The Good The Bad and The Unbelievable with Dominic and Serena
When the bride says no country music, but the groom’s father demands it… what could go wrong?
Wedding chaos is inevitable, but when parents think the day is about them, things can spiral fast. Dominic and Serena, the husband-and-wife team behind The Wedding Duo, share their wildest stories from behind the scenes of wedding planning and DJing.
Should parents get a say if they’re paying? That’s just one of the controversial takes we tackle, along with strict dress codes, surprise weddings, and over-the-top in-laws. In this episode, they break down how to set boundaries while keeping the peace.
And what happens when an uninvited guest catches the bouquet? From family feuds to DJ battles, this episode is packed with unforgettable moments, wedding hot takes, and plenty of laughs.
Don’t miss the drama—tune in now!
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Meet the Wedding Duo
02:09 Social Media Success and Wedding Tips
04:41 Wedding Stories and Challenges
27:35 DJ’s Perspective on Wedding Music
30:55 Wedding Story Submission: A Series of Unbelievable Moments
45:13 Confessions Game: Wedding Drama Unveiled
48:40 Social Media Reactions and Final Thoughts
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
- How Dominic and Serena built The Wedding Duo and started planning and DJing weddings together
- The power struggle between couples and parents—who really gets the final say?
- When wedding dress codes go wrong—should guests have free rein or follow strict rules?
- DJ nightmares: Dominic’s worst experience with a father-of-the-groom demanding country music
- The growing trend of surprise weddings—fun ideas or absolute disasters?
- Why weddings without kids are such a hot debate—do kids add to or ruin the experience?
- Wedding guests behaving badly—uninvited guests, bouquet snatching, and family feuds
- The unexpected backlash on social media over a bride cutting her hair mid-reception
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
- “When a parent says, ‘Well, I’m paying, so I get a say,’ that’s when logic is out the window.” – Dominic Fournier
- “It’s super helpful to have someone who’s not emotionally attached to the situation too.” – Serena Fournier
- “We look at the event as a whole. Like, we’re trying to please everybody as much as we can, as best we can, but the couple is our target audience.” – Serena Fournier
- “Some people just can’t help themselves—they HAVE to be the main character, even at someone else’s wedding.” – Christa Innis
- “Weddings are already stressful, but throw in a drunk mother-in-law and an aunt in a white dress, and now we have a full-on reality show.” – Christa Innis
About Dominic and Serena
Dominic and Serena, better known as The Wedding Duo, are a husband-and-wife team dedicated to making wedding planning easier, more fun, and way less stressful for couples. With years of experience as wedding professionals, they offer expert guidance to DIY brides, helping them navigate the chaos of wedding planning with confidence.
As business owners, event pros, and parents of three, Dominic and Serena know what it takes to balance it all. They provide free resources, affordable planning tools, and personalized advice to couples looking to create their dream wedding without breaking the bank.
From insider tips to real-world problem-solving, The Wedding Duo simplifies the planning process—so couples can focus on the joy of their big day instead of the stress.
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Join the Drama with Christa Innis:
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A Team Dklutr Production
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Christa Innis: Hi guys, thank you so much for coming on today.
Dominic: Thanks for having us.
Serena: We are excited to be here.
Christa Innis: Yeah, I’m so excited. I’ve been seeing your content for a while, and I love what you guys do. I love that you guys are both in the industry. So starting off, can you just talk a little bit about who you guys are, what you do, and then how you got into the industry?
How “The Wedding Duo” Started
Serena: Well, we are the wedding duo. So we’re a husband, wife, wedding planning, wedding DJ team. We originally started out in San Antonio, Texas, where we still own a company there that does entertainment and planning services for weddings. But we now travel the country and do weddings all over as a wedding duo.
We recently moved to Columbus, Ohio, in February of this year and bought a 20-acre property with the hopes. Of starting our own event space in the near future. So that’s a little synopsis of who we are and how we got into this?
Dominic: Well, it was weird during COVID things changed. Surprise, surprise, right?
Like a lot of things, just a little bit. Yeah. So we were, she said, Hey, I started a tick tock account. I go, okay. Cause that’s kind of what blew us up initially. And we’re on all the formats, but, and I was like, we did. Okay. And she goes, we’re going to the wedding. Do I go, what are we, what wedding do?
Okay. Cause you know, that’s not the name of our company, obviously in San Antonio. And so we just started like doing tips and tricks and you know, how social media works, you start throwing stuff against the wall, see mistakes. Thanks. yeah, we started getting a little traction and then we started getting better at it.
Some people had mentioned, Oh, I went back and watched all the videos. And I go, not all you didn’t go to the beginning. Those are like, I look back at that and I’m like, cringe, delete, delete. But it was all part of the process. And we always say when a bride gets a ring on her finger, she’s like, Oh my God, I’m engaged.
Like, what the heck do I do now? There’s just so much, so many decisions, so many little nuances. And they just. Ideally, they’ve never done it before and hopefully they never do it again. So it’s like They don’t know what even began. So we started just doing tips and tricks and it just really, people really were like,
Christa Innis: Yeah, I love that so much. I’ve heard the story so much about when COVID happened, it was like, TikTok, like, let’s go to social media. How can we think outside the box of like, expanding our business and people want to see, I feel like who they’re working with now, they want to. They want to learn more in just different ways.
Then it’s not that old fashioned just like go to a website and just scroll. It’s like they want to see firsthand what they’re going to get and learn.
Serena: Yeah. And that’s something too, I’ve talked before, about how trust has changed in the industry over the last very many, like five, six years.
And there are a lot of couples who don’t necessarily trust wedding vendors initially. And so that’s part of it. Two is they wanna see who you are. They wanna know you’re reputable, they wanna know you’ve, you’re gonna show up and like, because just there are horror stories right out there. Yeah. And they’re so visible now with social media.
So I think it’s important that you put a face behind a company and. A trustworthy thing for years.
Dominic: That first call because I’m a DJ, right? I would have that first call where I’m trying to, it’s consultation, right? It was always like, Hey, let’s get to know each other. See if I’m the guy for the job. Now they mentioned like, I feel like I already know you.
I’m like, oh, okay. Well, am I available? And is it in the budget? I mean, because they already have such a heavy dose of my personality and our personality when they want to plan her as well. It’s really, it’s almost so easy.
Serena: It changes it.
Dominic: Yeah. I’m like, Just sign here. Yeah.
Christa Innis: You’re like right here. Yeah. You’re able to showcase those different areas of yourself where like before you weren’t really able to. And I feel like that’s what people are looking for. They’re like someone they can relate to and has a personality that’s going to do the job that they want them to do. and a little bit more.
So I love that. So did you guys like to meet doing weddings or did you guys start doing weddings after you guys got married and started dating or?
Serena: And we get asked about it all the time. So he introduced me to the wedding world. He was DJing when we met and I was looking for a part-time job, and he got an interview at a country club as an event assistant.
Dominic: And I knew that she mentioned to me, like she was, if I can just find somebody to help and I go, Oh, I actually have somebody that might be outgoing and people always look at me and my personality, but I go, she’s just, she’s really good with people. And she’s really good at keeping things calm, all the scenarios you talk about, she would diffuse that like that, right? Yes,
Serena: You need that. It’s necessary, but yeah, so we, I started working in the event space, he was working separately, this was out in California, it wasn’t until we moved our little family to Texas that we started working together, though when we built our company there.
Christa Innis: Oh, very cool. I love that. And, like, you talk about you being able to diffuse those situations of the skits that I share. It’s like, I feel like so many of them, if they had, like, so many of the stories that are sent to me, if they had, like, a planner or a day of coordinator or someone that was there, like, on their side, I feel like so many of these could be, like, helped out because I feel like there’s so many like communication issues and I get some of the family stuff like that’s you can’t really like, I don’t know if no one can help that.
You just have to have good boundaries, I guess. But, but like a day of stuff like you need someone there that’s going to be like on your side and, um, you know, with you every step of the way for sure.
Dominic: And that’s one of the reasons we talk about. I mean, not, it’s not in the budget for everyone to have wall-to-wall professionals, but that’s what you get.
You get people that. No, where the issue is before it even happens and they head off of the past, they let people know, like, no, that’s no, is the people like, we’ve had this conversation a hundred times before, before you can get to the next thought, which I know where you’re going. Like, we can already say,
Serena: Well, and it’s, it’s super helpful to have someone who’s not emotionally attached to the situation too.
Right? Like, yeah. I’ve had to play that role so many times where I’m just kind of like a calming voice in a room of chaos, right? So, um, I think that that is super helpful, especially on the actual day of the event.
Christa Innis: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. Like, that’s like the bride I’m working with right now. She was like, I just need someone to like, keep me calm.
Cause I know my nerves are going to be really high. And so just like, You just need that exterior person, like you’re just talking about where it’s like, you’re not going to be involved in the drama. You’re not going to have a bias against, you know, someone or something like, let’s just stick on our timeline. Let’s, you know, make things flow. So it works well.
Dominic: Cause she gets everybody calm. And then I come into the bridal suite, like, Oh, great. We had everybody calm and here I come in like, Oh, like a wrecking ball. That’s what I do. I bring humor into it a lot. And I try to get people to like, like, you know, cause I always say like, how are you feeling about the bride’s shoes?
