Wedding crashing
Encyclopedia
Wedding crashing is the act of coming to a wedding
without an invitation
.
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.
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 card
s, and finding a seat may be difficult, especially when there are no no-shows, or when determining which seats are vacant may be difficult. But when crashing for the hors d'oeuvres only, this enables the crasher to eat all s/he wants while blending in, and then leaving.
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
without an invitation
Wedding invitation
A wedding invitation is a letter asking the recipient to attend a wedding. It is typically written in formal, third-person language and mailed five to eight weeks before the wedding date....
.
In real life
Some of the most common reasons for crashing a wedding in real life are:- To see a person they know, such as a relative, friend, or possibly their exEx (relationship)In social relationships, an ex is someone with whom a person was once associated. As a prefix, ex- can refer to a variety of different relationships; for example, one might refer to a music group's ex-guitarist, or someone's ex-friend...
get married, even if they are not invited - To come with another person who is invited whom they wish to accompany
- For something that is offered at the event, such as free catered food or alcoholic beverageAlcoholic beverageAn alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s. Crashing for this reason is not always cost-effective. With the high cost of the clothes required for a fancy wedding, this may out-do that of the food, which often can be obtained for less from a restaurant. - To steal money or gifts from the bride or groom
- At celebrity weddings, crashing may occur from those who wish to mingle with the celebrities or catch paparazziPaparazziPaparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
photo shots.
In fiction
Wedding crashing has occurred often in fiction. Besides the reasons in real life, fiction has presented a variety of other reasons weddings have been crashed:- In Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, the Thénardiers crash the wedding reception in disguise as "The Baron and Baroness du Thénard" to tell Marius that Valjean is a murderer - In the Season 3 premiere of CharmedCharmedCharmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
, T.J. crashes a wedding to rescue Prue - In Season 1, Episode 4 of Southern Fried StingsSouthern Fried StingsSouthern Fried Stings is an American television series where ex-state trooper Jay Russell and his "Jay Team" portray sting operations throughout the Southern United States. The series consists of scripted "re-enactments" and videotaped in a cinéma vérité style in southern cities...
, Jay Russell crashes a wedding to bring a felon to justice - In the video of Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
's "Running with the NightRunning with the Night"Running with the Night" was the second single released from Lionel Richie's multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning 1983 album, Can't Slow Down...
", a group of dancers crashing a wedding and beginning a choreographed dance routine with all of the participants - In Wings, Joe and Helen crash a wedding to see how much things will cost. They end up getting into a fight which spills over onto the bride and groom.
- In Season 4 of Beef and Blake, Beef Spencer and Blake Young crash Laura's mothers' wedding in order to win back the love of Laura Maiola and Samantha Spitz.
- In the 2005 comedy film Wedding CrashersWedding CrashersWedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
, John Beckwith (Owen WilsonOwen WilsonOwen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor and writer, known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, Shanghai Noon,...
) and Jeremy Grey (Vince VaughnVince VaughnVincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
) crash weddings to meet women. - In Episode 5, Series 3 of The Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
, The Doctor (David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
) crashes Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
's (Elisabeth SladenElisabeth SladenElisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprised the role many times in subsequent decades, both on...
) wedding to stop her from forgetting about her alien adventures.
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, 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.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.
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 card
Place card
A place card is a piece of paper indicating what table a guest at an event, such as a wedding or banquet, is assigned to sit. Place cards generally have the guest's name and table number, and frequently have some design as well to add style....
s, and finding a seat may be difficult, especially when there are no no-shows, or when determining which seats are vacant may be difficult. But when crashing for the hors d'oeuvres only, this enables the crasher to eat all s/he wants while blending in, and then leaving.