What makes a bride turn into a bridezilla? Is it the nervousness and anxious thoughts that make brides lose their cool, or do they get angry because of other things?
Every woman wants her wedding day to be perfect, but when that stress gets intense, the brides either flip out or, let’s be real, their true colors start to show. Here are stories from five folks on Reddit who’ve witnessed some of the most jaw-dropping bridezilla moments.
Comments have been edited for clarity and grammar.
1. My Best Friend’s Wedding
u/ajlawford: I had a silent bridezilla. She was my best friend of 15 years and didn’t ask for much during the wedding planning as there were only two months between the engagement and the wedding day.
There was no bachelorette party, dress shopping, gift exchanges, or in-person meetups. We lived two hours away, but she didn’t want my input.
A woman talking to another woman | Source: Shutterstock
She wanted me to buy a dress, look pretty, and attend her wedding. I thought, “OK, whatever you want. You’re my best friend, and I’m excited you are getting married.”
She didn’t even let me help with her hair and makeup on the wedding day. Instead, she just asked me to focus on my hair and makeup. She didn’t trust me to do it well enough because I had short hair. Okay, fine. It’s your day, whatever.
Everything went well until the bride got her sister to call me. During the two-hour-long call, the bride’s sister criticized my every move throughout the wedding, saying that I should never have accepted to be a bridesmaid if I didn’t want to participate.
She also reviewed my Facebook profile to note what I had spent my money on (for example, I posted about joining a bowling league for fun). She said I should have spent that money on the wedding.
An angry woman talking on her phone | Source: Shutterstock
The wedding was two days after Christmas, and her family didn’t even celebrate Christmas that year because of the wedding.
Meanwhile, I was criticized for not spending more time with her, even though I traveled three hours by train the day after Christmas to hang with her the night before her wedding.
Apparently, I should have stayed the night of the wedding to hang with the other two bridesmaids, but I opted to drive home with my boyfriend as I needed to work.
Initially, the bride said she would pay for my makeup on the wedding day, but she changed her mind two weeks before the event.
She asked me to drive for two hours and buy an expensive makeup brand. Despite knowing I was broke after Christmas shopping, I accepted her wish and purchased the makeup. However, she still thought I had an attitude about this.
Two women arguing | Source: Shutterstock
I was also criticized for not giving a gift, although the bride said, “Being a bridesmaid was gift enough.”
After these events, the bride stopped talking to me and blocked me on Facebook. After months of being mistreated, I finally cut my best friend and her sister out of my life.
The last time I saw either of them was the wedding day, which was five years ago. I never even got to see the wedding photos. It’s so sad to see long-term friendships ending over nothing.
She should have told me about her expectations instead of expecting me to guess them and then judge me for not meeting her demands. She also should have talked to me directly instead of involving her sister.
2. She Was Mean as Hell
u/sojadedblond: A friend took out a $7500 loan for her wedding. Okay, that was not too bad. It was workable and sounded pretty reasonable. Then, she asked her fiancé to take out a $25,000 loan. (She forced him by saying she’d leave him if he didn’t.)
A woman arguing with a man | Source: Shutterstock
He had much better credit and got the loan. Then, my friend begged his parents to pay for their honeymoon while they had no idea she had asked their son to take out a loan.
They thought her parents were paying for a modest outside wedding at a local garden, and she repeatedly lied to them until a few weeks before the wedding. She kept threatening to leave her fiancé if he didn’t do things as she wanted them done.
Anyway, his parents were so happy to pay for a cruise (a nice Alaskan cruise) for their honeymoon, but that wasn’t enough for her.
She then lied to her parents, saying that his parents were only giving them $250 for the honeymoon. Her parents were shocked as they were paying for the wedding and reception and thought the groom’s family would at least pay for some of the honeymoon.
Two champagne glasses | Source: Unsplash
They encouraged her to get a better job (she worked 20 hours a week as a receptionist at a nail salon) or to at least go full-time at her current job, but she flat-out refused, saying she had so much to do in planning for the wedding/honeymoon, etc. She was an absolute nightmare.