I’m nervous. I am nervous on your wedding day. And they’re like, I know. And so it’s just a little thing that little dad jokes that she’s so tired of. If they’re still getting their hair and makeup done, I’ll make a joke about my hair, of course.
Christa Innis: You need that to kind of loosen up the nerves.
Serena: And I have learned that it is.
As much as I roll my eyes, it is a valuable tool that he brings. To the party, right? It’s just that like interjection of humor and a sense of calm and like, oh, okay, let’s not all take ourselves so seriously.
Dominic: And they forget that it’s supposed to be a celebration. It’s supposed to be fun. But before you start, oh my God, everybody’s just puckered up so tight. And they’re like, everybody’s taking a breath.
Christa Innis: Yes, absolutely. So getting into the reason why people love hearing these stories, the hot takes, the drama, do you guys have any, like, being in the industry, do you guys have any crazy stories that you would like to share, that you’ve witnessed, heard, what have you?
When the DJ Becomes the Mediator
Dominic: So, like we mentioned, like, it’s, and I think, the scenarios you talk about, I think, are few and far between, but when they happen, it’s just, that’s what you talk about, right? It’s almost like the morning after. Oh, how was the wedding? Oh my God, the cake fell over. Like, that’s, that was one tiny thing that happened, but it’s the first, they want to tell what happened, what was the drama, right?
but I did have a scenario where, and I’m, I’m really good with people and I’m really, like I said, I’m good about diffusing. I’m very professional. I’m an adult. I try to be an adult and I don’t drink. So that’s, that’s. And that’s what, that’s what came into this one. Father of the bride, we’re in Texas. He was a good old boy.
He wanted nothing but country music. The bride, who was not his daughter. That was his daughter-in-law. So he’s the father of the groom’s wanted country. Did I say, bride? Father of the groom wanted a country. His new daughter-in-law said. I don’t want any country. So here I am in the middle with her being my client, right?
She signed the contract. He is so mad at me because I will not. So I even went up to him. I’m like, I would tell him repeatedly, the bride doesn’t want it. I go, when I went to the bride, like, can you please let me do a couple of country songs just to get him chilled out? And I did not do enough. He was literally walking in front of the DJ booth at one point.
Points at me and says worst effing DJ ever. I’m like, are you kidding me? I mean, I care so much. I’m so in the weeds about making sure everything goes perfectly. And so, and he’s sitting over there on the side like this. And so I’m like, again, I’m an adult. I walked up to him saying, can you appreciate my position?
I’m between the bride and it’s her day, right? I know you’re the father of the groom. You think it’s all about you hiring me another day and I’ll do your country playlist all night, but she hired me. It’s her day and she and her friends want to party. It’s not you and the boys at the country club playing in your country.
He did. He literally bowed me up and kind of bumped me a little bit. I’m like, You’re joking. Are you joking about this? He was well into the booze at this point. So I’m like I’m, just gonna remove myself from this guy, but it was like one of those moments and it’s still like Those memories are what sticks in your, in your head.
Even though I’ve had a thousand parents above me, he’s stuck in there. And I’m like, yeah.
Christa Innis: Because especially you can put so much care into your job and what you’re doing. And you’re like, I’m literally doing the best job I can do. And they can’t see past that. Like you are helping your client first. That’s like her day, oh my gosh.
Serena: Yeah. And it’s, it’s also, we. We do a lot of planning prior to the event, obviously, right? But even with the music piece, he sits down and has meetings with the client. So it’s like, it’s not like he’s just going off the fly and playing what he wants to hear, right? This has all been planned out and set up prior to the event.
So I don’t know.
Dominic: And people are weird about their music. I mean, people’s taste in music is just as personal as their taste in food or whatever, right? Like, so when they come up and somebody is like, turn this off, nobody wants to hear this. And I’m like, maybe the crowded dance floor would speak differently, right?
Cause I’m like, you’re not seeing plus. When they come up and say, Hey, can you play this song? And I go, no, it’s not your day. Random guests. Like it’s the couple who have given me music to play and I’m going to play their music as a priority. Plus whatever. It just usually gets the crowd going. So it’s the whole thing.
They don’t, they don’t get it. Sometimes, you know, the people that don’t get it, the people you do your skits with, they don’t get it. Right.
Christa Innis: They don’t get it. I know it’s, it’s hard. Cause I feel like. Like the father of the groom, they see it as their day to like presents to their friends or, you know, whoever’s there and it’s like, Oh, these are my, like you said, like my country boys, like, we love this.
And it’s like, get that out of your head for a little bit. And just like riding groom day.
Serena: Yes. There’s a time and a place for that, right? Like for your group of friends and your music. This is not it.
Dominic: You have a cowboy hat? Easy. Father of the groom, put the cowboy hat on.
Serena: There you go.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Oh my gosh. That’s crazy.
That is. I’ve never heard of someone getting so like, yeah, like you said, like people get very into their music, but I can’t imagine someone just going up to a DJ and saying that like knowing the dance floor is busy. People are enjoying music. It’s just you, sir.
Serena: It happens a lot, honestly. I mean, not to that extent, but, um, we have a team of DJs like in San Antonio and they talk about, you know, they get flipped off by a guest because they wouldn’t play a request, but alcohol is also a big factor, right? People get really upset.
Dominic: And again, it’s the exception, not the norm, but, and then when it does happen if it’s a random guest, like I have no problem saying like, you didn’t, the only reason I’m, the only reason you’re here is because they decided to get married. They hired me to be here for this party.
They’re giving you booze, they fed you just to enjoy the party. Right. But they’re like, but they get mad that they won’t play their song. But I’m like, they don’t, but a random guest is easy, but when it’s a parent, a father of one of the couple, that was where I’m like, okay, now I have to tread a little lighter.
You know, it was just, and again, it was really random, but I want dibs. You mentioned me. You mentioned Jesus’ story.
Christa Innis: Yes. No, I will totally give you credit if I do that. And, and I’m wondering too, it’s like, cause the story that I’m, I just did like a skit where the mom was like, um, talking about like an open bar, the bride didn’t only want to like wine and beer.
And the mom was like, well, we’re paying for it. So I’m wondering too, do you ever get people that are like, well, I’m paying for the DJ or I’m paying for this portion of the wedding. So I should get a say, and they don’t understand like, no, your client is still the first person.
The Parent Paycheck Problem
Dominic: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It’s the worst. The minute they drop that exact line. Well, I’m paying. I know. Okay. So the logic is out the window. Yeah, you’re just the string is there.
Christa Innis: Yeah.
Dominic: Nothing else matters. Well, I wrote the check. Okay. All right. It’s the worst. But yeah, it comes up a lot.
Serena: It does. I mean, they pull that card and it’s really unfair, right?
Because yes, that’s true. But we look at the event as a whole, right? Like we’re trying to please everybody as much as we can, as best we can, but the couple is our target audience, so just because you’re paying for it, I mean, that happens so much too throughout the planning process with parents because they’re like, they contributed to a certain portion of the day.
And so they want to be able to have more say in what happens with that, whether it be decorations or cake or something. Right. Um, and it puts the couple in a weird spot because what if they don’t, that’s not their vibe or that’s not what they had in mind, you know, they’re strings attached and it’s, it’s difficult.
Christa Innis: Yeah, that’s still one of the most controversial things I see when I make a video about something because I do longer like YouTube videos and I’ll talk about it. I’d like to read a story someone sent me. And still in the comments, people are like, well, if someone’s paying, they should have every right to change something.
No, they shouldn’t. If the bride wants to include the bride or groom wants to include the parent, that is their choice. Like, get opinions. Absolutely. Bring them along to a tasting. Sure. But to go over their head and change something or feel like they have authority over them is just wrong.
Dominic: In my opinion, it’s always, the one I just watched, the one that you’re talking about with alcohol.
The first thing I thought of was like, usually it’s. When the alcohol comes to somebody who brought it in like they have a flask, they have a bottle, there’s a surprise, they have it at the table, and that doesn’t go, and then the bartenders or the staff or the wedding planner will literally be like, can’t have this, and takes it, and they’re like, and
Serena: they get so upset, yeah, and
Dominic: it’s not just that it was expensive, but it’s like, no, that, you just took the party, like, that’s like, we’re doing shots at the table, you, most actual establishments, you can’t do that, or you can’t have it in the broom suite, you can’t have, you can’t bring your own booze in, that’s like, Should be obvious, but you get some people with the good old boys that bring it.
I don’t want to say guys, and girls do it too, but I mean, it’s, it’s, it boozes. Yeah, you gotta have it, but it’s like it brings a lot of drama with it, right? So
Christa Innis: yeah, I know someone just commented on the video either that part or another one and they said they read a wedding once where It actually got shut down because someone was sneaking in alcohol and because we don’t think about the liquor laws Some places don’t have the liquor license to have it or if you agree to a certain contract and you bring other stuff in they Could they could shut down like lose, you know different licenses or lose privileges.
