We all love a good wedding, where the bride and groom are beaming after officially declaring their love in front of close friends and family gathered together in celebration.
Sure, wedding planning can be a headache, but the final result leading to the day of the nuptials usually proves it was all worth it.
Until something goes wrong.
Unfortunately, not all weddings are made the same and the special day can wind up being a major matrimonial miss.
Curious to hear from those who've witnessed a trainwreck on a jubilant occasion, Redditor HairyFungus asked:
"What’s the worst wedding you’ve ever been to?"
Some things are better left unsaid until after the wedding.
Oh, Brenda
"Grooms mother came to the bride's room where we were all snacking and getting ready and generally having a good time, listening to music and doing hair and makeup. She wanted to say some heartfelt message to the bride. Now the bride's father had passed away not long before, so we were doing everything we could to keep things upbeat and positive. Mother of the groom proceeds to tell her all about how her dad is looking down from heaven in happy tears and how he hates to miss this day and bride starts crying. Not just crying-- full on ugly crying."
"Her makeup is now in her decolletage and her nose is red and running. The MOG hands her back to us by saying, 'Oh dear, she can't walk down the aisle like this!' and leaves the damn room. We spend half an hour calming the bride down, cooling her face, fixing her makeup. The ceremony started late and the maid of honor had just a basic ponytail because we had to spend so much time on damage control. The bride spent most of the reception just sitting and looking exhausted. The MOG danced her socks off."
"F'k you, Brenda for sabotaging the day. I've disliked you ever since, you selfish hag."
– Flahdagal
Dark History
"Wife and I got dragged to her friend’s mother’s wedding. I think it was her 3rd marriage. Other than it being super awkward it went off without a hitch."
"The reason for it being awkward was the son of the bride was involved in the murder of the groom’s nephew. He went with some friends to buy drugs but turns out they didn’t have any intention of paying for them. The bride’s son was at the wedding. He was charged with murder and plead down to something that got him multiple years probation."
– kevinACS
Monster-In-Law
"I attended a family wedding where the groom told his mother in law about an hour before the ceremony that he didn't like her. There were a lot of tears but the bride married him anyway. After the reception, he got drunk and tossed his wedding ring into a field and a wedding guest found it the next morning. Somehow they are still married but I don't have a lot of hope for their future."
– inurface_spacecoyote
Well, these took the cake for being the cringiest.
Paying The Price
"Friend's wife thought it would be great if guests had to pay an entrance fee/ticket for their wedding. It wasn't cheap either. Her reason is people spend that much for concerts why shouldn't people spend it on seeing 'two rockstars' getting wed?"
"I paid the price for my friend though lol. Had to bring a gift as well. The entrance fee was paid in advance because the wedding had 'limited seating.' Good thing my friend was loved by everyone because I did not see a single friend from the bride(except for family). Her bridesmaid were her sisters."
"Context: They had a love for music and they didn't hire wedding singers for the reception. So basically it was a wedding/concert because the newly wed put out a performance for us. The ticket was like $100 for a country where $150 was the minimum monthly wage."
"For the record, they sent out the invitation for like 10 months or a year in advance so people had plenty of time to scrounge up for the ticket."
"Good voices though, still sh**ty because it was like being forced to pay for a 30 minute concert that I didn't want to go to. Love my friend to death so it was great to hear him sing and I don't regret going even for a second."
– 223333aaa
Bride Number Five
"I used to photograph weddings. This one took the cake. The bride was doing shots at 8am in the bridal suite getting ready. She then has the maid of honor call one of the guys to make sure they get plastic bottles of vodka, not glass. They were riding on motorcycles and she didn’t want to take a chance of the bottles breaking if they fell off."
"The guy she was marrying she knew for about 2 months. He had four different kids by four different women. How do I know this? He has all of their names tattooed on his arm. Nothing is crossed out, just their names in a row. She told me the significance and then bragged she’d be the fifth on his arm."
"The reception was a sh*t show. They passed through a Harley dealership and were an hour late to the reception from the ceremony. A drunken squad of bikers with bride and bridesmaids on the back of their bikes. One guy hit a car in the parking lot because he was so blitzed. By the end of the night the bride was passed out on a table while the groom was doing shots with other ladies at the reception."
"Took great photos for them."
– Compulsive-Gremlin
These weddings sure caused a scene.
