sandy Millar/Unsplash (not the actual photo) I got to know a guy in my home town who had a wife from somewhere abroad. Every time I was around at his house she'd glare at him, refuse to speak to or acknowledge me, and just walk around like the physical incarnation of a thunderstorm. She was the exact same toward everyone else as well. When I asked my friend about this, he admitted she didn't really like where they lived, that being a town in the UK. And in fairness, it was not the nicest area of town by a very long shot, but he seemed oblivious to this. Their apartment was great, but the area around it looked like a set from The Walking Dead. That marriage lasted six months. When I asked him after, why they got married, he told me he thought that since he was now (at that time) thirty years old, he should probably settle down. Which is the daftest reason to get married anyone's ever given me. Then this happened, told to me, by him, after the fact. From time to time he'd get emails from an old friend of his, a girl who had been a part of his circle of friends when he was younger, and who had since returned home to Asia. When she learned he'd married, her emails dried up for a few years. Just days after his divorce, she got back in touch for the first time in a long time and he wrote back with the news he was divorced. Three days later she flew halfway around the world to see him. They became a couple after a couple of days, married one year later, and now have three kids. And live in a much nicer area.

#16 I was bartending a wedding and the groom kept getting drink after drink. He was so drunk that I started making his drinks with water and he didnt notice. Next thing you know he is kissing a bridesmaid in the middle of the dance floor. His new father in law didn't take kindly to this and proceeded to knock him the f**k out. They got it annuled.

Image source: infinitely-oblivious, Rene Asmussen/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#17 Uh...The bride came out to slipknot. They wrote their own vows which were, shall we say, overtly and uncomfortably sexual, and they had been dating for a grand total of two whole weeks.

Image source: Arthurius-Denticus, Deesha Chandra/Pexels (not the actual photo) Any and all attempts to inform them that this was a mistake were met with "When you know, you know." or "You're just jealous." But hey, a free bar is a free bar. Edit: So many questions. The song was the last/bonus track on subliminal verses. I'm told this track is called "Danger - keep away". The wedding itself was a small thing with a registrar in a council building. The staff there were very professional, and only laughed quietly. The after party was at a pub owned by the grooms uncle. The honey moon was at Butlins. They were separated by the time they got back. They were not in the military, just young/dumb. We are all white trash, and that's fine. I bought them a toaster from argos. I didn't ask for it back.

#18 The bride and groom got married at 20, and the bride's dad asked her to return his credit card during his speech because she can't use 'daddy's money' now that she's married. He then ran over and started cutting his OWN credit card while the DJ played 'Rich Girl.'

Image source: skilled-dreamer, Jeremy Wong/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#19 The maid of honor sat down at our table, downed a shot, and said, "I give them three years."

Image source: SamuraiSuplex, Terje Sollie/Pexels (not the actual photo) Edit: They made it 2 years and 8 months.

#20 I was at a friend's relatives wedding. Groom slurred his way through his vows.

Image source: superwholockian62, Fidel Hajj/Pexels (not the actual photo) The ring he tried to put on her finger didn't fit. Then he gave a very drunk speech saying if he didn't screw up his life by cheating on his ex then she would be sitting there right now and not his new bride. The ring didn't fit because it was one he bought for his ex fiance. He started crying and left. Like he left the venue. Bride had the marriage annulled. Groom tried to get back with his ex. She had moved on and was engaged already. He then tried to get back with the bride. Fortunately she had firm backbone and told him to f**k all the way off. Last I heard she got with a great guy and they have kids. Groom is still alone.

#21 A friend of mine found out a few days after her wedding, that her husband hadn't been away for work a few months before their marriage as he claimed, but was actually with his side chick, that was giving birth to his child. Turns out the side chick had no idea either so they had a long talk about him before confronting him. She got an annulment due to the marriage having been entered into under false circumstances.

Image source: grax23, Shamia Casiano/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#22 They were banging other people before the wedding, didn't go on the same honeymoon together, continued to bang other people after the wedding, and stopped living in the same house by the time five months had rolled around. Wedding was fun, though, and the booze was free.

Image source: biochamberr, Oleksandr P/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#23 I live in a small town in switzerland, so everybody knows everybody. A couple was to marry on saturday. The guest came along and while they were greeted the bride excused herself. She left to s*ck of a former male friend of her 'one last time' and got caught. We used to joke about her 'blowing of the wedding'. This thing happend years ago, but the both are still living in our town seperatively and i can't unhear the story when i see them.

Image source: ringgenbergeast, Scott Webb/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#24 Tale as old as time.

Image source: ObieB, Rene Asmussen/Pexels (not the actual photo) One of my roommates in college got engaged to a guy in the army after dating for less than a year. My roommates and I were so confused when she came back from Christmas break engaged. During our senior year the fiancé was deployed and my roommate became “best friends” with the bouncer at our local bar, spending days and nights with him but denying there was anything going on. Girl, our bedrooms are right next to reach other. Well when her fiancé got back one of his groomsmen had to drop out of the wedding so she INSISTED her new “best friend” be a groomsman. I declined the wedding invite because it was obvious how screwed up the situation was and I didn’t support it. Definitely made for awkward times as we still lived together up until the wedding. Myself and another roommate did try to tell her fiancé what was going on but he totally blew us off. I think he was in denial and just made excuses for her. They lasted 10 months I think.

#25 The Groom had a quickie with a barmaid at the reception and the Bride came out to her maid of honour. Almost everyone at the wedding caught chicken pox from the ring bearer (who was clearly feverish) the food was horrible and it all ended with a mass brawl in the car park.

Image source: backtobiba, Jeremy Wong/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#26 The bride and groom got married and within 3 months, the bride found out the groom was married and had kids in a different country.

Image source: mimibox, Jonathan Borba/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#27 Groom went missing between ceremony and reception. Bride found him banging the best man in the toilets. She smashed a glass in his face.

Image source: karamellokoala, Craig Adderley/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#28 My friend is a wedding photographer in Australia and she had a couple where the groom was visibly recoiling from the bride in every photo. She couldn’t get a photo of him looking comfortable or happy around his bride. No idea what was going on but they didn’t last long….

Image source: Upsidedown0310, Leah Newhouse/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#29 The father of the bride got extremely drunk and did a very long, rambling speech in which he revealed he'd done a background check on the husband and discovered they were cousins. He got booed and dragged off the stage, but unfortunately, things didn't last long, as you can imagine

Image source: Throwaway_elle_T, Rene Asmussen/Pexels (not the actual photo)

#30 They were both 35 successful lawyer and doctor. But had never spent the night at each other's house.

Image source: randallAtl, Emma Bauso/Pexels (not the actual photo) After the marriage they couldn't agree who would move in with who. And filed for divorce after 3 months. No one knows why they even got married at all. I guess they felt like they were supposed to at that age.