So like they have to protect themselves People don’t think about that
Dominic: Well, and kids, it’s under 20, not even kids under 21, like the 19-year-old sitting at that table. That keeps hitting the shots. Yeah, that’s just getting in trouble when they get in a car crash on the drive home, the venue, people, the bartenders.
Yeah. And it’s like, they got to protect themselves. So, but they don’t. People just can’t, like, think two more steps ahead to figure that out. It’s like, there’s a reason we do this this way, so.
Christa Innis: All right, let’s jump into some wedding hot takes. So these are a couple of different prompts that people have shared before.
I want to get your guy’s opinion on it. So, do you think weddings should have strict dress codes, or should guests be free to wear what makes them feel comfortable?
Do Weddings Need Strict Attire Rules?
Serena: Oh, that’s a great question. So I think if it’s important to the couple, right, that they have an overall aesthetic, okay, let’s say they want, you know, a black tie type of an event, um, then the guest should comply with that, right?
Like they, they can put it on their invitations and they can choose not to come if they don’t want to get dressed up to that, um, level. But for the majority of events, I see, and I’m just saying kind of. What is more common, there is a certain expectation of, you know, dressing nice, but also not wearing white and, you know, um, not necessarily like a dress code, unless requested, I guess, if that makes sense.
Dominic: Oh, I had a stepmom recently. I’m like, and that’s the big book of wedding protocol, right? Page one, don’t wear white. Like, I feel like that what people know, right? And she was in this white dress and I was just like, oh, and of course, right away, the bride’s like. Honestly, like, and everybody else is like, you know what you’re doing.
You’re just stirring the pot. You’re kicking the bee’s nest. When I was DJing in California, where we met, I used to really have a problem with denim. And I’m like, really, you thought wearing jeans to the wedding was appropriate. And then I got to Texas and the wedding party is in jeans sometimes, but it’s, but that’s their vibe.
They’re cowboy hats and jeans. They’re nice jeans, you know, but, uh, but then there’s the other extreme where somebody wore a ball cap and you’re like, no, just a guest, a random wedding party. They’re in the loop. For these things, but I, I, I think people should dress up. I’m not a fan. And
Serena: I think they should do, but I think if an expectation of a certain attire is something you have in mind, you really need to put it out there and make sure that people are aware.
Right. That’s my only kind of. Caveat on that,
Dominic: but we’ve had people that in the wedding party or parents sometimes like they finish the ceremony and they’re just so uncomfortable in the suit or dress, they go and change and they’re back and they’re in their khakis or their T-shirt, and we haven’t even taken the pictures yet of that.
There’ve been grooms of that. They said like. You got to go back and change back. And I’m like, it’s just the craziest thing. And I’m like, you can’t just, just for just a few hours, you can’t stay dressed up. They just can’t do it.
Christa Innis: I know though the wedding I held with, uh, early last year, um, day of coordinator and.
Then, one of the, like, brides, like, new sister-in-law was, like, I think probably under 20, so she was maybe 18, 19. Complained about the dress the whole time. Literally, the second the wedding was over, went and changed, and they were like, We need you back! And, like, it was one of those where it was constantly, like, come on, like, stand up, like, we gotta get you in pictures.
Smile! Like, it was just, like,
Serena: constant.
Christa Innis: Right. So that’s hard. And, it’s hard, especially when you want them involved in the wedding and you’re like, come on, just wear this dress for like just a couple hours. Like, help me out here. But, um, but yeah, people get really like I’ve seen in the comments. People get really upset when it’s like, like, don’t tell me what to wear if I’m coming to your event.
But I agree where it’s like, let’s how you would normally dress than just like a little nicer for an event. But yeah, like sometimes you see jeans at weddings and it’s like, Sometimes it’s fine. It fits. If it fits their theme, go for it. Um, but yeah, it’s hard. That’s just it.
Dominic: It’s a pretty casual event. And everybody, all events are different.
But when it says black tie, make an effort, right? Like, go out. The thing that gets me into something I bring up as well is, let’s say you’ve got the wedding party and their plus ones at the head table. And then your sister starts dating this guy a month before and he shows up in the dirty ball cap. And now he’s at the head table
Serena: in the
Dominic: pictures and then they break up a week later.
Serena: And
Dominic: you’re like, are you going to be in every one of the pictures? So,
Christa Innis: yeah,
Dominic: That’s one of them. Yeah.
Christa Innis: And you never know if you’re going to be and like. I think most people probably don’t think about this. Maybe just like being kind of in the industry, but like you could be in the background of a video, like if a videographer is there, you can be in the background of a photo or like when they’re taking ceremony photos, you don’t want to see like someone’s like, you know, backward cap, you know, in the audience or something.
So just thinking about those things. Let’s see. So this one. Okay. How do you feel about couples hosting a surprise wedding instead of announcing it in advance?
Surprise Weddings: Bold or Reckless?
Dominic: A surprise wedding? I can’t say I’ve ever been a part of that.
Serena: Yeah, I don’t think I have either, but the thought kind of terrifies me a little bit. As a planner. Yeah, like I’m like, Oh my God, like how that adds such an extra level of stress and Just dynamic to the whole thing, right?
Dominic: Well, if we were in there from the beginning and we helped plan the surprise, that would be me. I’d be like, let’s do a first dance. I don’t know. What is your name?
What’s up? Like it would be, we couldn’t be surprised. We would have to be in on the loop, but it still brings in a whole, it would be a whole different, a whole different event.
Serena: Absolutely.
Christa Innis: I picture like. really upset parents. Like, I don’t know. Like, that makes me think that maybe if they did one, or if they’re planning on doing one, it’s like someone like maybe parents don’t agree.
And then they’re planning a party. Like, I feel like I’ve read a story where someone submitted it to me and they were planning a surprise wedding just to kind of be like, well, we’re already married, so you can’t do anything about it. Sorry. Surprise. Yeah. It’s like, I would never personally do that, but.
I guess they teach their own, but it’s almost like, I feel like someone that does that is like, they just don’t want other opinions to be brought in.
Serena: Exactly. And I think it would depend on, like, their motives, right? Maybe they’re just like, like you said, they don’t want any other opinions through the process, they don’t want those.
Dominic: It’s just a low, but it’s almost like you want to like, Oh no, I’m sticking it to the person. Like mom is going to hear about this. We’re going right. We’re going to see their faces.
Christa Innis: Yeah, go for it.
Dominic: That’s what I said. Go for it.
Wedding Hot Takes: Debating the Controversial Opinions
Christa Innis: Yeah, exactly. You do you. Yeah, exactly. Okay, next section is pick a side on wedding drama debates. So, these are things, unpopular opinions that people send me on Instagram. They’re not always unpopular because sometimes I’m like, oh, I agree with that, but they might be a little more controversial.
So, let me know what you guys think about these. So, the first one says weddings are better with kids.
Serena: So we actually disagree on that. Like, between the two, I mean, like, we’re more on one side than the other. I like adult -only events. And he loves kids, just in his life, like, right? So, he doesn’t mind the chaos that can occur with children.
In general, right?
Dominic: It’s not even kids. Usually it’s the parents, right? Cause you know, when they’re like that, it takes a village. No, your little terror is running. Because I’ve had kids, they had a little packet of toys for the kids. Like, cause you know, there’ll be coloring books, coloring books. Great. But this one had bouncy balls in it.
Christa Innis: Oh, no.
Dominic: Anybody listening? Terrible idea. Don’t give the kids. There was a little boy, literally, during the first dance, bouncing a ball across, running across, picking it up, throwing it across, and I’m like, looking around like, where is the parent? So that’s nonsense. When the, when the, when the parents just don’t care and the kids are just like, Yeah, I don’t like that, but just they’re in the family too.
But again, that’s really, people have a camp, kids or no kids. They’re like, I’m not sure. No, they already know. So it’s a big thing.
Christa Innis: Yeah. People are so passionate about it. When I post about it, like they’re like, how disgusting that a bride and groom would not include kids. And then on the other end, it’s like, no, I don’t want to go.
I don’t even want my own kids there or something like that. And I’m like, I, if I get invited to a wedding and my daughter’s not invited, I’m like, That’s fine. She’ll have fun with Nana and Papa. Or, you know, or if I, if she has invited, I’m like, great, you know, and I, she’s so small now where I’m like, I probably wouldn’t bring her that’s because I’m like, I’d rather have like a night out.
But you know what? Like to each their own for like bride and groom. I don’t know. It’s just me bouncing the balls and I’ve heard crazy stories and you are 100 percent right where it’s when the parents don’t watch the kid because they’re kids. They’re going to get into stuff. We know this about kids.
but yeah, if like a cake gets knocked over because of a kid, is it really the kid to blame or is it parent not wanting to
Dominic: share some of that? Responsibility.
Christa Innis: Yes, but I’m like my purse like we invited all our nieces and nephews because I was like, I couldn’t imagine getting married without my nieces and nephews there, but like when it came to like friends, kids or like distant relative kids that I barely see, I’m like, and I, and most of my friends were like, I would rather have a night out with my husband.