Two Parties Collide
"This was a wedding reception. There was a swingers group that would host parties at a bar inside a hotel. Well the hotel also booked a wedding reception for the same night as the swingers party. Well the groom ended up hooking up with an older lady there and was caught leaving her room. Groom was slapped and punched, bride was raging crying and screaming. Groomsmen had zero idea what to do and were similarly plastered. Groom was fairly drunk and got a bloody nose after she punched him in the face a few times. Both families were screaming at each other and bridesmaids were being held back by staff and other family members. They looked more than ready to rip that guy apart. Cops got called and everyone was kicked out. That night was the talk of the town and group for a while. The hotel made sure to not book receptions and swingers on the same night from now on."
– F'kitall1121
So Much Buzz
"I was a bridesmaid in an outdoor wedding where the ceremony took place at a gazebo in a garden. I missed the rehearsal due to work, but followed along with the groomsmen I was paired with. I'm not sure the issue was addressed at the rehearsal, but there was a beehive under the gazebo. Loud music and sound equipment, lots of hairspray and perfume smells, people stomping on the gazebo taking pics and such. The bees were not happy. The whole wedding party was swatting and cringing. The officiant was rushing things as much as he could to get us out of there. I never saw the wedding video, but I'm sure it was a complete mess."
– Muppet_Rock
TMI
"The one where the best man decided to do his speech standing in front of the bride and groom. To really rub salt into the wound his speech consisted almost entirely of vivid descriptions of the grooms extensive sexual exploits."
"Unsurprisingly, the bride walked out and locked herself in the toilet."
– Sledger666
Sweltering Celebration
"Went to a dry wedding in August. We were in a tent with no circulation. I was sweaty. Speeches were done before the dinner. The maid of honour had a 45 minute slideshow of pictures of her and the bride. It was legitimately the worst wedding I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a wedding where the bride had a camo dress on."
– larsy87
Not to minimize any of the trauma these wedding day participants endured, but I can't help but think of the carnage unfolding during the infamous Game of Thrones blood wedding episode or the Kill Bill climax with the bride of vengeance.
Of course, weddings don't have to end up in a bloodbath, but seriously, there is a time and place for drama.
Save that date for another occasion.
People Describe The Most Cringeworthy Things They've Ever Seen A Bride And Groom Do
Weddings are all about the bride and groom; as they should be.
And that can lead to some messes.
Disaster weddings really should be a reality show.
I've heard stories about some weddings you'd never believe weren't fiction.
Newlyweds! Please test out your ideas on some people first.
Think it through.
Get a wedding planner who is also a therapist.
Redditor ajlposh wanted to hear about all the things we've seen newlyweds have done that maybe made things awkward...
"What’s the cringiest thing you’ve seen a bride and groom do for their wedding?"
I once saw a bride and groom preform a striptease. Like guys... save it for the honeymoon.
Chew on
the sandlot chewing tobacco GIFGiphy"In-laws wedding and groom and all groomsmen were wearing a tux and a ball cap. The groom had a dip of tobacco in during the wedding and I sh*t you not. His grooms cake was designed like a Copenhagen can."
AndrewLBailey
Let's Drive
"Long ago I worked at a banquet hall and witnessed a fully NASCAR themed wedding. During the reception they played the audio of the proposal going out over the PA at the track. It was fully unintelligible. BZZT GABBAGBGA MRRRY MEZZZZZ RROOOOOWWWVROOOM."
"Other highlights were the owner locking himself in his office to avoid the bride’s father because he was threatening him to haggle on the costs. In the end we had to call the police because the bride in gown climbed over the bar to steal more sweet sweet MGD after we had closed the taps and the event was over."
neverzen
Pick it Up
"At my cousin's wedding, they did the thing where the groom removes the bride's garter and tosses it to all the single guys. I guess none of the guys wanted to be next to be married, because once the groom tossed the garter, no one grabbed it. It just landed on the ground a few feet in front of a crowd of motionless guys. The groom tossed the garter 3 times before one guy halfheartedly picked it off the ground. The bride wouldn't look at any of those guys for the rest of the night."
ManOnThePaperMoon
Where to Begin?
"Oh let's see. Groom changed who his 'Best Man' was and didn't tell the original BM until the start of the ceremony. Bride & Groom asked a guest to bartend the reception AT the reception Groom 'dirty danced' with his step-mom (full hands on a**). Bride & Groom hauled their wedding party up to do a choreographed dance to Meatloaf's 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights' but didn't give them any pre-warning or teach them the dance. That song is 8.5 minutes long."
"Wedding was at a scenic boarding school campus during the summer. Guests were told dormitories were complimentary to stay in. Guests were not told there would be no bedding provided or A/C in the building. Groom later emailed everyone who stayed in a dorm asking for money."
