Getting left at the altar is devastating — there’s doubt about it.
But there are always two sides to every story. A bride might run because she’s been controlled or cheated on. Or a groom might feel pressure to get married .
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These stories from runaway brides and grooms lift the veil on what really happens behind-the-scenes at some weddings.
1. The controlling ex.
This Redditor knew to run when her fiancé’s red flags kept popping up . For one, he lived in his car. Two, he would have her send selfies to prove where she was at all times. WTF!
2. The surprise pregnancy.
“My brother left his bride at the altar after he found out she was cheating on him and pregnant with the lovers baby. She told him about an hour before. He grabbed me, his best man, and another groomsman (rest were her brothers). We drank at the park across town.” – deleted
3. The dream job.
This Redditor got left at the altar after she accepted her dream job. She explained that he was upset that it interfered with his dream of her being a stay-at-home wife. She definitely dodged a bullet there!
4. The objection.
“He just stood up there and started crying and, in front of everyone, told the bride that he’d fallen out of love with her a while before but he didn’t know how to break it off. It was extremely uncomfortable.” – u/naked_nun_run
5. The intelligence gap.
“The first time around, there was an intelligence gap in the relationship that grew increasingly problematic over time. He was a nice enough person, but I felt like I was on r/explainlikeimfive every time that I tried to have a conversation with him.” – deleted
6. The realization.
When this Redditor was 17, she fell for a guy in the army.
Unfortunately, red flags were there, which caused her grandma to pose this question , “Are you in love with him or in love with the idea of a wedding?” She broke things off and he was married three weeks later to someone else.
7. They were sick of making everyone else happy.
“Realized i just just doing it to make everyone else happy. but i just wanted to party and sleep around. still cant decide if i make the right decision…” – deleted
8. The 90 day fiancé.
“It was a green card marriage. On our second date she mentioned that her visa was expiring in six months, and I jokingly proposed to her. We continued dating, were falling for each other, and that proposal became much more real as the deadline approached. I backed out at the last minute because we just didn’t agree on a few details.” – u/Scrappy_Larue
9. The wedding date.
This Redditor asked her fiancé for a long engagement, which he accepted.
But once a sudden cancelation came through, he accepted the new date without even telling her. And THEN, he refused to change the date.
“I finally realized that he was manipulating me, so I gave him the engagement ring back and told him I didn’t want to see him anymore.”
His family demanded she pay for half of a wedding she hadn’t even planned.
10. The sex addict.
“Took me two days to decide not to get married. Then over the next three weeks I discovered he was a sex addict and had been seeing other people for the entire nine years we were together. Got reeeeeaaal close to being stuck in that nightmare. Thankful every day that I didn’t go through with it.” – u/eileen8667
11. The true colors.
This Redditor’s gut told her it was too soon to get married to her ex. But when she told her fiancé she wanted to wait a while, he accused her of cheating.
“Things started to get really toxic and I eventually left him for good,” she wrote.
“He ruined my reputation and my self-esteem but it made me realize that I really dodged one [expletive] of a bullet by refusing to marry him.”
12. The wrong reasons.
“I left a man at the altar. I was in my dress and getting ready to go to the chapel, when I realized I couldn’t. I froze. I didn’t love him as much as I craved the safety and security that being married would bring.” – u/Fluffledoodle
13. The intervention.
When a woman’s father overheard some of the terrible things her soon-to-be husband said to her on her wedding day, her dad intervened by suggesting they to Dairy Queen.
This is something he did with his daughter when she was young and struggling.
They talked for hours in the Dairy Queen parking lot to help her come to a decision to leave her groom.
“She said she felt like a huge weight was lifted, and felt bad that her friends and family were waiting for her, but they would all understand later. “
14. The elopement.
“We were going to elope, and I realized it was stupid a few days before. I was 18, he was 21. He was also very selfish due to his chronic depression, and I was very vulnerable due to my anxiety. I wasn’t equipped to help him deal with his mental illness, and he wasn’t ready to deal with mine.” – u/toss_my_potatoes
15. The pressure cooker.
“I called my wedding off with 10 days to go because I felt I was being pushed into it. My girlfriend, who I loved and who loved me, got the wedding bug and her and her Mum sped through the set-up in record time with everyone assuming I was fine with it.” – u/WantonMechanics
16. The bad case of the nerves.
Nerves had this Redditor running from the altar.
The anxiety was a small part of a bigger problem: he was unhappy. His fianceé had only gotten ruder to him and his friends, so he decided not to show up because of it.