Dominic: If you think about it, how many times do they have a corporate Christmas party? The kids don’t go to that. Like it’s not a, it’s a thing. If it’s going to be a grownup party, yeah, the kids don’t go. But to your point, I would say just bring the ones, you know, like if you’re. Person from work. You don’t even know their spouse.
They’re bringing their kids. Like, you know, of course not pay for them. No, absolutely not. So I agree. But again, I, I, I enjoy chatting with the kids. He
Serena: does. He’s like the kid whispers, like the pied piper wedding is there and the little kids like to follow him around. I get a lot
Dominic: of assistant DJs. And sometimes I’m like, okay, we need to yeah.
I can’t get to the board because they’re all back there. What song is next? Is this microphone on? I’m like, put the microphone down.
Christa Innis: Right. Well, I think I was always like, I always heard this story growing up from my mom where they were having no kids at their wedding, my parents. And one of my, I think it was like my dad’s coworker or something was like, Oh, like we’re RCPing with our two kids.
And they were really mad that the kids were not invited. And so my parents were like, okay, fine. You know what? We’ll add them on, you know, we’ll give them. Two seats day of the like, and you know, it was expensive. Like you still have to add on these kids meals the day of the wedding. They didn’t come and they acted like it was no big deal.
Like my parents were like, Oh, where’s so and so and so and so they didn’t want to come. My parents were like, you made this huge thing. We extended it for them. And then they didn’t even like to come. So those are the
Dominic: People, these are the same people. They’re all going to that same pile.
Christa Innis: Yeah.
Serena: Just that level of like.
Selfishness, I think, is what it comes down to. Yeah, like, only being able to see how it affects themselves. Totally.
Dominic: It’s a selfish thing, I think, for sure.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Okay, so this next one says Alright, so this is a good one, since you’re a DJ. Songs that have specific dances, like Cupid Shuffle, for example, alienate people from the dance floor.
Dominic: Uh, I would say it’s the opposite. Yeah. For a DJ, it’s kind of low hanging fruit because if I’m trying to get the dance floor energized, whatever people, I mean, I don’t even know if your wedding counts if you didn’t wobble at the reception. Right? So I’m just kidding. But it is like, there are people that will only dance to the line dances because they don’t like it, they don’t think they can dance, but they know they can follow the moves like everyone else.
And there are nights where they want, like, can we do the boot scootin’ boogie, followed by the Cuban shuffle, followed by the wobble, followed by the cha cha slide. I’m like, absolutely not. I mean, I will sprinkle them in, but I don’t want, yeah, I don’t want, I, again, it’s their day, but it’s really, it’s another thing.
Some people are like, no line dances. And then other people are like, Oh, we love them. I’m like, okay. And overall, there’ll be a night where I’m really muscling through a dance floor. Because I can only work with the crowd I have. But they’ll literally come out, do the line dance and then disappear on me again.
I’m like, I can’t get any more venom. It’s not usual, but. Again, not everybody, but overall, yeah, it’s, it’s,
Serena: It’s still a thing. And I don’t think it alienates people unless, I mean, I guess like for that song, right? Like it’s usually just one or two, if we play them and
Dominic: yeah. If I’m a guest, I love to dance, but I’m like, knock yourself out.
Kick your right foot, kick your left foot, turn around. It’s like a hokey pokey. I’m like, I’m going to get a drink at that point.
Serena: Exactly. Like, yeah, I don’t think it changes the overall.
Dominic: Yeah, but I’m in the minority. The minute I play cha cha slide, I’m like, here they come, here they come. But what’s cool about it is the little kids know it because they do it at the middle school dance.
Right. Grandma knows it because it’s been around 20, 30 years. So it’s one of those, like you look at all walks of life, all generations, because it’s a wedding. It’s not a club. You got four generations there. Right. And I want everyone to dance and that’s one of the songs that we’ll get
Christa Innis: Yeah.
Dominic: It’s crazy.
Christa Innis: So I totally agree with that. I’m the wobble girl. I always wobble at weddings. Yeah. And it’s funny too, because it’s like, that one’s obviously a little bit newer. I feel like when I was in college, that’s when I started hearing that more. But um, like I remember at my wedding, like my mom was like, Oh, how would I do it?
So we’re all trying to teach. And I think it’s just like a fun moment for a family, you said, like multiple generations to come in. But, but yeah, maybe like the hokey pokey or like the chicken dance, we don’t always need those. But you know, Yeah. Yeah. You know,
Dominic: And there’s even like people would say the YMCA is one that’s kind of a lot.
It is like the part in the middle, right? Or what about Miss, uh, Chappelle Rowan, like H O T T O, right? It’s like, and people were like, what are they doing? And I’m like, some people know it, some people don’t, but I always say like, is it going to stay? And is it going to really get momentum?
Cause Like the wobble has been around. It’s one of the newer ones, but the cubit shuffle is over. Cha cha slide has got to be 25 years old, but they still know it and do it. It’s still relevant. I use that. Word loosely, but, uh, I don’t have to go say yeah.
Serena: Relevant in the wedding. Yes. I’m running differently than the rest of the world.
The Wildest Submissions Yet
Christa Innis: Yeah. Okay. I know, like we’ve had so much fun chatting, but I want to get into this week’s wedding story submission. So we can kind of react to it. So I’m going to read it and then, um, I’ll make little pauses and stuff too, or just feel free to start like. Cut me off if you want to start talking about how crazy it is.
Like I said, before we started recording, I’ve not read it yet. So we’ll see what we’re going to get. Sometimes they end. Not too crazy and just a little like a learning moment. So here we go. All right. Our wedding happened two years ago, but it’s too much of a WTF moment to not share. I love your skits, and this could honestly be a whole series.
The day of our wedding, there were so many moments that were just shocking, but also you just have to laugh and shake your head. My husband and I stayed in separate rooms the night before, but they were right across the Oh, they. Okay, she missed this. I’m guessing her in laws. Says they were right across the hall.
I had hair and makeup in my room for all the bridesmaids and the moms. Everything was going smoothly until my mother in law came in to get her hair done and she was already buzzed from drinking. Here we go, another drinking one. She was saying things like, I can’t believe you’re taking my baby from me. Who is going to take care of me?
Why does this day have to happen? Mind you, my father in law is very much alive, and my husband has another brother.
Dominic: So it was all on him apparently. Yeah.
Christa Innis: This is the one.
Dominic: This is the golden child of the family.
Christa Innis: Oh yeah. And it’s funny too because like people always be like, oh this is so dramatized and I’m like, but sometimes like people are like, no this happened word for word to me.
Right.
Dominic: Absolutely. We all know these people.
Christa Innis: Yeah. The time had come to say our personal vows, and we were doing our first touch pictures. It was to be in his room on the balcony so we could get fall colors in the background. The only people invited were our photographer and videographer. While I was reading my vows, we heard and saw his aunt from the ground screaming that she loves my husband.
We ignored her, but she persisted, so my husband had to politely tell her to go away. Um, next came walking down the aisle. Him and I were both crying and had locked eyes the second I entered the aisle. I was midway through getting him, through getting to him when the other aunt suddenly grabbed my arm and started rubbing my shoulder.
I’ve been to 12 weddings and have never seen or heard of anyone doing this. I’m sure it was to try to comfort me. But not the time or the place. No.
Absolutely not. Yeah, what are we doing here? We finished up our ceremony and moved on to pictures. That’s why I noticed his third aunt. Okay, lots of aunts here. Yes. Dressed in all white.
Serena: Mmm, there it goes.
Christa Innis: Floor-length gown and all.
Serena: Yep, they do it.
Dominic: Does she have a bouquet? Was she carrying
Christa Innis: a bouquet? Her own bouquet and everything.
She had a veil, I’m guessing, so. So my photographer positioned her to stand directly behind me, so all you could see was her head. Smart photographer.
Dominic: Very good. Yeah.
Christa Innis: Family pictures were going well until we told everyone we were going to do our own one on one pictures. Mother in law had to be told and finally was removed as she wanted to join our pictures and tag along.
Serena: Yeah, let go. The umbilical cord has been severed. Yes! Oh my god.
Dominic: I hope they move out of the country, because this is the only way you’re going to serve this time. Yeah.
Christa Innis: This reminds me of the, uh, Everybody Loves Raymond situation. Like, we’re moving across the street, we’re going to come in the back door.
Serena: Yeah, exactly. Show up unannounced all the time. Oh, wow.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Once the reception hit, all the stress and anxiety was over, or so I thought. We had our dance and then my dad’s daughter danced. My husband goes to grab his mom and at this point she is wasted drunk. She kept yelling at him to twirl her, dip her, and make a whole scene.
The rest of the reception did go fairly well and I wouldn’t change a thing. But if you have, if you need more, I have my whole side of the family that apparently was competing to see who could be the bigger S show. Then we now have my whole pregnancy, which is also filled with drama. And that’s a whole other can of worms.
Serena: Right. Yes.
Christa Innis: So that’s,
Serena: That is, I can only imagine this mom now with a baby. that, yeah, it’s like
Dominic: They say, you’re not just marrying that person. You’re marrying the whole family.
Serena: But
Dominic: I mean, not, not really. I mean, you see him like most families, you just see holidays periodically, birthdays. But if they’re next door, if it’s that.