"Same Bride & Groom chose another friend's wedding reception as the right setting to yell at a 3rd pair of mutual friends for not including them in their wedding party."
yet_another_dave
Rehearse First
Wedding Speech GIF by Taylor SwiftGiphy"My uncle not only brought up his daughters ex boyfriend in his speech but talked about their toxic relationship for a solid 5 minutes. I highly recommend preparing a speech before talking in front of a room full of people."
_Kyla_
It's like people have never been out in public before.
Smile
season 6 netflix GIF by Gilmore Girls Giphy"Requiring every attendee to bring a date because she didn't want 'sad, lonely people on her day.'"
"Not my friends luckily, but pretended to be a friend's date because she really wanted to see her cousin get married."
bashno
Weird
"At the reception, the groom and his groomsmen sung a God-awful acapella version of 'Stand By Me.'"
"The worst part was he wasn't even singing it to his wife. He was singing it to his mum."
"'Oh darling, darling, stand... by... me...'"
"Chinese weddings, man..."
crunkasaurus_
Too Long!
"I don't know, but one of my favorite memories from years of cater waitering was this long Indian wedding where they had a LOT of random relatives get up to give a toast, everyone's giving these long speeches and then one uncle gets up, goes 'I made him waffles once' and sits back down. I swear to god. bless that man, wherever he is."
"Toasts in general are usually terrible and full of cringe. Just keep it short, sweet, and genuine. No one wants 15 minutes of inside jokes that are embarrassing and don't make sense."
kelgryffindor
Hang Up
"Dated a girl in my 20s and went to her friend’s wedding in upstate New York. In the middle of the service the minister’s cell phone rang, he answered, it was God, God wanted to talk to the groom, conversation lasted a couple minutes, then the ceremony continued."
Theseus44
"I think they should have given the congregants a turn on the phone too. I mean, this isn’t an opportunity that comes along every day."
mna414
Bring It
Mac And Cheese Send Help GIF by ALLBLKGiphy"Potluck wedding with no alcohol or music. Groom kept showing people his flask and bragging about it. Macaroni was only redeemable thing, when i went to scoop there was hair in it. Very sad."
IcedCoffeeAndBeer
Not the Robe!
"I was a photographer for a wedding where the bride was marrying a man with two kids from a previous relationship. I was in the bridal suite when the bridal party was getting ready and all of the bridesmaids had matching silk robes. The flower girl (groom's daughter) was there too."
"They asked me to take a group photo of the bridal party and one of the women in a silk robe was standing awkwardly to the side. I thought she was just shy or something so I waved her into the photo and the room got DEAD silent and the bride was like "oh no, we don't want her in the photos" and glared at me like I should've known that!"
"Apparently she was the groom's ex wife and was there to take care of the flower girl but WHY DID YOU GIVE HER A MATCHING BRIDESMAID ROBE! I wanted to crawl in a hole and die."
lilsebastian17
Shocked
"The minister (or pastor?) used to date the bride and gushed about how wonderful she was. Told the groom if he ever died not to worry, he'd take care of her. I was shell shocked. I so wished I could think of a reason to ask the couple for a copy of the video of their wedding but couldn't quite find a legit one."
sunsetviewer
Time to Annul
"I wasn't a guest, I was working the wedding. The bride got drunk and sat on some other dudes lap for two hours and flirted with him while the groom sat by himself at the head table with a defeated look on his face."
Samhamwitch
"This might be the most depressing one yet?"
SkepticalAmerican
Oh Daddy
church considering GIF by funkGiphy"Not the couple, the Pastor kept saying 'Our Heavenly Father, Daddy God."
"While marrying them. For context it was a military wedding. It was just the couple and the pastor, it was live streamed on twitch, and the pastor was probably about 25. It was in Hawaii. He was wearing flip flops, and a lei made of fake flowers."
S-D-J
OMG Shut Up!
"Speeches. My God, the speeches! Here's the back story. The reception was scheduled for right after the ceremony but at a different location. We couldn't eat until the wedding party got there. They showed up 2 hours late because they were cruising around on the party bus and drinking. After showing up they decided to do the speeches before dinner. Speeches from the best man, the maid of honor, a few parents and random people."
"I've never listened to so much boring crap. It took more than an hour to get through them all. So basically everyone sat around with no music and no food for 3 hours! The bar wouldn't open either so we had only water to drink. Nearly everyone, including me, left after eating. It was disrespectful to their guests."
decidealready
Not a Chorus!
"They sang their vows to each other. Neither had a singing voice. Vows were generally bat sh*t crazy, like submissive in the bedroom, and not asking about where she was going. The autotune microphones were a terrible idea. Their vow songs shared a chorus and it was awful and they expected the guests to sing along with the chorus. The vows singing lasted 20 minutes."
Pure cringe.
CUT!
