For better or worse: Our readers' most memorable wedding stories

Getting hitched ideally only ever leaves you in stitches ... of laughter.

Earlier this summer, we wanted to know about all the wedding moments that went sideways for our readers. We asked them to tell us their funniest wedding stories, and they really dove for the bouquet on this one, sharing more than 85 memorable moments of matrimony.

Here are some of your stories that really took the cake (in some cases, quite literally), lightly edited for clarity.

"My husband and I got married in Boston on July 9, 2016, at the Exchange Conference Center in the Seaport. Our ceremony was at the water's edge with boats passing by in the background.

"When we were in the middle of our vows, holding hands, gazing into each others' eyes, being serious about dedicating our lives to each other, a boat of drunk guys went by and one of them shouted out 'DON'T DO IT!' Loudly and clearly. I mean, talk about timing! We laughed it off and DID do it. We've now been happily married for 8 years!"

— Corey Merrill

"We got married in the White Mountains in a field — not a mowed meadow or lawn, but a legitimate field, with long grass and bugs. The entire wedding party, guests and all, had to trudge through the field to the center, where the justice of the peace and two musicians waited. As my sister (my maid of honor) and I made our way through the field, a grasshopper flew up my gown. My sister had to kneel down to try to get it out, shaking and lifting my dress in front of all our waiting guests.

"Later, we had the reception in the common area of a resort condo complex, with barbecue catered by a local restaurant. After dinner, plates were cleared, and leftovers and trash were put in the dumpster. Around 10 p.m., a guest came running back into the room to announce that a black bear was gorging on our leftovers."

— Pamela Murphy

"We were at an outdoor Newport wedding, and the venue had a tiny Newport Mansion for their goats just before where the ceremony was set up. The toddler ring bearer saw the goats. And, instead of walking down the aisle, he threw himself on the ground because, in that moment, nothing was more important than petting the goats. (I get it, kiddo.)

"He — and his little 'getting married' sign — had to be carried mid-meltdown, while the other ring bearer proudly walked down the goat-free aisle."

— Courtney Keller

"My wife and I were married in Vermont at a vineyard in May under a tent. It was one of the wettest Mays ever, and there was a layer of mud covering the dance floor. We decided to go ahead with our first dance. The first time I go to spin her, she slips and lands on her back in the mud. The crowd goes wild. I pick her up and without thinking throw myself in the mud to join her in the fun.

"We made the local news because our last name is Mutty and they called it the Muddy Mutty wedding."

— Chris Mutty 

"My wife and I decided to marry in January in New England. Two days before the wedding, a major snowstorm hit and temperatures plummeted. Undeterred by a few guests not being able to make the trip, we held our reception at a local golf course. About an hour in, the pipes froze, and the only toilet still in service was in the bridal suite. The venue compensated by offering us an open bar, which exacerbated the urgency of the situation. All the men were using the outdoor snowbanks, while the ladies waited in line in the bridal suite."

— Michael Cianciola

"My beautiful rum wedding cake from a North End bakery slid from my back seat onto the floor of the car during a quick stop on the way to Connecticut the day before the wedding. I had to re-create the cake with a new batch of frosting the night before — and got drunk drinking some of the rum in the process.

"The cake looked beautiful, except for the fact that one side was darker than the other due to the fact I was a bit liberal when I poured the rum. But the guests raved about it!"

— George Tooker

"My twin sister and her wife got married at Trillium in the fall. They made the space their own with flowers, green table runners, handmade pottery — and many small, romantically-lit votive candles. While I was on the floor dancing, my purse got knocked off my chair and fell onto the floor. My 73-year-old aunt, who is historically a little clumsy, found the purse and threw it on the table so it wouldn't get lost or trampled on. Very thoughtful!

"A few minutes later, my mom turned to her and asked, 'What's that smell?' They both looked down and realized my aunt had put my purse right on top of an open flame. They quickly doused it with water and patted the flame out, but the strap was fully melted and table cloth a little singed. She bought me a replacement for Christmas, but the real gift is having a pretty hilarious story about the time my aunt accidentally started a fire on my sister's big day."

— Meagan McGinnes-Bessey, assistant managing editor, newsletters

"At my cousin-in-laws' wedding in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, there was another party happening at a backyard nearby and there was really loud music. So, when the bride and groom were saying their vows, the party next door was blasting the 'YMCA.' They embraced it and started dancing, too, while reciting their words of love. Everyone joined in!"

— Maruchi Koehler

"We were both young and lacking funds, so [we hired] an amateur photographer — the price was right. However, he brought only one camera and, of course, it broke. We have only one photo from our wedding. It's a Polaroid shot someone took of my 90-year-old Aunt Fanny, standing up and looking confused. We've decided that picture really says it all!"

— Steve Levin

"At our wedding two years ago, just about everything went perfectly until the end. We were announcing the after party location, when all of a sudden my new husband and I (and his teenage son) were the only ones left. All the guests took off before we had gotten ourselves a ride. Two Ubers and an hour later, we rejoined the revelers."