Everybody loves the Raymond scenario. Yeah. They are under your feet and it sounds like she probably didn’t move far.
Christa Innis: Yeah. And like. This is like a small, small detail that seems like they, I’m wondering if the bride or the mother of the groom asked for the room across the hall because I find it very interesting.
Um, oh, you know, I might’ve read that wrong. It sounds like her husband stayed across the hall the night before, but when the mother in law came in, it sounded like she was already just trying to stir the pot and just trying to make it about her. But
Serena: It’s so unfortunate. We did once on our feed where he talked about.
The mother of the groom, getting a photo with her son, like making sure that she had a moment with her son,
Dominic: like a first touch with the first look with the, with the father, the bride, which we see a lot,
Serena: Like, like, then it was important for the mother of the groom to be able to get those moments too, because it is right.
But this is the extreme, right? Like get the moment, but then also know that this isn’t about you, right? Like you, you of course are a big part of the two families coming together. But essentially it’s about the couple and, um, yeah, I, I don’t,
Dominic: It’s funny you mentioned that. And that’s the first thing I thought of too, was that, that video.
Cause I saw it once and I go, what a great idea. Because sometimes the groomsmen and the groom are already ready. And the bridesmaids take a little longer. Your gender takes a little longer to get ready often. Um, but the mom is sometimes ready. Cause she was usually early in the chair to get the hair and makeup done.
Just grab the photographer who sometimes is, you know, taking detailed shots or waiting and just have a quick, like, just the same thing. Walk up, tap him, because he’s always in that dirty Aerosmith shirt with the hole in the pit and the khaki pants and the Crocs. He’s dressed, he’s never looked better.
Mustache tamed, hair is cut, he’s groomed. Have a moment where you’re like, Oh my God, you look great. I’m so happy for your big wedding day. Hug it out, get a picture, wipe a tear, scene. And we’re good. Yes. The moms and the mothers of the bride were like, It is not about her. It is about me. The same ones. These people are like, they took it as an attack.
Like, no, it is me and my family and the bride’s. I go, what? Half of the guests are there because Of him and his family. It’s crazy. People get so personally attacked.
Christa Innis: Yeah. And I find it funny too, like people kind of call themselves out sometimes in the comments because it’ll be like a mother in law story that someone sent me and someone will comment.
Why do you only talk about mother-in -laws? Mother of the bride is bad too. And I’m like, okay. I mean, if someone tells me a story, I will ask. And I try to mix up what I’m talking about. But why, like, when I see a story about a bride, I don’t get offended because I’m like, I wasn’t like that, you know what I’m saying?
Like, it’s like, if you see a story and you’re offended and like, maybe we should look at, look in the mirror
Serena: a little bit of, you know, internal. Are you the
Dominic: lady from the story?
Christa Innis: Yeah. People will be like, are you, this is, are you in this story? Yeah. Yeah, I should reach out to this person and be like, do you want to share more for like a part two?
More, yeah, wow. I want to know about this, like, I mean, I’m good at photography for thinking quickly and being like, let’s move the amp behind you. But, all white, like, and I was someone like, you know, I had Like even to my bachelorette party, I remember one of my cousins being like, I bought a dress that has white in it.
Is that okay? I’m like, I don’t care. You could wear an all white dress. I’m not that person. I don’t care. But to just assume, or just to show up in a gown at someone’s wedding is very bold, very bold. You’re asking for people to like to ask questions or to like to notice you at that point.
Dominic: And like you said, a picture like in the background.
I’ve also seen where they have a really extreme, like, neon pink dress or something, and I get that that’s sometimes the thing, but we had one and it was really bright, and it was like a gown. It’s like, poofed out and everything. I think she had, like, some kind of a tiara looking thing too in her hair, and I’m like, and again, every picture she was like Bigfoot.
There she was in the background, because she glowed, right? Right. And it’s like, it’s not, it’s not your day. It’s not about you, but some people just don’t, that doesn’t. Yeah. They can’t
Serena: not like to stand out in social settings. Right.
Dominic: That could be the title of every one of your stories. It’s not about you, but let’s tell the story.
Yeah.
Christa Innis: I feel like I’ve quoted that so many times in these skits. I’m like, well, it’s not about you, but like people still, and the irony of it too, is like these, the mother in law, especially in this story, that’s like, don’t take my baby away from me. Like, why does this have to happen? The more they act like that.
The less they’re going to see their son, because the wife’s not going to want them around. For
Serena: That matters. Right. Like who wants that overbearing mother in law when you, especially when you’re a new mom and like, Oh my gosh, how can
Dominic: You do not connect the dots on that? Right.
Christa Innis: Yeah, I feel like ’cause people like that are just the main character of their own story, so they don’t see how they can be the issue, that’s to say, yeah, yeah.
She, the bride, is the villain at that point.
Dominic: Terrible bride. How dare she take her?
Christa Innis: Terrible. I’ve seen that a lot too. People will comment like, well, brides, or what, what did they say? Like, brides are villains too. And I’m like, yeah, I’ve shared some where brides are not the, the, you know, main protagonist or whatever.
They’re like, and I’m like. Or, you know, they’ll just kind of be upset at the story, how it comes out. And I’m like, I just, I just get a story and I just make it into it.
Serena: It’s so interesting. We, um, we had a video recently where we showed our bride, she cut her hair right after the ceremony. So
Dominic: today, this morning, I saw another bride doing it as a surprise
Serena: to her groom,
Dominic: mid reception, like the.
We started the dance floor and then, yeah, and then
Serena: We took her back. She had her aunt come in to the stylist and cut her hair and it was really fun and fabulous and crazy. Yeah. But, and okay, we posted on Tik TOK. We posted on Instagram and there were a few comments on those platforms. And, but a lot of them were like, this is, she looks great on Facebook.
Christa Innis: Mean.
Serena: We’re so upset. They were like,
Christa Innis: how
Serena: Dare you? You are being deceitful to your husband. He married you with long hair and now he’s going to be disappointed.
Dominic: I mean, they were so,
Serena: They were so mad.
Dominic: So you’re on social media. You understand, right? We have videos. And TikTok and Instagram and Facebook are similar, but if we put the same video on all three, we’ll have one that blows up on one and it does that on the other one.
So that one has 20, 000 on TikTok, maybe about the same on Instagram, 4. 5 million on Facebook. We’ve never had a video, never had a video go that big on Facebook before. And every comment
Serena: is pissed off, almost. It is
Dominic: ridiculous, the things they’re saying.
Christa Innis: I find Facebook is kind of like the meaner out of all of them and like with this whole like possible like TikTok ban, it’s funny, like one of the first comments I saw about it, this woman was like, Oh, that’s good because you know, TikTok bullying and stuff.
I want to be like, Facebook has the like, Facebook has the meanest comments like towards me or towards like skit people like, Oh my gosh, like those are where I get like the nastiest comments, I would say.
Serena: It’s the same for us. He like he rarely he’s in most of the videos right and he doesn’t get a lot of negative like personal attacks on Uh, TikTok or Instagram, but when they come, they come from
Dominic: Facebook.
Serena: Yeah. Yeah.
Dominic: This is what I get. It’s because, I don’t know if you’ve seen any ones where I talk about the bride going down the aisle and I start to describe the moment and I’ll talk, and I try to talk when the artist isn’t singing, but sometimes I have to get a point across. I’m like, wait, you’re going to open the doors right here.
And stop talking. I can’t hear the song. I’m like, like
Serena: you
Dominic: couldn’t listen
Serena: to the song
Dominic: somewhere else. It’s only 30 seconds of the song anywhere where you’re like, Oh, this is my jam. Turn it up. Go any other format. But the reason I’m doing this is to describe the moment that they can’t, again, they can’t detach.
They’re like, stop talking. I can’t hear the song. I’m like, okay.
Serena: So I’ll just sit there. They
Dominic: expect me just to sit here and say, play. Yeah. That’s going to do well. That video will do really well.
Christa Innis: I’ve had like, some people just comment, like, What a waste of time watching this. Or they’ll be like, dumb skit.
And I’m like,
Serena: thanks.
Christa Innis: And I’ll just be
Serena: Like, thanks, Pamela. Yeah. And also you watch the whole thing. Right. So like, That’s on you. Sorry, you wasted your time. Yeah, you could have just scrolled and kept going. I mean, I know it really is. We love social media for what it’s done for our business and the connections we have made, but there’s a lot of yucky, you know, that you really have to like, put on a thick skin sometimes.
Christa Innis: Those keyboard warriors.
Serena: Yeah, unfortunately, it brings out really just some bold people. I don’t know why. They don’t understand that they’re like people. That’s what I said about the Facebook post. I was like, I hope our bride doesn’t see this. That was like my concern because I know them well enough that she would roll her eyes I’m sure but like it’s just There’s people on the other side of what you’re saying, right?
Like sometimes they’re so nasty and it’s just like,
Dominic: But she’s the bride. She’s not on Facebook. It’s okay.
