Guests go thirsty after 'bridezilla' bans water bottles to save the 'wedding aesthetic'

A wedding guest (who goes by the username u/Internal-Notice209 on Reddit) showed up to what looked like a Pinterest dream—soft beige flowers, blush-colored dishes, white linens, and a setup that looked straight out of a magazine cover. But behind the beautiful setup was a hot, sweaty struggle. Brides tend to have pretty bizarre demands for their wedding, but this was a step further. 

For the guests present, it felt like a battle to just stay hydrated. According to the now-viral Reddit post, the 'bridezilla' banned water bottles, including reusable ones, because they didn’t match her 'wedding aesthetic'. “She thought water bottles in photos would ruin the vibe,” the guest wrote. Instead, guests were handed small cucumber-mint spritzers, pretty, but not nearly enough.

“It was 102°F,” the guest recounted. “Everyone was sweating through their linen outfits.”The ceremony lasted 45 minutes in the direct sun. No shade, no fans, and definitely no water. One guest had to sit down during the vows, and the groom’s elderly aunt had to be helped inside with signs of heat exhaustion. Afterward, there was just one water station, hidden in a corner, where a staff member poured tiny glasses of cold water. The line was long, and people were desperate.

At one point, the groom’s mother took out a Hydro Flask from her bag. The bride reportedly gasped and asked someone to have her put it away, because even bringing your own water bottle was seen as a problem. And as a result, the photos on Instagram looked perfect, with soft lighting, neutral tones, and smiling faces. But for the guests, it was a sweaty, thirsty horror they wouldn’t forget. 

The guest who took to Reddit jokingly wrote, "The line was insane. At one point, the groom’s mom pulled out a Hydro Flask from her bag, and the bride actually gasped and made someone ask her to put it away. I wish I were joking. The wedding looked gorgeous on Instagram, like a magazine spread. But everyone who was there remembers it as The Thirst Games. So yeah, your wedding might be pretty, but let your guests drink some freaking water."

In the comments, many users shared their own experiences at weddings. u/italyqt recalled a sweltering wedding in Scottsdale that struck the right balance between style and care. “It was super hot, and they knew it. There was tons of water, and they had sunglasses and fans for everyone. Heck, they handed out flashlights while walking to our car at night. The photos looked great still!” 

Others pointed out just how risky a lack of hydration can be. u/imp1600 didn’t hold back: “She’s lucky she didn’t have to deal with ‘the paramedic aesthetic’ after a guest collapsed due to the heat and dehydration.” They recalled a similar experience: “I went to a wedding last summer during a heat wave. Ran out of water bottles early on, and no good place to get a drink. Hydrate your guests.” Meanwhile, u/dsmithscenes called out the unrealistic standards and said, “That’s the thing brides like these don’t realize about Pinterest or Instagram: A lot of the time they are staged shoots under completely controlled circumstances.”