Bride Details How Venue Owners Interfered with Her Wedding, Including ‘Hiding in the Bushes’ to Watch First Look

A bride is sharing her frustration after the owners of her wedding venue repeatedly interfered with her big day.

She posted the story on Reddit’s Wedding Shaming forum in a thread titled, “Never imagined the biggest drama at my wedding would be the venue owners.” She explained that her intimate wedding had 25 guests and took place at a lakeside venue with four staff members, including the two 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.”

The situation escalated when the owners barged in during the couple’s private first look. When the maid of honor asked them to leave, they reportedly 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 frequently sat among the guests “so often there was nobody at the bar to ask for a drink.” They also clashed with the bride’s husband when he asked that leftover food be refrigerated rather than left out.

Later in the evening, 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 experience, she 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, many Redditors expressed sympathy for the bride.

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

Another added, “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.”

Some readers speculated that the owners’ personal connection to the couple might have blurred the lines between friend and vendor, wondering if the event was offered as a favor or discounted. The bride clarified, “it wasn’t a friendly favor, we paid full price for them to work.”

Others emphasized that nothing excuses 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.”