Christa Innis: Exactly. Oh my gosh. That is crazy. Okay. So before we end, cause I know we’re getting kind of over on time here. I don’t want you to take up too much of your guys’ time. So I want to end with our weekly confessions game. So these are confessions that people send me on Instagram that Sometimes they have to do with weddings, sometimes they don’t.
So we’re going to see what we get. Um, we like to call it the drama Yeah, drama meter. Where we’re going to say like, rate them from 1 to 10. Or just respond to like, how crazy it is or if it reminds you of something. Okay, this first one says, I stole back my bouquet when the uninvited guest at my wedding caught it.
Serena: Well, the thing, the thing I would say is usually we have a separate bouquet so the bride can keep that bouquet, right? Cause like, usually the bride, like,
Dominic: A tossed bouquet.
Serena: So, I don’t have a problem with her wanting to keep her own bouquet, I guess it is like.
Dominic: Yeah, probably shouldn’t have thrown it in the first place.
Christa Innis: Well, I’m wondering if she just worded it as my bouquet, but I’m wondering if it actually was the toss.
Serena: Okay, so in that case, that’s, I mean,
Dominic: If you had one of your bridesmaids or your sisters and gays and you’re like, Oh, I want them to catch it. And then you’re like, And then this chick over here wasn’t even invited.
I mean, I can see how you’d be mad,
Christa Innis: but yeah,
Dominic: I give it a four, maybe
Christa Innis: a five. It’s like a whole layer of like, what happened? Why did you not like? Did they try to get invited and you knew they were coming or yeah, it’d be kind of crazy. Um, Okay, we’ll do one last one before we end because I know i’m again taking taking too much Um, let’s see.
Okay. This person says this might be like a hot take actually If I buy you a shower gift, I am not going to buy you a wedding gift I mean,
Serena: I don’t even know why That’s like, like making that a thing, like then don’t, like, I don’t know, like people do or don’t bring gifts to weddings all the time, right?
Dominic: Like I invited the shower. I’m not inviting you to the wedding.
Christa Innis: I know. I think I would personally be like, then I’m just not going to go to the shower.
Like if I don’t want to. Gifts. Like, cause I don’t feel right about going to a shower and not bringing something or going to a wedding and not giving a gift. I feel like it’s two different events, but I get it. It’s a lot of money. It’s expensive. I don’t
Serena: now. Just like in my mind, if I had a certain budget that I could spend on their gifts, I would just get something that like one for each split, you know what I mean?
And like, or, or just put a card in the card box for them at the wedding. Just the sentiment is the
Dominic: The person knew how much. Weddings cost. They would be like, okay, well, I’ll give you a glass of wine at the shower, but you can’t drink anything at the wedding. You know how much money, or in your meal, I mean, everybody has a dollar sign on their head that it tends and it is steep, right?
I’d pay for that chair you’re sitting in, by the way.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What I don’t get is like when people act like they, if they’re invited to something, they have to go and they have to spend this money. Like I saw someone say, Oh, destination weddings are so selfish. And it’s like, If you’re invited, you don’t have to go.
Serena: Yeah, absolutely. It’s not about you. Right. Like this is what the couple has chosen to do and you are invited, which means you can decline.
Dominic: Yeah, absolutely. Give your opinions.
Serena: Make it feel bad for having a desk. I’ll
Dominic: give you my response with a heavy dose of guilt.
Christa Innis: Yeah, exactly. Well, thank you guys so much for coming on.
It was so fun meeting you guys and chatting with you. You guys have a lot of great stories and hot takes. Um, if you guys can just again, share where people can find you on social media, all your great content and, um, anything up and coming for you guys.
Serena: Yeah for sure. so on TikTok, we are a wedding duo on Instagram.
We are at the dot wedding duo you can find us, our Website is the wedding duo. co not. com gets really confusing with that. We do have our new membership for engaged couples that is available through our website, which is where we share exclusive videos and lessons on all things weddings. We go live inside the membership.
Dominic: It’s really, if you’re a DIY bride, download the app and join our membership. It’ll be really good. We have a podcast too.
Serena: We do. Awesome. It’s not as fun as yours. I mean, it’s informative, but yours is just, it’s fun.
Dominic: We have
Serena: fun. It’s so much fun chatting with you. So, yes.
Christa Innis: This is awesome. Well, yeah, like I said, I love your guys content and I was always seeing it on Instagram and I was like, they would be perfect to come on and chat with because you guys are in the industry, you know, what’s up, you’ve got those stories, so thank you so much again for coming on.
It was so great. And, uh, I can’t wait to share. Woohoo.
Dominic: Fabulous. It was good. Let
Christa Innis: I just stopped this. If I can remember.
Vows, Chaos, and Mother-in-Law Mayhem with Lucette Brown
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever witnessed at a wedding?
From mother-in-law meltdowns to guests causing a scene on the dance floor, weddings are full of unforgettable moments—and sometimes, outright chaos!
In this episode, Christa sits down with TikTok creator and former event planner Lucette Brown, the creative force behind the viral skits at “Events and Affairs.” Lucette shares her journey from behind-the-scenes wedding planning to creating hilarious content inspired by the quirky and dramatic world of weddings.
Tune in as they chat about cultural differences in wedding traditions, hilarious stories that inspired Lucette’s skits, and tips for keeping the dance floor packed. Whether you’re planning your big day or just love a good laugh, this episode will have you hooked!
Listen now and prepare for a fun dive into the world of wedding chaos and creativity.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction and Greetings
01:28 Getting to Know the Guest
03:42 Crazy Wedding Stories
07:35 Wedding Traditions and Hot Takes
26:55 Shocking Wedding Drama Unfolds
27:28 Family Tensions and Broken Promises
31:18 Uninvited Guests and Unexpected Chaos
40:37 Confessions and Final Thoughts
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
- Lucette’s transition from event planning to creating viral TikTok skits.
- Why she thinks wedding favors are outdated and unnecessary.
- Hilarious and jaw-dropping mother-in-law stories, including one with armed security!
- Differences between Australian and American wedding traditions.
- Tips for keeping the dance floor packed at weddings.
- The rise of cocktail-style receptions and their benefits.
- How family dynamics can shape—and sometimes derail—a wedding day.
- The importance of staying true to your vision for your wedding.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
- “There’s always going to be opinions no matter what you do, so you might as well just do what you want because you’re never going to make everyone happy.” – Lucette Brown
- “I think the hardest thing with weddings is to get everyone to the dance floor. Once you’ve got them, they tend not to leave.” – Lucette Brown
- “I do think they’re nice to have that intimate moment with just the photographer and the couple.” – Lucette Brown
- “Weddings bring out true colors—whether that’s friends or family.” – Christa Innis
- “If you don’t want people to come, then don’t invite them.” – Christa Innis
About Lucette
Lucette Brown is a marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in the industry, focusing on digital and interactive channels. She has worked with senior staff members to achieve record sales, company growth, and strategic objectives. Lucette has extensive experience in wedding and event planning, which she translates into creative content through her TikTok and Instagram account.
She also has training from Second City and iO Theater in Chicago, where she developed her storytelling skills. Currently based in Australia, Lucette continues to work in marketing and create content about the wedding and events industry.
Follow Lucette Brown:
Join the Drama with Christa Innis:
Got Wedding Drama? We Want to Hear It!
Your stories make Here Comes the Drama what it is! Share your unforgettable wedding tales, hilarious mishaps, or unbelievable moments with us. Whether it’s a wild confession or a story worth a skit, we can’t wait to hear it.
Submit your story today: Story Submission Form
Follow us on social media for updates and sneak peeks at upcoming episodes. Your stories inspire the drama, the laughs, and the lessons we love to share!
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From cozy hoodies to quirky mugs, there’s something for everyone in our collection. Your purchase helps keep the laughs coming, and it’s the perfect way to show your support.
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A Team Dklutr Production
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Christa Innis: Hi, Lucette. Thank you so much for joining me today. I’m so happy and excited to talk to you. After seeing your videos, I feel like I know part of your story.
Lucette Brown: Lots of characters, which I kind of like.
Christa Innis: Yeah. I’m riding in the same boat with you. It’s fun to play characters because you can act certain ways, and yeah, it’s like your safe space.
Lucette Brown: Exactly.
Christa Innis: And you are in Australia right now, so what’s the time difference? I don’t even…
Lucette Brown: It’s one o’clock on the 5th of December, so Thursday. Thursday, one o’clock.
Christa Innis: Okay. I’m glad we found a time that worked out for us. Well, I’m so excited to have you. Like I said, I feel like we’re very similar in what we do on social media. So I had to have you on. I know when I posted about doing a podcast, so many people tagged you because they just love your content. That was so cool.
Before we get started, can you share a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in making content and so much more?
Creative Beginnings
Lucette Brown: Yeah, so I got started in the industry a long time ago. I was in the industry for about 13 years, and then I had my daughter, who’s now three. Work-life balance didn’t quite align with it at the time, so I’ve since kind of left the industry.
It was probably seven months ago now that I decided to make a TikTok skit. The idea behind Events and Affairs has been there since 2016 when I lived in Chicago. I went to Second City and iO Theater and came up with the concept, which was like a TV series. I created the characters, and it just sat there waiting to do something with it.