Eva Green 1800S GIF by STARZGiphy"Not wedding but engagement ceremony. They reenacted a scene from an old romantic film, about two lovers in 1800s. In front of like 300 people."
vixissitude
A Trashy Affair
"My friend got pregnant at 20 with a piece of sh*t guy so they got married. It was me, our friend, her mom and then just the two of them.. they got married in some random lady’s house, we sat on computer chairs in a small living room with the ladies dogs sniffing us and barking. The whole thing lasted maybe 5 or 10 minutes. After we proceeded to take wedding pictures in the parking lot of a dollar store and then we got McDonald’s."
"I made a little bouquet out of some ferns and leaves that were in the McDonald’s parking lot, she threw the bouquet and it ended up getting run over by someone going to the drive thru. Lol needless to say, it was a trashy affair and their marriage didn’t last long."
jojapeggi
Oh WOW!
"It’s a tie between my sister breaking her knee (seriously) at her own wedding dancing to the "Cotton Eyed Joe" and my stepsister having her reception at an honest to god truck stop while 6 months pregnant. In her defense, the food was good but WOW was it weird walking through a gas station in formal wear."
This is why you elope.
Do you have similar experiences to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Quality comes with price. That's a fact you can't escape. If you hire someone to fix your home, and want them to do the best job, you're going to have to pay above average prices. That's fine. Pay the people what they're worth for the great job they did. However, we live in a world where everyone is looking for their payout, even if what they've given you is less than ideal.
Don't overpay for any of these.
Reddit user DrLizardLover wanted to know what we're paying too much for when they asked:
"What is just stupidly overpriced?"
Another Collegiate Payment
"College books"
– Spooly_Boy
"Especially when they say you have to buy the newest copy every year"
– disantiyesnt
Good Thing We're Going Paperless
"Printer cartridges."
– DataPlenty
"Apparently it's because in order to make printers affordable to everyone, you must lower their prices. The cartridges are the upsell and is where the profit comes from."
– AltaSavoia
We Carry Them Around On Our Phones
"TI-84"
"I could get an old cell phone from a dumpster that’s 10x as powerful. Why the f-ck they still charging $80 or more for these things?"
– edgeblackbelt
$50 For Twizzlers
"Foods and drinks at movie theaters or sporting events"
– Icy-Company7718
"I can answer for the theaters. They don't actually get much, if any, of the ticket sales. A lot of their operating budget comes from the snack bar."
– Head_Razzmatazz7174
Fees On Hidden Fees For Hidden Fees
"Concert tickets"
"(AKA Ticketmaster)"
– Catilily_3141
"I thought I was on the school box office site when I was on one made to look like it. I bought two reasonably priced ncaa basketball tickets and when I went to check out it went up to $70 with fees. Found the school website and checked out for $26 total."
– blackcatmystery
Costs A Lot To Be A Woman
"One bra is like…40 dollars"
– Noliel_Laicaster
"except i have big honkers so i'm forced to pay upwards of $80 for a bra because the only place I can get them in my size is Lane Bryant or Torrid"
– kelsiewest11
"Just women's clothes in general. If I'm paying $40 for a pair of dress slacks, they damn well better have pockets. I have to have black slacks for my delivery job and ended up buying 3 pair of men's pants for $20 each, just to have the pockets."
– Head_Razzmatazz7174
History Has Funny Way Of Changing Perspectives
"Lobster. Was literally considered food for the peasants at one point in history. They used lobsters as bait on ships"
– magoted
The Most Expensive Day Of Your Life
"Anything tied to a wedding"
– nickp123456
"Friend of mine needed a generator for a wedding. He booked it as a "corporate event" to get cheaper hire."
"When the company arrived to setup and saw it was a wedding they demanded extra money, because it was a wedding. Same location, same generator, same rental period."
– salmonlikethephish
Sipping The Last Bits Of Money Out Of The Dead
"Funerals"
– Longjumping-Oil4497
"I definitely think that add-ons for funerals are sold like biggie sizing your happy meal. And the concept of memorializing a person for eternity has been sold as bare necessity. But I do know that the pomp and circumstance a lot of people need to lay somebody to rest, costs money."
"I want to see people honored in their death, but spending $5,000 on a pine box does not make sense to me"
– 444unsure
People Need Help? Charge Them.
"Mental health services. Blessings upon blessings to the mental health professionals who offer sliding scales."