She and I hadn’t talked since high school (we weren’t very close, more like acquaintances), and she had gotten my number from a mutual friend to call and ask if I’d sing at her wedding.
During that phone call, she told me about everything that happened. She added that she wanted her fiancé to take off two and a half weeks instead of the nine days he’d already taken.
When she asked me what she should do about the honeymoon, I told her she was being a little unreasonable and very demanding with people.
I said it gently and kindly. I wasn’t just like, “Wow, you’re being the worst person ever right now, and your fiancé is really stupid to marry you for a lifetime.”
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Shutterstock
I said, “It seems like you’re putting a lot of pressure on everyone around you to do things your way and only your way. This is Evan’s wedding, too. Maybe ask him what he’d like. Planning this together instead of you alone can be much more fun. You guys will be together for a lifetime, so putting this much stress on everyone, yourself included, just makes things so much harder than they have to be.”
She was quiet for a few seconds, then said, “Uh, okay, I deserve this wedding, and Evan will give me what I want. I don’t want you to sing at the wedding. You’re so mean for telling me I don’t deserve a beautiful wedding!”
When I tried to explain that I thought she could have a gorgeous wedding, just with less stress and anxiety, she said, “You’re just like everyone else. You don’t want me to be happy! My dad keeps telling me to get a better job, and Evan fought to get the loan, and you saying this makes me want to give up!”
After that, she burst into hysterical tears and hung up. It was bizarre. She was like that in high school: very dramatic, mean, and selfish. However, I don’t remember her being that crazy and delusional. They got divorced 14 months after the wedding.
3. The Bridezilla Tried to Scam the Bridesmaids
u/ShamedShamingShamer: Several years ago, a friend asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. There were six bridesmaids and one maid of honor (MOH).
Women sitting together | Source: Shutterstock
The bride had picked out her dress already, one for the MOH and one each for the bridesmaids. The dresses were lovely but a bit expensive at $400 each.
Two bridesmaids, including me, were still in college, and the rest had graduated. Since I was still studying, my budget was super tight.
Once the bride picked the dresses for us, she asked the MOH to coordinate with us for the fittings. The MOH told us she would pay for our dresses using her credit card because she wanted Air Miles. She asked us to pay her directly and said we could repay her in installments if needed (I definitely needed to). We all agreed.
All the bridesmaids picked their dresses together, but I couldn’t join them because of my exams. As a result, I decided to go myself the following week.
The MOH said she would pay for mine on the group trip but to call her if there were any issues with the dress. She said she would handle it.
Wedding dresses hanging in a shop | Source: Pexels
When I tried the dress at the shop, it looked perfect, and I was happy. The shop owner went to attend to another client while I was changing back into my clothes, but she confirmed that we were all set.
As I was walking out of the door, a shop employee yelled, “Hey! That will be $200!” I was stunned and totally mortified. I apologized and explained how I thought the MOH had paid for it the weekend before.
The shop owner immediately rushed towards us, diffusing the situation by confirming that the MOH had already paid for the dress. When I turned to leave the store, I realized the shop owner had said $200 and not $400.
Long story short, the dress was only for $200. When I confronted the MOH about it, she spilled the beans.
A shocked woman | Source: Shutterstock
Apparently, the bride and MOH plotted together to charge us double to help pay for the bride’s dress. I let the rest of the bridesmaids know, and four of us dropped out of the wedding immediately.
4. The Last-Minute Floral Fiasco
u/Haceldama: I am a florist, and we once had a bridezilla visit our shop. The bride came with her mother at 9 a.m.
They wanted to order a bridal bouquet, a mother-of-the-bride Cattleya orchid corsage, a boutonniere for the groom, and six smaller ones for the groomsmen.
The wedding was scheduled for noon, and they gave us only three hours to fulfill their order. They wanted everything ready by the time they were done with their makeup appointment at the beauty parlor a few doors down.
