6 Guests You'll Meet at Every Wedding (and How to Deal with Them)

If you’ve been to your fair share of weddings you’re probably well acquainted with these characters. From bad dancers to spotlight stealers, you’ve seen it all. Though they may make you want to facepalm, roll yours eyes or take them aside for a few words, there are better ways to deal with these eccentric party goers. Here’s how.

Here are a few of the guests you’ll meet at every wedding and some tips on how to deal with them.

The Bad Dancer
Even though most of us were blessed with a semi-decent shimmy, not everyone has the gift of the groove. You’re bound to encounter at least one wedding guest whose steps could use a bit of a tune up. This is the guy or gal who’s practicing jazz hands, pulling out the cha-cha slide (while the “cha-cha slide” isn’t playing) and working on perfecting their version of ‘the sprinkler’. While they may make you roll your eyes, the best way to handle them is to let them be. They’re not hurting anyone with their moves and they’re probably giving the happy couple tons of comical footage for their wedding video.

The Drunk Buddies
Some people - most likely the couple’s school buddies - forget the difference between a frat house and a wedding venue after a few shots. These bros will probably try to smuggle a beer funnel into the venue and have their eyes peeled for any red solo cups hanging around (for a game of flip cup, of course). If you’re not a fan of college party antics, steer clear of them as best you can. The newlyweds (or their point person) will probably ask them to cool it if they start getting too rowdy, and you don’t want to overstep your boundaries as a guest. Note: these guys will probably be a hit at the after party, so don’t rain on their parade too much.

The Social Media Queen (or King)
We all have this friend. You know, the one who spends the first thirty minutes of every meal photographing their food instead of eating it? While this may result in an impeccably curated Insta feed, watching it play out in real life can really grind your gears. If you’d rather not make a cameo on their social media, try to shimmy your way out of their lens view but don’t ask them to stop. They’ll probably use the couple’s wedding hashtag the most throughout the night, giving them some amazing memories to revisit over and over again.

The Forward Waiter
While the happy couple probably took extra care when hiring vendors, they probably haven’t vetted every member of the wait staff. Unfortunately, that means you may encounter a few creeps who are all too willing to offer up a phone number. The best thing to do in this situation is politely decline and bail out of the conversation ASAP. Try not to make a scene, the spotlight should remain on the guests of honour.

The Flirty Plus One
This friend of a friend just can’t help themselves. Since they’re not BFFs with the newlyweds, this is their night to mix, mingle and maybe even get a few phone numbers along the way. Yes, this is totally irritating (especially if they insert themselves in your conversations) but try your best to shrug it off. They’ll move onto the next person soon enough.

The Attention Grabbing Bridesmaid
In a perfect world the spotlight would remain on the newlyweds from dawn until dusk on their wedding day. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. There’s usually one wedding party member who want their slice of the limelight, too. While you may hate to see the guests of honour outdone, you should stay out of this one. The maid of honour, best man or a family member will handle moving them back into their spot as part of the supporting cast.