– AphelionEntity
Unfortunately Astute
"healthcare"
– Purpzie
Even Mickey Mouse Charges
"Everything at Disney"
– upper420c
A New One May Be Cheaper
"Parts for computers. Can't even buy a good platinum rated power supply without screwing up your credit rating"
– TFGPH
A Daily Dose
"Since I am not seeing it: Motherf*cking Insulin"
– WrithingVines
The Expense Is Real
"The real question is what’s NOT stupidly over priced? Or would that not get enough comments"
– pippylongstockings67
Being A Woman Costs A Lot!
"Womens bras and other women products or sanitary products. I just felt it was ridiculous they are overpriced. I was a housewife and my ex husband was the breadwinner he would constantly get mad at me for shopping for new bras or things that i needed..."
– Boyfieismydaddy
Here Comes The Bride's Wallet
"Anything to do with weddings. You want flowers? Oh there for a wedding that’ll be £20 for a single rose."
– No-Speaker-9152
"Weddings and everything related. Normal cake: $50 Wedding cake: $500."
"Flowers: $20 bouquet. $200 wedding bouquet."
"It's just so stupid and economically abusive."
– esle-enoemos
A Roof Over Our Heads
"Housing, at least in the US lately. Why is it that we have foreclosed apartments and homes all over the place and homeless camps in every major city? I bet if landlords and banks stopped gouging tenants for every cent they can squeeze out, a lot more people would be able to afford a decent place to live and there wouldn't be this bullsh*t "housing shortage" any more."
– Far_Side_8324
Ah, The Good Old Days
"Bean Burritos from Taco Bell. Them bitches used to be 59 cents."
– burritodominator
"All fast food. McDonalds is charging 3.59 for large fries now. FFS those are pub prices, not drive-thru."
– illumomnati
America Gonna 'Murica
"Getting an IUD put in or taken out without insurance costs 1300. Takes 5 minutes to put in and it’s a piece of plastic."
– m_hahn_solo
"Wow thats so much. I'm in Canada so having it inserted, removed, and follow up appointments are free. But I had to pay for the IUD. The first time I used the insurance from college so only paid $30. The second time I graduated and didn't have insurance so I went to planned parenthood where its cheaper and paid 230. The third time I had insurance from work and it was free. Honestly all birth control should be free."
– Forever-25
Keep an eye on your wallet, since you know most of the world is keeping theirs firmly on it.
It can feel like your constantly looking over your shoulder anytime you want to buy anything today, as if someone is following you around with a pen hoping for you to sign away your wallet on a dotted line.
Scams and schemes are all over the place, and while they may not be some shoddy-looking man in a suit hoping to take you for a ride, they manifest in different ways.
Ever heard of "convenience fees?"
They're everywhere, and we all seem to have to be okay with them.
Reddit user, Horror-Tap2093, wanted to hear how people have the wool pulled over their heads daily when they asked:
"What's the biggest scam in life that no one wants to admit?"
While the internet has certainly made things easier to sign-up for, you ever notice how difficult it is to cancel once you decide you want out? Why is that?
One Website To Join. Nine Phone Calls To Cancel.
"The easy-to-join, difficult-to-cancel subscription model."
[usernamedeleted]
"Pioneered by gyms. I cancelled mine as soon as lockdown started and I put together a home gym. Literally had to print out something from their website and mail it in then call them 3 times."
"That whole business model is based on people signing up, not going, and putting off canceling due to a combination of not wanting to admit failure and the whole process being a pain in the @ss. If everyone with a gym membership went just twice a week they'd have a real problem on their hands."
ac1084
We Make It Easier For You To Give Us More Money
"Online convenience fees"
Vast-Anxiety-4066
"My bank has free bill pay and will mail them a check if they don’t have any other option. So now they get a check from me and the “inconvenience fee” is their own cost to process the thing, get paid slower, etc."
RazorRadick
"I recently paid $10 in convenience fees at AMC to buy tickets online instead of purchasing tickets at the theater. Doesn't purchasing tickets online allow them to save money on having less employees run the ticket booth? I get that it costs them money to run a website but $10 for a convenience fee? It just isn't justified."
TLOC81
Once A Month, Every Month, Regardless Of The Quality
"The subscription based economy"
Shenanigamii
"This makes me so angry. Why does everything have to be a subscription now? I mean, I know why but I still hate it"
big_red_160
"I imagine it’s a ton of easy profit. Instead of having to constantly advertise to keep you hooked and buying each month, they just have to hook you once into a long term commitment."
RickTitus
There are certain things in this country, America, specifically, which should not cost the the amount that it does. Yet, here we are, in 2022, overcharging people for routine medical provisions.
Costs A Lot To Live
"How the f-ck does HEALTH insurance not cover dental and vision? What kind of shenanigans is that?"
OldDust8123
"Didn't you hear? Teeth are your luxury bones."
deepseascale
"And eyes are too complicated for health insurance, but your brain is simple enough."