A flower shop | Source: Pexels
The bride was flipping through the FTD sample book and pointing out the style and flowers she wanted. She wanted to order garden roses with long sweeping trails of stephanotis and variegated ivy, all three of which would require at least a week’s advanced order with our suppliers.
The bride was shocked when we told her we didn’t always carry extremely expensive and highly perishable flowers. My boss told them that since they didn’t place an order beforehand, they would be limited to what we had in stock and simple styles that could be assembled quickly.
The bride and her mom kept pointing at the book and arguing that we should have those specific flowers in stock. My boss eventually took the book off the desk and tossed it behind the counter.
The bride vacillated between tears and petulant whining that we would ruin her big day. My boss, who disliked brides in general, told her she had ruined her day by not ordering flowers before her wedding day.
A sad bride sitting in a room | Source: Shutterstock
The mom tried chewing out my boss for lacking customer service skills. My boss told her she was welcome to go down the street to another florist and ask their flower department to make their order with whatever they had in stock.
The mom said she’d do just that and reassured the bride that she’d have her flowers done by the time her appointment was over. Both women stormed out.
I figured that was that, but my boss told me and the other girl to start on six simple dendrobium orchid bouts. Meanwhile, she threw together a ribbon-wrapped bridal bouquet with white roses nearly past their prime.
Twenty minutes later, the bride’s mother slunk back in and meekly asked if we could still assemble what they needed. We did. We also charged her a huge rush fee.
5. The Bridezilla Meets Karma
u/[deleted]: My friend called me one day and asked me to be her maid of honor. At first, I was thrilled. But then things took a bizarre turn.
Two women smiling at each other | Source: Pexels
She started oddly, asking me to dye my hair blonde, then demanded $1000 for her bachelorette. I was shocked but things worsened when she insisted I lose 10 pounds. I was taken aback by her demand.
Fuming, I thought about teaching her a lesson. But before I could do anything, karma intervened.
A week after our heated conversation, just a day before her wedding, she called me in a panic. “WHAT DID YOU DO??? I just got a call from my bank!” she said.
It turned out that her bank had frozen her account due to suspicious activity. In her pre-wedding frenzy, she had made so many extravagant purchases that the bank suspected fraud.
A bride screaming at her phone | Source: Shutterstock
One of my exes had his account frozen once and she needed advice as to what I’d done to help my ex-boyfriend. I worked as a banker back then. I refused to help her and hung up.
Have you ever seen a bride throw tantrums and get too demanding with her family and friends? Share your experience with us in the comments section.
A Free Vacation Sounded Amazing Until I Found Out My Ex-Husband Was Coming Too — Story of the Day
A free vacation with a stranger sounded too good to be true—but the email didn’t ask for credit card details, or even personal information: just a ticket, a hotel, and a mystery companion. Intrigued, I boarded the plane, only to find out my “stranger” was someone I never wanted to see again.
It was a typical Friday evening, but my body felt like it had gone through a whole week’s worth of exhaustion.
I had barely kicked off my shoes before collapsing onto my sister Deborah’s couch, one arm draped over my face, the other lazily scrolling through my inbox on my laptop.
Across the room, Deborah was in her own world. She paraded around in front of the mirror, changing into outfit after outfit, twirling, striking poses like she was on a runway.
The crinkling of shopping bags and the rustle of fabric filled the air as she excitedly switched between clothes she had just bought.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She did a quick spin and looked at me expectantly. “What do you think?”
I barely glanced up, giving her dress a lazy once-over before smirking. “Nice, Deb. But I don’t get why you need so many clothes.”
Deborah scoffed, hands on her hips. “Of course, you don’t. You weren’t the one stuck wearing hand-me-downs your entire childhood.”
She dramatically flipped her hair. “Consider this my therapy. I’m healing, Charlie.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I shook my head. “Whatever you say…” My attention drifted back to my laptop, aimlessly clicking through emails.
Mostly junk. Bills. Newsletters I forgot to unsubscribe from.
Then, something made me pause.
