Oh, weddings. They're either your happiest memories, or... frankly, the worst ones. But normally, all they really aim to do is celebrate the love between two people and their unapologetic dream to share a life together.
But as we all know, it's hardly ever as simple as that — especially for the bride and groom. Planning a wedding isn't easy, and we've all heard and read stories that, well, seem more like nightmares straight out of a fantasy book. But no one really expects the one problem with a wedding to be the food — or, in today's story, the lack thereof.
It turns out, a woman went to a wedding where a couple decided to go cheap on the food. While they promised a full dinner course, they ended up serving only a few appetizers that everyone had to fight over. And even a grandma felt weak from hunger. Yikes. So, here's the full story, courtesy of r/weddingshaming.
Wedding planning can be a full-time job until the big day finally comes to an end
But a woman went to a wedding where she expected what was promised, a dinner, and was instead shocked to only be offered appetizers
The main problem in this situation was the promise of a dinner and the removal of that promise without warning
Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, and they'd be right. So, having a wedding without a dinner planned isn't at all that uncommon — but it's the fact that everyone is expecting a dinner that's causing the problem. While people don't normally want to fight for food, Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir have researched the concept of scarcity mindset.
Even when not in an emergency, seeing food as a limited, vital resource can make social norms go completely out the window. This can lead to competitive behaviors that otherwise wouldn't have occurred, such as swarming the kitchen and throwing elbows. Especially given the number of people attending and the lack of food available, it's easy to see how things could get out of hand.
Prolonged fasting is also a very real issue. The narrator explains that she and her husband opted for a light lunch in anticipation of the usual hefty wedding catering, including dinner. However, experts say that prolonged fasting, paired with alcohol, can trigger sudden drops in blood pressure or alcohol-induced hypoglycemia. Hence why the grandmother, who wasn't able to get the appetizers as frequently as those who swarmed the kitchen, ended up fainting.
As a guest, the woman was understandably upset, and the group ended up taking matters into their own hands
Most of us have heard the term "hangry," but experts have examined it from a professional perspective. In a 2022 study, researchers found that daily fluctuations in hunger directly caused increases in anger and irritability. After all, research also shows that hunger isn't just a physical feeling, but can directly affect someone's psyche and be interpreted as a strong, negative emotion in an unpleasant situation.
Unsurprisingly, catering and food-related failures are among the most common problems at events. Party-planning professionals have indicated that logistics, budget, and guest expectations all need to be balanced, and there are a few common pitfalls. Miscalculating the amount of food needed or selecting a service style that doesn't scale to the size of the guest list — like in this story — is one of them. Then there's budget mismanagement, unpredictable guest experiences, and family drama, of course.
Well, ultimately, the woman and the group that headed to a pizza place ended up doing exactly what they should have. Abraham Maslow's psychological framework holds that lower-tier physiological needs, such as food and water, take precedence over higher-tier social needs, such as etiquette or honoring obligations. That said, what did you think of this insane wedding story? Do you have any of your own? Please do let us know!
People were baffled about the length of the wedding, as well as the lack of food, and here's what they had to say
