Bride and Groom Asked Guests to Dress Up for Halloween-Themed Wedding. Then Almost No One Showed Up in Costume

A wedding guest who attended a Halloween-themed celebration recently took to Reddit to share their disappointment after realizing most of the guests — including the groom — barely made an effort to follow the dress code.

Posting on the r/weddingshaming forum, the guest explained that the couple had requested everyone come in costume for their October 31 ceremony. “I thought it was fun but still a wedding,” the guest wrote, adding that they made sure to choose costumes that would look good in photos “years from now.”

Unfortunately, only about five people, including the bride, showed up in what the Redditor described as proper costumes that “looked nice or actually fit.” The rest wore casual outfits, pajamas, or simple accessories like superhero masks and cat ears. “We had almost a year of advance notice for this wedding,” the guest noted. “Even the photographer seemed perplexed by some of these costumes.”

According to the post, the groom also appeared unprepared and uninvested in the celebration. “He wore an ill-fitted Spirit Halloween costume that didn’t match the bride at all,” the user wrote. “He didn’t write his vows, was surprised he was expected to have them, and didn’t tell his side of the wedding party they were even in it until less than five minutes before the ceremony.”

At first, the guest assumed the event might simply be more casual than expected — until they saw the bride. “You could tell she put so much effort into her costume,” the post continued. “It was homemade, and she had a heartfelt speech prepared. They had a professional photographer and everything.”

While the bride didn’t appear upset, the guest said they were disheartened by how little enthusiasm the groom — and most guests — seemed to show. “I was super disappointed in how many people were dressed like it was a frat house Halloween party and not a wedding,” they said.

Many commenters on Reddit echoed that sentiment, suggesting that there may have been a lack of communication between the couple about their wedding vision. “This sounds like there wasn’t good communication between the bride and groom about the vision of their wedding,” one user wrote.

Others chimed in with advice for future couples considering themed weddings. “These themed weddings can absolutely work, but you’ve got to know your guests,” one commenter noted. “If your family is full of conservative introverts, they aren’t going to embrace the theme.”

Another person added, “There’s no excuse for the groom not telling people they were expected to participate. If guests aren’t going to buy in, maybe just skip the costume idea altogether.”