I sat up straight, my eyes narrowing at the subject line of an email I didn’t remember signing up for.
“Congratulations! You’ve won a free two-day vacation with a mystery travel companion!”
Before I could process it, Deborah’s voice interrupted.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“How about this one?” she asked, stepping into another dress.
I didn’t answer.
Silence stretched for a moment.
“Charlie?” She turned, raising an eyebrow. “Are you even listening?”
I snapped out of it. “Huh? Sorry, I just got some weird email…” I frowned, rereading it.
“It says I won a free two-day vacation with a stranger. Definitely a scam.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Deborah’s jaw dropped. “What!? A free trip? Let me guess—do they need your credit card info or social security number?”
“That’s the thing… they don’t.” I scrolled through the email again, expecting a scammer’s red flag.
“No banking details, no suspicious links. Just a confirmation with my name, flight itinerary, and a hotel reservation.”
Deborah practically lunged across the couch, leaning over my shoulder. “Let me see.”
I tilted my screen toward her. She scanned the email, her expression shifting from skepticism to shock.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“No way… Charlie, this looks legit! There’s an actual reservation—flights, hotel, even travel insurance. It’s all here.”
I shook my head. “No, there’s got to be a catch. No one just hands out free vacations.”
Deborah’s eyes darted across the screen, clicking on links, cross-checking details. Finally, she leaned back, arms crossed.
“I can’t find anything suspicious.” She turned to me with a huge grin. “Charlie, you actually won this trip. Congrats, sis.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I chewed my lip, unsure whether to feel excited or terrified.
“I can’t just go on a trip with some random person.”
Deborah waved a hand dismissively. “Why not? It’s free. And maybe, just maybe, this ‘stranger’ is a hot guy who’ll finally end your dry spell.”
I shot her a glare. “Deborah! I like being single, okay? That’s my choice.”
She smirked. “Sure… I’ve heard that after every ‘seasonal fling’ since your divorce.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her head.
She dodged, laughing. “Hey! Just saying. Maybe it’s fate.”
Fate or not, something about this whole thing felt strange.
And yet, a small part of me wondered…
What if?
The next day, I stood at the airport terminal, gripping my suitcase so tightly my knuckles turned white. The ticket in my hand felt heavier than it should.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I still couldn’t believe Deborah had convinced me to go.
This was completely insane.
Some strangers had sent me free tickets for a contest I didn’t even remember entering. And somehow, I had agreed to spend two days traveling with a mystery person.
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.
I exhaled sharply and turned toward the exit.
What am I doing?
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Every logical part of my brain screamed to leave before it was too late.
I swallowed, staring at the automatic doors. I’ve always been cautious. Always taken the safest route.
I can’t keep running from new experiences.
I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to turn around.
Business class felt surreal. The soft leather seats, the spacious legroom, the complimentary drinks—this was a world I had never stepped into before.
But none of it mattered.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
My focus was on the people boarding, scanning faces, wondering who my seatmate would be.
Would they be talkative? Annoying? Would we have anything in common?
Then, I reached my seat.
A man was already there, hunched forward, scrolling on his phone.
I took a hesitant step forward.
He turned slightly.
My stomach dropped.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“…Luther?” My voice barely escaped my lips.
His head snapped up, eyes widening. The same piercing gaze I had once loved. The same face I had tried to forget.
“Charlotte?” He blinked. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I exhaled sharply, my heart slamming against my ribs. “Please don’t tell me you also got these tickets.”
Luther ran a hand through his hair, still looking as confused as I felt.
“…Through some contest email? Yeah. You too?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I groaned, every fiber of my being screaming at me to leave.
“Oh no. No, no, no. This is too much. I’m leaving.” I spun on my heel, ready to march straight off the plane.
But before I could take a step, a gentle but firm hand landed on my shoulder.
I turned to find a flight attendant offering a polite but unshakable smile.
“The plane is preparing for takeoff, ma’am. Please remain seated.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could, Luther spoke first.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He turned to the attendant with that same damn charming smile I had seen a million times before.