Then I finally got the courage to make a TikTok. I thought, if people like it, they like it. If they don’t, I’ll just make it for myself. And yeah, the rest is history.
Christa Innis: I love that. That’s the best way to do it. Someone was just asking me recently about TikTok, and I said, at some point, you have to make the jump and just be like, “You know what? I’m gonna do it and not care what people think.”
If they watch it and like it, cool—that’s awesome. If they don’t, then it was fun to experiment with, you know?
Lucette Brown: A hundred percent. It was just a fun, creative outlet. Thankfully, it seems people are enjoying it.
Christa Innis: People love the skits. They love those skits.
Lucette Brown: It’s fun. As you would know, there are so many stories in the industry and so many chaotic moments that you experience.
Christa Innis: Exactly, yeah, definitely. So, talking about chaotic moments and hot topics, let’s hear any crazy stories that you have. People love to listen to those crazy stories. What’s probably one of the craziest or most outlandish things that you’ve seen or heard before?
When Chaos Takes Center Stage
Christa Innis: What’s probably one of the craziest or most outlandish things that you’ve seen or heard before?
Lucette Brown: As you would know, there are a lot. But the one that always springs to mind is the mother-in-law who had security at her daughter’s wedding.
She asked for armed security, which in Australia, especially Melbourne, is just not a thing. It was a big no, absolutely not. She wanted security at her wedding, and that raised alarm bells for us. We were like, why is she wanting security for your wedding?
It turns out she was a bit of an attention seeker. There wasn’t any real reason why she would want them. The more we got to know the couple and the family, the more we realized it was what they had been telling us. Her ex-husband was bringing his new girlfriend, and she didn’t like that. So, she wanted security on the day. She also came dressed head-to-toe in a white, very bridal suit and had her own flowers.
Christa Innis: So it starts bad and keeps getting worse.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, and then she left probably an hour into the wedding.
Christa Innis: Wait, and then she left early too? So she just wanted to make this grand appearance, make it all about her, and then leave?
Lucette Brown: Yeah, I’m out.
Christa Innis: So what was the audience waiting for?
Lucette Brown: It was so awkward. She said she needed to be protected from certain family members, which, as we said, was alarming for us. But they assured us it was literally just her wanting to create the day about herself, which she did. It was hard to miss her walking around the venue with two security guards hovering behind her.
Christa Innis: Wait, so these security guards were following her to protect her? Was the bride okay with it?
Lucette Brown: The bride was like, whatever, it is what it is. The husband was not. I think his exact words were, “You do not feed them. They do not get drinks. We did not pay for them to be here.”
As soon as she and the guards left, it was a different wedding. The stress was gone. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves. But while she was there, it was tense.
Christa Innis: Oh my gosh. These stories are just shocking. I’ve only seen or heard some crazy things in person, but this is insane. And to leave early at your own daughter’s wedding?
Lucette Brown: So many people thought there must be a reason why. After meeting her and the family, it was evident she just wanted the attention, especially coming dressed head-to-toe in a white bridal suit with flowers.
Christa Innis: Wow. And her own flowers? Unreal. Oh my gosh. Okay.
So I want to jump into some wedding hot takes and I was kind of thinking it’d be interesting to know too, like the, I hear a lot of times, like people comment, like differences between countries and cold, like customs when it comes to weddings. Yeah. So I’m curious, as you lived in the States for a little bit too.
Wedding Differences
Christa Innis: Are there any major differences you see between American weddings and Australian weddings?
Lucette Brown: I think the biggest thing, and especially when people comment, is probably the timings of weddings. I don’t know if it’s necessarily an American thing, but in Australia, our weddings typically have a four o’clock arrival time, 4:30 ceremony, and they typically wrap up around 11 at a licensed venue. A lot of people are kind of shocked by the timings of our weddings.
Another thing—and correct me if I’m wrong—but we’re big on cocktail or feasting-style weddings. We don’t necessarily do the alternate drop anymore. Things change frequently, but that was probably my experience then. Now, cocktail-style weddings are definitely favored at some venues. People are going to attack me for saying that, like, “No, they’re not.”
Christa Innis: Right. It’s funny because even in the comments, I’ll post something like a skit about no kids at a wedding, and people will say, “Oh, that’s so American.” But then I hear from other countries saying, “Oh no, we do it here.” I feel like every country has areas where they do things differently, and families have their own traditions, no matter what country.
In Australia, you’re talking about timing. Our wedding was at 3:30 PM and went until midnight, or maybe 11. A lot of weddings I go to aren’t until five. So it’s kind of all over the place.
Lucette Brown: And then in some countries, they start weddings at 11 AM and don’t wrap up until 3 AM. I could not cope.
Christa Innis: That sounds exhausting. A friend of mine—her husband is from Spain—they’ve gone to a lot of weddings in Spain. She said they party until five o’clock in the morning. Just hearing that sounds exhausting. On my wedding night, we were ready for bed at midnight.
Lucette Brown: It’s a long day. I hightailed out of my wedding. I was standing there, and I was like, “I’m done. Can I go?” I think there was like half an hour left, but we got married overseas, and I just wanted to go back to our room.
Christa Innis: Yeah. You’re like, “Thanks. Had fun. Bye, guys.”
One Wedding Traditions Lucette Secretly Hates
What is one wedding tradition that you secretly hate?
Lucette Brown: Oh, I’m probably going to get a lot of hype for this, but wedding favors.
Christa Innis: Okay, and why is that?
Lucette Brown: My personal take on it—especially when you work so many weddings—is you just see so many left behind. People don’t take them; they’re thrown away. You think about how much thought, effort, and money goes into those gifts.
Plus, now with the price tag that people pay for weddings—the price per person to be there—I don’t think they need a thank-you gift. That’s just my opinion. In Melbourne, at the venues I’ve worked at, the favors are being phased out. It’s very rare to see wedding favors now, purely because of the amount of money that couples are spending. That’s probably my number one.
Christa Innis: No, and I don’t think that’s an unpopular take because I’ve been hearing that more and more. Even at our wedding, we ended up doing decks of cards with a label because I thought, “Oh, people use cards.” But we had so many left over.
It’s one of those things where you spend all this time researching a favor, and it’s like, does it really matter? Do most people notice it? Probably not.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, that’s probably my one. Everyone’s like, “What’s the one thing you can get rid of?” I’m like, “Wedding favors.”
Christa Innis: Done.
Lucette Brown: Take them off the list.
Reinventing the Wedding Experience
Christa Innis: Okay, if you could reinvent one aspect of weddings to make them more fun or meaningful, what would you do? Or what would it be?
Lucette Brown: I suppose getting people on the dance floor. I don’t know how you would reinvent that, but I feel like the best weddings are the ones where everyone’s on the dance floor, dancing, singing, and laughing. Sometimes, it’s hard for certain people to get on the dance floor. Maybe you could remove the stigma around dancing or something, but it really changes the vibe of the wedding.
Christa Innis: Yeah, I totally agree. If you go to a wedding and the dance floor is empty, it’s like, “Is it time to go?” There’s a vibe that’s just off.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, it changes the whole feel of the wedding.
Christa Innis: Some of the best weddings I’ve been to had dancing all night long. The DJ was playing great music, and the dance floor was packed. That’s what you want.
Lucette Brown: For our wedding, we flew a musician I worked with frequently. It was so important for us to have good music and a packed dance floor. I don’t think there was ever a moment when people weren’t dancing. It really made the wedding.
Christa Innis: That’s amazing. Two things I’ve seen at weddings that I thought were awesome: one was at my best friend’s wedding. They only played the most popular parts of songs—just up until an exciting point. When it started to slow down, they switched to another song. People were running out to the dance floor. It kept it packed the entire night because no one wanted to miss a song.
Lucette Brown: That’s funny you say that. The musician we flew in did something similar. He mashed up songs, so he’d be singing one and then seamlessly move into another. You’d be like, “Wait, how are we into this song now?” It kept everyone engaged.
Christa Innis: You don’t even notice you’ve started singing along to the next song. You’re just already part of it. I love that idea. Another thing I saw—and we ended up using it at our wedding—was getting everyone on the dance floor for a group photo. The photographer would say they needed a group shot, and then right after, they’d start playing music so everyone was already there and started dancing. It’s a clever way to get people on the floor.
Lucette Brown: That’s such a smart idea. The hardest part is getting people to the dance floor. Once they’re there, they tend not to leave, but getting them there can be a challenge.
Christa Innis: That’s always the challenge.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, exactly.
Wedding Drama Debates and Hot Takes
Christa Innis: Awesome. I love it. Okay, this next segment is called pick a side wedding drama debates. So I started sharing on social media, having people share with me their unpopular opinions when it comes to weddings and events. So I’m going to read it and then pick a side on the debate. Okay, this person said, “I feel like the vows should always be private before the ceremony.” What’s your take on that?
Lucette Brown: I think it’s a couple dependent. I know some friends who have done that and haven’t had vows at their wedding because they felt it was too personal and just wanted it between them. Then there are people who love having it in front of everyone to share stories and make it a public declaration. I know I’m sitting on the fence, but I do think it’s very couple-specific. There’s no one-size-fits-all in that scenario.
