First of all, most were fuming. Like u/pink_wing, who said, "What gets me is that she didn’t even INVITE them. They just randomly told her they’d be showing up; they invited THEMSELVES! Who the hell does that?"
u/OneDragonfruit9519 sensed the intensity through the screen. "I can feel the frustration from here. Calling someone 'Mother' is the equivalent of your mom calling you by your full name," they wrote.
Soon, people started sharing their own horror stories. "My MIL asked for 50 spots for her 'friends' and 'coworkers.' It was a wedding of 125 guests. We couldn’t believe she was serious," u/rogan1990 shared.
"My mom wanted me to change people’s seats on the morning of, while staring at the gigantic poster we had created with people’s seating arrangements. I feel your pain," added u/kluvspups.
u/final_grl has been in the situation of trying to figure out last minute seating, too. "My mom's random ass cousin texted her three days before my wedding and told her he was coming with his family of five…. Like where would I find an extra table to put all of you shmucks."
u/777marcus further expressed how seating arrangements aren't that easy to move around. "My step mom decided to change seating arrangements at her table to fit in her niece and daughter WHILE MY WIFE AND I WERE TAKING PICS AFTER OUR CEREMONY because they showed up unannounced. This resulted in my friends not being able to sit and we had to scramble to find another entire table for them to sit at. I have never been more heated in my life."
Many people were also going off about the annoyance of unexpected guests. "My husband's unhinged aunt who lives out of state RSVP-ed 'no.' Then she decided three days beforehand that she was coming after all. I had to move things around at the last minute, and she proceeded to get wasted on alcohol and sob in the venue bathroom to anyone who would listen. Five years later, some of my guests still talk about the 'wasted lady in the bathroom,'" u/siriuslycharmed said.
And u/DankestDrew experienced the worst type of unannounced visitors: "The owner of our wedding venue brought people in to do a viewing DURING speeches at our reception. When we confronted her, she said, 'It’s my property; I can do what I want.' My father and several guests left some scalding reviews on their Facebook page, which she demanded we take down. We didn’t. Get fucked."
With so many people commenting in the thread, however, other viewpoints started coming in. Like u/chaldaichha, who said, "This is so interesting as someone who grew up in South Asia. My parents invited more than half of the 600 people at my wedding, and I barely knew any of them. We just invite anyone and everyone. There are no specific seating arrangements, and the food is a huge buffet rather than served at tables. The wedding is more about the couple’s parents and family than the couple, which must be bizarre to you guys!"
"I find it interesting how structured and strict the seating arrangements are in most western weddings. In Pakistan, you can book a hall for 350 or 500 guests in most venues. We booked for 350, and about 250 were confirmed shows; families generally picked where they wanted to sit and with whom. There were couch seating areas for the elderly, and most attendees brought extra guests. This complex had about eight halls, four on each side, with weddings taking place simultaneously. We had buffet arrangements, but my uncle was very peculiar about the meat dishes, so he had a butcher supply all the meat to the venue's chefs; the lamb and the chicken turned out incredibly tender. Overall, it was a very relaxed and carefree experience," u/ry-zen7 shared.
"This wouldn’t be an issue at a Mexican wedding," added u/Due-Style941.
u/Medaphysical chimed in to say, "To be fair, weddings having strict seating arrangements that are finalized weeks in advance is kinda dumb. We live in 2024 and people act like it's impossible to grab two extra chairs. It's a party."
"Why do you care about seating arrangements? They are adults. They can find a place to sit," u/black_mamba_returns said.
And, finally, u/HAPPYDAZEWAZE left everyone with food for thought: "As a guy who lost his mother a few years ago, my advice is to chill out and tell your mom you can’t wait to meet her friends."
Alright. We can't wait to hear your stance on this situation. Let us know in the comments!