OldDust8123
"Health insurance is the biggest scam of this century. You pay them every month in hopes they can cover you when you need it and they do everything in their power to not give you your money back. Even if a doctor says you need treatment or medicine your insurance can say f-ck you, and keep your money?"
CAHTA92
A Day Of Bliss And Drained Bank Accounts
"The entire wedding industry."
"To be clear, not marriage but weddings specifically."
"I’m happily married to my wife and we were content to do something special just the two of us, maybe spend a couple of grand and treat ourselves a little bit to something amazing."
"Cue the families getting involved and before you know it we’re spending closer to twenty grand on one day and feeding a bunch of people I’ve not heard of before or since the wedding."
J-ShapedNerd
Being Healthy Costs A Lot
"$18 Salad lol"
Marshmello7
"Water is 3$ while pop is 1$"
kitiikit
"Before telling people to make healthier choices, figure out why a burger is $9 and a salad is $18."
TomoyoHoshijiro
Death and taxes are the inevitables we should expect out of life, sure, but lest we forget the secret third expectation: Hidden fees.
Under 65? Tough.
"We work the majority of our lives, during our fittest years of health, for the promise of a golden retirement, when we will probably too old and ill to enjoy it properly."
Mr_Bob_Ferguson
"First you have strength and time, but no money."
"Then you have strength and money, but no time."
"Finally you have money and time, but no strength."
wordserious
Fees, Fees, Fees
"Ticketmaster"
bigsz
"I used them to go see my first comedian. Got two seats priced at $90 each. My total was $313. I'm not good at math, but I knew something was wrong there. Their fee per ticket is just nuts. I ended up getting seats that were about $45 each and it still cost me almost $200."
User Deleted
Earn That Cheddar
"Hustle culture"
BenjaminoBob
"Bought a "gold" membership in a greeting card mlm so I could send unlimited custom cards. My "coach" thought I was taking it seriously as a money maker (plus he wanted me to recruit more people for his downline). He actually asked, "Are there any friendships you can leverage?""
"Yeah, that made my skin crawl..."
ollieollieoxinfree
"I’m sorry but the “grind” and “hustle” cultures only generate a--holes. They think everyone else’s goal is to be rich as f-ck, working 100 hours a week."
"I just want to be able to pay my bills and feed my family. Anything after that should be time spent with my family."
am0x
Everyone's out to get you, it seems.
Keep your eyes and your ears open then, just to be extra safe, keep your hands on your wallet.
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People Break Down The Least Suspicious Way To Get Their Significant Other's Ring Size
Confession: I love proposals. To a possibly unhealthy level.
Seeing someone be into someone enough to voluntarily be with them very early in the morning (like pre-coffee early, for you hot bean water addicts) every day for forever ... it's a beautiful thing that warms the icy cockles of my jaded little heart!
The homies (and the algorithm) know how much I love them and keep my feed deliciously filled with videos for me to cry about.
My favorites usually involve creatives proposing by leaning into their craft; like creating a film, a video game, portrait, and whatever you'd call this guys Google Earth masterpiece. I can't handle it. There will be tears, whether or not I know these people.
I've cried at proposals that I knew d*mn well were staged for photoshoots because I was part of the crew that organized it in the first place!
Having a reputation as a love-loving weirdo tends to make you the first person your friends call when they decide they want to propose. I've helped plan a weirdly high number of proposals for someone who has never proposed to anyone and isn't a professional.
By far, the biggest thing any of my friends stressed about was getting their partners' ring size without blowing the surprise.
Reddit user sept2two asked:
"What is the most non-suspicious way to get your girlfriends ring size?"
I'll give you my biggest tip at the end. Let's hear what Reddit has to say first.
Try Them On
"My husband wears rings and wanted to try mine on even though I have small fingers while he has 'big Shrek fingers.' "
"When he saw how small they were he laughed and was like 'what size is this?!' I told him and 1 year and 6 months later he proposed to me!"
"I was shocked he remembered the size because he sure can’t remember my birthday. 😂 "
- WebkinzCheekyFanatic
Be A Thief - But Beware
"Steal her jewelry."
- VoiceofTruth7
"Make sure it's something she has worn recently. Don't want to pick something she doesn't wear anymore because it doesn't fit."
- xAUSxReap3r
"I did exactly that with an engagement ring. So far off it couldn’t be resized and had to re order a new one. Whoops."
- jjen21
"Wish I had this thread a few years ago."
"I took one of her rings to the jeweler super smooth-like gave them all the details I gleaned from her Pinterest and random conversations, they gave me a weird look but made the ring. It came out beautiful!"
