Wedding crashing
Wedding crashing is the act of attending a wedding celebration without an invitation, particularly when the person or persons who turn up have a profound impact.
Reasons
There are various reasons why people crash weddings.[1]
In real life
Some of the most common reasons for crashing a wedding in real life include:
- To see a person they know, such as a relative, friend, or ex get married, even if they are not invited.[2]
- To come with another person who is invited whom they wish to accompany.[2]
- For something that is offered at the event, such as free catered food or alcoholic beverages. Crashing for this reason is not always cost-effective. With the high cost of the clothes required for a formal wedding (presuming one doesn't rewear them), this may out-do that of the food, which often can be obtained for less from a restaurant.[3]
- To steal money or gifts from the bride, groom, or guests.
- For the thrill of deviating from mores and etiquette or for the social prestige within a peer group of defying the broader culture.
- At celebrity weddings, crashing may occur from those who wish to mingle with the celebrities or catch paparazzi photo shots.
- There have also been reports of celebrities crashing the weddings of strangers they encounter.[4]
Ways in which an event is crashed
Most weddings are low profile family-oriented events, and security is low, so it is not checked whether or not a person who enters belongs. With the large number of people in attendance, coupled with the fact that not everyone knows each other or the bride and groom,[5] a well-dressed person may be able to sneak in unnoticed. Wedding planners recommend having some form of security to be sure one does not enter the reception without an invitation when the likelihood of someone crashing may be high.[6]
Some people manage to crash a wedding by entering in the middle of a ceremony or reception after all the checking has been done, or by greeting the couple and appearing to be a part of the invitee list.[7]
Some who crash do so only to eat the hors d'oeuvres. This enables the crasher to remain even more under the radar. At a sit-down reception, there is usually assigned seating by place cards, and finding a seat may be difficult, especially when there are no-shows, or when determining which seats are vacant may be difficult. Crashing only for the hors d'oeuvres enables the crasher to eat all s/he wants while blending in.[8]
Sometimes the crashing of a wedding is unintentional; this can happen when multiple weddings are held at the same venue.
See also
References
- ↑ Powell, Michael. Forbidden Knowledge: 101 Things Not Everyone Should Know How to Do. pp. 169–170.
- 1 2 Nettleton, Pamela Hill. Getting Married When It's Not Your First Time: An Etiquette Guide and. p. 21.
- ↑ Burt, Wendy; Erin Kindberg. Oh, solo mia!: the hip chick's guide to fun for one. p. 98.
- ↑ http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23388305/hicks-john-travolta-crashes-wedding
- ↑ Larson, Nelda; Janette Trost. Only His Sheep Will Raise Their Heads: End Times Study. p. 119.
- ↑ Warner, Diane. Diane Warner's Contemporary Guide to Wedding Etiquette: Advice from America. p. 215.
- ↑ Mulwane, Marilla (2010-03-31). "How to Crash a Wedding | Made Manual". Mademan.com. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ↑ Craig Wilson (July 12, 2005). "Rules for crashers: Eat, drink and be wary". USA Today.