A groom who hid a secret item under his wedding guests' chairs confessed he wanted to "humiliate" his bride in front of her nearest and dearest. In a twist that could have come straight out of a soap opera, the couple's big day descended into chaos when he rose to give his speech - having planted an embarrassing "gift" for every guest to discover.
Huge Gasp as Guests Discover the Item
Once it became apparent what the item was, there was a "huge gasp" around the room, said Nina, who worked at the event. The groom then announced it was over and walked out, leaving his bride devastated.
Nina relayed the heart-wrenching story to podcaster Vogue Williams and TV presenter Jamie Theakston on Heart Breakfast on August 13. She said he had planned the surprise well in advance, entering the room while preparations were in progress.
"And he asks if he could be alone in the room because he was setting up a surprise for the bride, and he didn't want anyone to find out before he revealed the surprise," she explained. "So, we all ushered into the kitchen, carried on with other jobs."
Revealing the Affair
She noted that they'd had a civil ceremony in the hotel earlier. "After the wedding breakfast, I'm then stood behind the top table, introducing the speeches for the wedding. The groom stood up, and when it was his turn, he asked everybody in the room just to bend down, and he'd put something underneath everybody's seat.
"Next minute, there was a huge gasp in the room, so I'm trying to peer over the bridesmaid's - who's sat on the top table - shoulder to see what was on this picture. And it was revealed. It was quite obvious to everybody in the room."
"It was a picture of the bride with the best man, only a few months before. They'd been having a secret affair, and he'd had an investigator follow them."
Wedding Called Off
Nina claimed the groom used his speech to accuse the bride of humiliating him and that he was getting his own back by humiliating her in front of those closest to her. He then suddenly called the wedding off and stormed out of the venue as the bride fled in floods of tears, "screaming" and "crying".
The witness continued: "Everyone's looking at me, so I said to the parents of the bride and groom, 'What do you want me to do?' And they were like, 'Continue with the day. Carry on'. So we had to carry on with the day.
"And what was worse was, like, in the evening, you had all the evening guests come in. They didn't have a clue what was going on, and they were like, 'What's happened?' And I was just like, 'Would you like a chicken wing?'"
Aftermath and Reactions
Nina told Vogue the bride went to the bridal suite, after which "nobody saw her". She revealed that the couple had already completed a civil ceremony earlier that day - a detail Jamie questioned, asking why it went ahead at all.
Vogue stated: "I think under (certain) circumstances, you can probably get an annulment. And I think it's....but I dunno why you'd go through with the whole wedding."
Jamie then turned to the aftermath and asked about the bride's family. Nina said they were "mortified", and Vogue said she'd have been "furious" with the groom.
She continued: "I would be absolutely furious with him because I think that now he's kinda stooped, you know? I think the groom has stooped. He could've done it in a better way, and now he's kinda...oh, that's so bad."
Nina alleged the best man was "just shocked" and ended up walking away, as the bride chased after the groom - her "now-husband".