"Then the big moment hits, I go to slip it on and turns out, I stole a toe ring like an idiot. Thankfully they resized it easily enough."
"Jeweler must have thought my fiancée was 500 pounds."
- dansdansy
Mission Plasticene
"Buy a small square of plasticine at Michael's or art store for a dollar. Then make an impression of one of the rings they currently wear in the plasticene."
"Return the ring where you got it from, make sure there's no putty left behind on it."
"Take the square to a jeweler and have him measure that. They have a set of sizing rings specially for this kind of task."
"The plasticine will not shrink or expand, and will not distort if you're a bit gentle with it. Gives a spot-on measurement."
- AlanMercer
"This either comes from experience or maybe a scene from Mission Impossible that I can't recall; my guess if the former."
- justaspoonthanks
"If you hum the theme song to yourself, do it quietly."
- AlanMercer
Great Gum Health
"Take a piece of floss and tie it around her finger while she's asleep. Bring that to the store."
"Don't have floss? Go get some so you can healthy gums before you propose."
- berkeleyjake
"This was just an ad for floss."
- Stripperturneddoctor
"Did it work?"
- Just-Call-Me-J
Holiday Math
"Had my fiancées daughter draw a thanksgiving hand turkey with her mom’s hand. Then measured the outline and did a little math for circumference. Nailed it."
- Panther81277
"My husband did a very similar thing. He had small nieces in a different state and said they wanted our hands to do turkey drawings with, so we both traced our left hands. :) Sneaky."
- ceejaytee2
"Unfortunately, kids are terrible at this activity."
"If you have this angle it's better to figure something out where the parent and child do handprints in clay."
- africanized_swallow
"Diameter times pi for those of you trying to figure out how to do the math."
- SeasonsRollOnBy
Secret Shoppers
"Apparently women like trying on jewelry they don't even plan to buy."
"My now sister-in-law took my future wife out shopping and they tried on some rings. She reported back to me and there you go."
- HeyWhatsItToYa
"Absolutely, have her go to a place like Pandora with a friend/family member and have that person report back to you."
"That way you can figure out the size, but also get an idea about the style of ring she likes."
- cothai
"My other half did this the best way."
"They convinced me that our mutual friend Bob was going to propose to his girlfriend, and would I please do him a solid and spend the afternoon with him helping him choose what to buy?"
"Of course, I'm happy to help my friend in this difficult choice. I then spent an afternoon, offering ALL my opinions on what I like, etc etc and of course I try a few on for fun..."
"Hey presto, Bob reports back to my partner, and the ring I get eventually is A) perfect size and B) exactly what I'd choose."
"I didn't even realize it had happened until years later when Bob spilled the beans."
- hav0cnz_
Insurance
"I made my wife try hers on under the guise of insurance."
"I told her to bring them out, try to evaluate them all for insurance purposes, and then when she had them all lined up I acted like I was just curious in the moment about which ring went on which finger."
"Then I took the wedding ring finger sized one to the jeweler. She was none the wiser till I proposed."
- DryCoughski
Napkin Holders
"Some restaurants have paper rings that go around napkins. Next time you go out to eat at one of those restaurants, find a way to wrap one around her finger, and when she's not looking, keep it."
"I wrapped one around mine, and said something like, 'look! This is my size, does it fit you?' And she put it on."
"It was too big, so I resized it for her finger. Then I tossed it on the table, and when she wasn't looking, I slipped it in my pocket."
"Took it with me to the jeweler and the ring was the perfect size come the day."
"It's not uncommon for me to be fidgety and play with things on the table, so the napkin holder game wasn't unusual for us and I still have one of the first napkin rings from one of our first dates in my memory box."
- SpriteMonkey
Bag Of Fakes
"My mother inherited a whole pile of costume jewelry, in a variety of sizes, because Grandma had the habit of wearing rings on multiple fingers."
"So I asked Mom if she'd give me some so I could do some intel and see if any of it appealed to my (soon to be) wife."
"We tried everything on and I paid attention to what fit where and what styles she gravitated towards. Wifey didn't like much of it since she has a very different style than gran did - and not much of what she liked fit, but there were a few pieces and I got the info I needed."
"Turns out she has exactly the same ring size I do."
"Oh, and when I went to give all the unwanted stuff back to my mother? 'No takebacks, it's your problem now!' So I have a gallon bag of fake jewelry in a closet."
- technos
The Stand In
"You are doing this wrong. Get a cheap plastic ring. Propose. Then go together and find something nice you both enjoy. She might not even want diamonds so if she can pick anything that’s great!"