“It’s okay, everything’s fine.” Then he reached for my hand, squeezing it lightly—just like he used to when he wanted me to calm down.
My body remembered before my mind did.
For a second, just a single second, my breath caught.
Then, I ripped my hand away.
No. Not again.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Charlotte, our marriage ended years ago,” Luther said, his voice softer now. “Please don’t ruin your free trip just because of me. I promise, I won’t bother you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “If I had a dollar for every time I heard that from you…”
Luther smirked. “Then you’d be rich. But seriously, let’s just coexist for two days.”
I hesitated, my entire body itching to refuse.
But what was I supposed to do?
The plane was boarding, and I wasn’t about to miss my first-ever business class flight just because of Luther.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
With a long, frustrated sigh, I dropped into my seat.
“Fine. Just don’t ruin this trip for me.”
Luther leaned back, grinning. “Only your best years of youth.”
I turned toward the window, ignoring him.
I never expected to see Luther again. And honestly? I had hoped I never would.
The moment we stepped into the oceanfront hotel, I felt my breath catch.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
The grand entrance, the towering glass windows reflecting the sea, the marble floors that seemed to stretch endlessly—everything about the place screamed luxury.
For the first time since this ridiculous trip started, I was almost glad I came.
And then Luther stepped up beside me.
“Nice place, huh?” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.
I forced a tight smile. “Yeah. Not bad.”
“Reminds me of the hall where we had our wedding. Same décor.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
My stomach twisted. My jaw clenched.
“Oh, so now you’re reminiscing about our wedding?” I snapped. My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.
Luther’s easygoing expression faltered. “Charlotte, let’s not—”
“No, let’s.” I folded my arms, my heart pounding with anger. “You suddenly want to relive the past? Let’s talk about how you destroyed everything.”
A muscle in his jaw tightened. He sighed, shaking his head before grabbing our bags and walking toward the elevator.
“Can we not do this in the lobby?” he muttered.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I should’ve let it go. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
But years of hurt, betrayal, and anger had been buried inside me for far too long.
And now?
I wasn’t about to let him walk away from it.
The moment we stepped into the hotel room, the door barely clicked shut before the words exploded out of me.
“Afraid someone will hear about what you did?”
Luther stiffened. He turned, facing me, his eyes shadowed with something I didn’t recognize.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Charlotte, please—”
“Don’t call me that!” My voice cracked. “You cheated on me, Luther!”
A heavy silence fell between us.
Luther ran a hand through his hair, exhaling like he was bracing himself for something painful.
For the first time since seeing him again, he actually looked ashamed.
“I know.” His voice was quiet. “And I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Well, congrats. You did. And I don’t care about your apology, or your excuses.” I stepped back, my voice turning cold. “You don’t get to ruin any more of my life. You hear me?”
I stormed across the room, grabbing one of the beds and dragging it to the opposite side.
“For the next two days, don’t talk to me. Don’t even look at me.”
Then I slammed the bathroom door behind me.
The first day flew by. I spent it by the pool, avoiding Luther at all costs.
But something nagged at me.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He hadn’t left the room.
That night, when I returned, I heard coughing from the bathroom. Deep, dry, painful.
A tissue lay on the floor. It was stained with blood.
I froze.
Then the bathroom door opened, and Luther stepped out.
I stared at him. “What stage?”
His eyes softened. “Stage four.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I swallowed hard. “When did you find out?”
“Six months ago.” He sighed. “It’s strange, living when you know you’re dying.”
I bit my lip. “I’m sorry.”
“This trip… it wasn’t a contest. I arranged everything,” he admitted.
My heart stopped.
“Why?”
“Because I needed to see you one last time,” he said. “To say I’m sorry. And to tell you… I never stopped loving you.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Tears blurred my vision.
“Is it too late?” I whispered.
Luther smiled sadly. “For me, yes. But for you? You have your whole life ahead of you, Charlotte. And I hope it’s a beautiful one.”
I squeezed his hand.
“Thank you, Luther.”
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