Most Embarrassing Moments
By Doris A. Black,
Special to the Sentinel

Almost all weddings contain an embarrassing moment or two. The most common include either the bride or groom forgetting their vows, problems with the bridal gown, a member of the wedding party being late or someone getting tipsy at the reception. Most embarrassments are minor, and although mortifying at the time, they can be laughed about later. Here are some embarrassing moments that others have encountered.

A wedding reception: The groom approached his mother-in-law to ask her to dance. As she rose from the table, her napkin fell to the floor. He, being a gentleman, bent down to pick it up. As he rose, the tablecloth brushed the top of his head and made his toupee askew. The dance began and moments later, the bride cut in and the couple quickly danced their way to a private corner where an adjustment took place.

An outdoor meadow ceremony: The bride looked radiant walking down the aisle, her full-length gown rustling across the ground with each step. Suddenly she toppled over writhing in pain. Her father, at her side, tried to help her to her feet but she'd sprained her ankle when she fell off her high heels. After a short delay to wrap her ankle, the ceremony continued with the bride and groom sitting side by side.

A small country church wedding ceremony: The tiny church was adorned with fresh flowers throughout. As the groom waited for his bride, he was pestered by a bee. Brushing it aside, he thought nothing of it. Minutes later, the bride arrived, the ceremony began and the bee brought friends. Soon, five, 10, 15 bees buzzed around the small room. Guests grew restless and the bride and groom became distracted as the bees attempted to land on the bride's head to sip the sweet nectar from the flowers in her hair. But it wasn't until the priest was stung that they opted to continue the ceremony outside and let the bees have the church, the headpiece and the flowers to themselves.

A destination wedding: Guests arrived on schedule only to find they had no reservations. The bride, frantic, scrambled to find out what had happened to the reservations she had made. As it turned out, one couple who were unable to attend the wedding at the last minute called to cancel their room, but inadvertently, the hotel cancelled the reservations for the whole group.

A church ceremony: The groom was growing nervous as the best man was late. Time was growing short - where was he? - the groom wondered. Having spilled coffee on his gray tux trousers, the best man and maid of honor were attempting to clean them when unbeknownst to them the wedding ring fell out. Hurrying off to the church, they never noticed it was gone until it was time to give it to the groom. With the ceremony starting momentarily, the groom borrowed his grandmother's engagement ring to give to his bride. Later that day the wedding ring was recovered and all ended well.

A church ceremony in progress on a stormy night: When the priest asked if anyone objected to the marriage, suddenly there was a bright flash of light. The church was plunged into darkness except for the few candles lit by the altar. Everyone looked around, bride and groom included, to see what had happened - was it a joke or a sign from the almighty? As it turned out, it was a bolt of lightning hitting a transformer that took out the lights for miles around. The ceremony ended by candlelight - how romantic.

A cross-cultural destination wedding reception: The groom, anxious to surprise his bride and impress his new in-laws, attempted a toast in their native language. Halfway through the toast, he began to wonder by the looks on their faces if he had made a grave error but plowed ahead without missing a beat. Indeed, he had inadvertently called his mother-in-law, father-in-law and bride unflattering names. His intentions were honorable though and all was forgiven.

A formal church wedding ceremony: The bride unknowingly caught her dress on a nail. With each step, the nail caught a little tighter and the dress tore a little more until finally, the unaware bride stepped up to the officiate near the altar and the whole backside of her skirt tore off. The guests would have had a fine view of her backside had it not been for the quick-thinking maid of honor who casually stepped up behind the bride, lifted the gown and held it in place for the duration of the ceremony.

If at your wedding, you drop the ring or trip over your own feet, don't feel too bad. You're not alone.