"My wife is really in to lord of the rings so I got her a prop of the one ring and used that. She loves it and will still wear it from time to time."
- Mathrinofeve
"My husband proposed with a plastic Batman ring and we picked out a ring together afterwards."
- hey_sjay
"Propose with candy ring. let her chomp on that bad boy while waiting for the ring she likes."
- Illustrious-Hat8029
Work Together
"I was the one who solved this problem for my partner years before he decided to propose. I got myself a cute ring that would fit my ring finger once I was sure he and I were getting serious, and I flat out told him where said ring was located in my jewellery box and that any time he decided he wanted us to take that next step, he could feel free to borrow that ring and take it to a jeweller’s shop to size an engagement ring correctly, with zero need for me to be aware of it."
"And that ring turned out to be a great idea, but not for the purpose I bought it for 😝 He didn’t have time between buying the engagement ring and proposing to get it resized, but he’d been carrying around that sizer ring for a while, and the night before he proposed, he was stumped at what to do because he planned to propose at a theme park, but didn’t want to risk the too-big ring slipping off and getting lost."
"After fighting back my tears of joy, I asked if he had the sizer ring I had bought, and when he said he did, I suggested he propose with that instead and I could wear that until we got the proper one resized. And he did, and I wore that ring around the entire theme park with zero worries 🥰 Don’t leave it all up to your partner, people! Help them out! You’re supposed to be a team, after all 😉"
- Sparrowflyaway
Pinky Is The Way
"My dad got my mom’s ring size by commenting on how small his hands were compared to his. He asked if the ring she already wore would fit any of his fingers."
"He was able to get it over his pinky, between his first and second knuckles. When he went to the jewelry store, he tried on a handful of rings there until they found the ring that stopped at the same spot on his pinky."
- wife_mom_tire
Its All In The Details
"My girlfriend (now wife) at the time had talked about marriage and know we wanted to get married so we literally drove over to Kays one day and picked up the ring."
"She didnt know when the ring was coming in, how she was going to be proposed to, or any other details. For those of you that think ring size is important, remember ring sizes do change with body weight/loss and rings can usually be resided unless its made of something that cant. Gold can be resized."
- CommanderMandalore
Two Birds Two rings
"Find a cool but absolutely not engagement type ring on Etsy or something. Something cheap but maybe niche that she would actually like."
"Say you really want to get one (heck you wanna support small business right?!) and then ask what her ring size is really casually. Be willing to buy it right then and there to really seal the deal."
- HopelesslyFucked
Guesstimate
"I think they have PDFs out there you can print and cut out, then wrap the paper ribbon around the finger."
"I eyeballed my GF's finger against my own, measured my own, came up with size 9 which was the biggest "normal" size you could get without paying more. Figured if she needed resizing it'd be cheaper to cut a bit of gold out vs soldering more in."
"And it fit perfectly."
- eljefino
Communicate, Browse Together, Surprise.
"Browse rings at a jewelry store together. I'm not joking!"
"I think there's nothing wrong with being clear about an impending proposal. If you've been together a while and are serious about each other, it's probably come up in conversation."
"My husband simply asked me as he was dropping me off after a date one night 'We both know where this is going. So when the time comes, do you want to pick the ring or do you want me to pick it out?' Quick little convo there where we made plans to go to a jewelry store together and look at options so he'd get an idea what I like. And the sales person at the store grabbed my ring size while I was there and made note, along with styles that I liked, for when he went back without me. A couple months later he proposed one night and it was a super sweet and wonderful surprise when it happened, even though I knew it was coming."
"Someone I know said it well: The when and the how of the proposal should be the only surprise about it. The fact that a proposal is coming shouldn't be a surprise."
"There's also the idea of proposing with a Ring Pop (or another toy/candy/goofy ring that's size-adjustable) and then going shopping for the ring together after."
- RotiniHuman
Have Her Help
"Why do you need to get her ring size without her knowing?"
"I understand everyone has different experiences and expectations but I actually took my girlfriend ring shopping with me. She was involved in every step of the process other than purchasing the center stone and paying for the ring."
"Have you thought about doing this process together? I certainly think it's a great relationship builder and my gf got to pick the setting she loved instead of me having to guess or drop hints etc."
- MacrosBlack16
False Facts
"Make up a "fun fact" like "I heard that your finger diameter is the same as the length of your nose" then you measure her finger and then her nose and then just play it off as falling for a fake fact meme."
"On second thought nose length isn't the best since the nose is likely shorter. Maybe go with eye width or something instead"
- willstr1
Alright, now that you've heard what Reddit has to say - here's my biggest piece of advice:
Chillax.
Stress is what gets people busted every single time.
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