— Anne McCrory

"We had a sort of nonconventional wedding, but we still had most of the trappings. I made it through the ceremony, the greeting line and the photographs.

"It wasn't until I sat down at the reception table that I realized my fly had been down the whole time. The videographer inadvertently caught me on camera when I discovered it. Priceless."

— Mark Bloom 

"My cousin Bob and his bride Kelly's wedding reception was at Kelly's parents' house in Woodstock, Vermont. When it came time to toss the bouquet, Kelly got up on the house‘s elevated deck, and the single women clustered below.

"Kelly turned her back and lobbed the bouquet over her shoulder. It sailed over the heads of the single women and landed in the hands of the groom."

— Beth Parkhurst

"I asked my brother, Richard, to read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. It begins, 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.' He mistakenly altered it a bit to read, 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impotence.' So close!"

— Arthur Fasciani

"If you look at our wedding picture, you'll see us with our siblings and our kids standing in the sun in front of the church.

"But wait? Who's that little red-headed girl? The 3-year-old daughter of a guest, whose daycare-experience had her [fall in line to the direction], 'Line up over here, kids in the front.' Forever enshrined in the frame, so forever people can say, 'Wait, who's that?' "

— Wendie & Howie Howland 

"My wife, Cheryl, and I got married on July 4. We had a lovely ceremony in a public garden in Wilmington, North Carolina, with all the flowers in bloom. But there was a threat of rain. My wife arranged with a friend to borrow a tent for our backyard where we had our reception.

"When we got home and started welcoming friends and family, they came around the house to the back to be greeted by 'JORDAN'S FUNERAL HOME.'

"Guess it wasn't a bad omen, though — still married 32 years later!"

— Bob Amey

"Back in a previous life, I used to photograph weddings. You know how sometimes individuals will smash cake in the face of their new spouse? Well, it can be playful, and it can also be downright cruel.

"On [one job], the bride was all dolled up, as one would imagine. The husband was goaded by friends to put cake on her face. By the look of the mother-in-law's face, I knew that was not a good idea. They each gave each other a bite and did the formal champagne toast.

"Then, at the last minute, he reversed his good decision and smashed a piece of cake into his bride's face. The mother-in-law pounced. She threw cake at the groom and then proceeded to chase him with a spork. Yes. A spork."

— Doug Smith

"My husband Tim's birth name is David, which the justice of the peace had to legally use for our vows. But my family didn't know it and started profusely whispering with the words, 'Do you David, take Diane ... ' They were quite concerned we wouldn't be legally married!"

— Diane Patenaude

"We had two weddings: one in Cambridge and one in Finland, where my husband is from. One of my favorite memories happened at our Finnish wedding. We had a candy buffet as our party favor, and the photographer took some great photos of some of my relatives trying salmiakki — salty black licorice, a Finnish treat — for their first (and last) time."

"My friend offered to make the cake for our very DIY wedding, and it came out great. As she was carrying it, singlehandedly, to the table to be cut, one of our groomsmen was clearing a path for her. I heard a hush fall over the crowd and when I turned around the cake was on the ground and my poor friend was on her knees.

"We walked over and with another pal helped flip it back over and carried it to the table. We ate cake off of each others hands and declared it 'still good.' All of our guests started chanting 'It's! Still! Good!' over and over.

"We served it, knowing the floor had been mopped twice while we were decorating the space.

"Hours later, 'Black Betty' was playing. The crowd was stomping, and the table the cake was on collapsed. Some family members are still horrified that the cake fell, twice."

— Alice Vaught

"During the cake cutting at my wedding, I was extremely nervous and apparently, a bit too enthusiastic. The decorative plastic handle snapped off the knife and the blade flipped up, cutting my husband's ring finger pretty deeply. My cousin, an ER-nurse, had to intervene.

"In all of our sparkler exit photos, you can see my husband dancing out with a huge bandage wrapped around his finger. I like to joke that he can take his ring off if he wants, but the scar is a permanent reminder of my love."

— Amelia Afolayan

"During our wedding ceremony, my husband and I were asked to kneel at the altar for a blessing by the minister. When we knelt, we heard people chuckling.

"We hadn't realized our best man had painted the letters 'HE' on the sole of the left shoe and 'LP' on the other shoe, so when they were together, they spelled 'HELP.' The minister was not amused, but the rest of us were!"

— Nancy Wright 

"I was a guest at a wedding of a colleague. Several of us from the office were invited. I happened to get to the reception last. When I went to get my seating card, the original table number was scratched out with pencil and replaced with another table number. So, I went to 'new' table, and sat down with my boss and her husband (no fun!).

"I looked over at my 'old' table to see one of my colleagues and his wife with big smiles, waving at me. They switched our tables and I got stuck with the boss! Brilliant move on their part, not so much for me!"

— Liz Arangio

"My wife and I both worked for NOAA on research vessels. As she was just about to walk down the aisle, one of the engineers walked in the church.

"My wife said, 'Kevin you're just in time to carry my train.' He thought she was serious. I was at the front of the church when she started walking down the aisle. My soon-to-be mother-in-law started waving her arms in a downward motion!"

— Jack McAdam