Christa Innis: Yeah, I totally agree with you. I’m all for making it your own. If you’re not comfortable, keep it private—that’s absolutely fine. But it’s funny because I did a skit about a mother-in-law sneaking in to see private vows, and people in the comments were made. They were saying, “If you want private vows, why are you even getting married?” or “Why have a wedding?” People took it so extreme. It’s like, they still have a ceremony and do all the normal stuff; you wouldn’t even realize the vows were private. Oh my gosh, I still see comments like that. It’s like, come on, we’re all different—let’s be okay with that.
Lucette Brown: A hundred percent. That’s always my big thing. Everyone’s going to have an opinion no matter what you do, so you might as well just do what you want. You’re never going to make everyone happy. You’re going to annoy someone.
Christa Innis: Exactly.
Christa Innis: I don’t like the idea of a first look. My husband had to wait to see me until I came down the aisle. What’s your take?
Lucette Brown: I like a first look. I’ve seen them done really well, and the good thing is, you can get all the bridal party photos done before the ceremony, so you’re not taken off to do them afterward. Personally, I didn’t do a first look because it wasn’t for me—I wanted that aisle moment. But I do like the first look because it’s a nice, intimate moment with just the photographer and wedding party. The fun, stressful part is trying to keep the couple hidden while the guests arrive!
Christa Innis: Hide them away. Yeah, I feel like that’s definitely a newer thing that’s becoming more and more common. I didn’t do it either, but a few of my friends have done it for scheduling purposes and all of that. Just making sure they were able to fit photos in, but I always knew I wanted to have that aisle moment. I wanted the aisle moment.
Lucette Brown: However, in that specific moment, when it hit me, I kind of regretted my decision because I was like, “Oh my God, now everyone’s going to be looking at me.”
Christa Innis: You’re like, wait a second. Yeah.
Lucette Brown: I kind of regret it a bit, but I’m happy I had it.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay. Last one. “Having to invite people because they’re family.” Oh, the way she worded it: “Having to invite people because they’re family, but I haven’t spoken to them in five years.”
Lucette Brown: My big thing is that if we hadn’t seen them—obviously there are certain cases where this doesn’t apply—but if I hadn’t spoken or seen you in six months, you won’t come to my wedding. That’s kind of how we did it. Because obviously, if people are interstate or anything like that, it’s a little different. But yeah, my take is you don’t get a seat at my table purely because you’re family, which I know is controversial.
Christa Innis: Yeah.
Lucette Brown: That’s my take.
Christa Innis: I feel like that’s one of those things that has changed with generations. I feel like our generation is better at saying, “No, that doesn’t make sense to have Great Aunt So-and-So, who I’ve never spoken to or who has never met my husband,” you know?
Lucette Brown: Yeah, literally. I feel like the previous generation was about inviting everyone to come together, and they invited every person in town. It doesn’t make sense anymore.
Christa Innis: No. Well…
Lucette Brown: And you know, if you were paying $10 a person, then maybe, but people are paying $200-plus now. The venue I just worked at—some of our weddings were $350, $400 per person. So if I’m paying that much for you to come, you need to be important to me. There’s none of this, “Oh, you have a certain title, so therefore you get to come.”
Christa Innis: Exactly. My thing, too, is I’m such an introvert, which I know is going to sound funny to a lot of people. You have to remember, I film at home in a bathroom. It’s just myself, and I’m good at one-on-one. But I wanted people there that I was comfortable with and had a relationship with. If I have a 500-person wedding, I’m going to feel so uncomfortable. I don’t want to have to introduce myself to someone at my wedding or have an awkward conversation.
Lucette Brown: When you’re looking back at wedding photos, you’ve got all these plus ones, all these people where you’re like, “I don’t know who that is.”
Christa Innis: Exactly! Yeah, and if it’s like a new girlfriend or boyfriend of a cousin or something that you’ve never met and then they break up a week later, you’re like, why are they in this family photo?
Lucette Brown: Yeah, literally. Yeah, yeah.
Christa Innis: Okay. So now we’re going to get to this wedding submission story. So I’m going to read this story, and we’ll just react as it comes through. I’ve not read it yet. My husband actually helps me put together the show notes, so he puts them in here. So we’ll react together. Oh, so lovely.
Okay, here we go. “My mother, who I cut out of my life 15 years ago, stole our wedding money.” Oh, that’s a great start. “Refused to let my husband’s great-grandma park close to the venue. She was in a walker, so she’d park on the other side of the street. She screamed at me in the middle of the dance floor, promised to help pay for my flowers, the mix for the booze, and the hotel room but a month before, she said she could not pay for it.”
She spent money on decorations and stuff that I never wanted for the wedding. Okay, I’ve just stopped right there because—you cut this person out 15 years ago, and now she’s back. Why is she coming to your wedding?
Lucette Brown: Yes, that was my fault!
Christa Innis: I would never trust someone who all of a sudden came back. I would never trust them to pay for things. I’d be like, I don’t want your money. I don’t want you to pay for it.
Lucette Brown: Nope. Don’t want your money, don’t want your opinion, don’t want your advice.
Christa Innis: Yeah, that would be like a last-minute invite if, like, I was feeling friendly, I think.
Lucette Brown: I was feeling the love.
Christa Innis: Exactly. Okay, let’s see what she said next. “Husband and I just wanted a simple ceremony, then a party. She got angry and called me every name in the book. Oh my gosh. When I asked my dad and stepmom for help, she said they should be giving her money instead of me.” Wait, what? Why? I’m shocked by this story. Like, why? I feel like there’s a lot missing, like did she come back, you know, right when they got engaged?
Lucette Brown: Yeah, because this is like, I feel like she’s a background story.
Christa Innis: Yeah, I’m like, I feel like the mom’s coming in full force. Like, okay, cool. I’m back in your life after not being in your life for 15 years. Yeah, this is what I need—give me that money for the wedding or whatever. She also said she would help find people to set up the midnight lunch, lied, and then said she did. But when it came time for help, she yelled at me and said my husband’s family was selfish and they should just do it. By the way, his family cooked and served our whole meal. It was their gift, and they wanted to enjoy the wedding, which they never got to because my mother was selfish.
She then started tearing down the decorations at 9 PM, and people thought the wedding was over and started to leave. Why does this woman have so much free range? Like, after not doing the things she promised, and then she’s coming in and—
Lucette Brown: She needs a wedding redo.
Christa Innis: Yes!
Lucette Brown: She needs to get rid of that one.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Like, I think we’re at a point where it’s like, we keep them as a distant relative at this point, maybe.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, yeah. They don’t come to the wedding, let alone have a say in the wedding.
Christa Innis: Oh my gosh. I feel like so many times brides want to just keep the peace and have everyone get along.
Lucette Brown: It would be hard, yeah, especially with a mom, because I feel like you’d want your mom to be at your wedding. You’d probably think, “No, it’ll be fine. She’ll be different. It’ll be fine.” And then, as history serves, it never usually is.
Christa Innis: I know. It’s like, I always say, if you have a gut feeling about it, it’s probably right. I hate that for this bride, too, because like you said, she was probably just like the little girl being excited, like, “Mom’s coming back. She really wants to be involved,” and then it’s just one thing after another. It’s so easy to read from our perspective and think, “Why?” But for her, it’s her mom, and you want them to be a part of it.
Lucette Brown: That’s the hard thing with weddings, too. So many people have those reactions, but it’s like, you’ve got to understand that you are dealing with families, emotions, usually years and years or generational trauma. There’s so much that goes into it. A lot of the time, it’s just people trying to have the idea of what they want and hope for that. But most of the time, it doesn’t work—like the mother-in-law with her armed security and white dress.
Christa Innis: Yes, like that. Oh my gosh. It never ends—the craziness, it says she got mad at me when she saw me have a shot with the bridal party and she got mad that I asked my dad to walk me down the aisle and said it should have been one of my brothers.
So this really sounds like, It was maybe a nasty divorce or something.
And, because why would you suggest, if the dad is still in your daughter’s life, why would you suggest a brother over her father?
So it sounds like some, I don’t know, some, something bad happened and now she’s taking it out on the father or something.
Christa Innis: Okay, this next segment is called Wedding Submission Story: Family Drama Unveiled. I’m going to read this story, and we’ll just react as it comes through. My husband actually helps me put together the show notes, so he puts them in here. So, let’s react together.
“My mother, who I cut out of my life 15 years ago, stole our wedding money.” Oh, that’s a great start. “She refused to let my husband’s great-grandma park close to the venue. She was in a walker, so she had to park on the other side of the street. She screamed at me in the middle of the dance floor, promised to help pay for my flowers, the mix for the booze, and our hotel room, but a month before, she said she could not pay for it. She spent money on decorations and stuff I never wanted for the wedding.”
Okay, let’s stop right there. You cut this person out 15 years ago, and now she’s back. Why is she coming to your wedding?
Lucette Brown: Yes, that was my fault!
Christa Innis: I would never trust someone who all of a sudden came back. I would never trust them to pay for things. I’d be like, I don’t want your money. I don’t want you to pay for it.
Lucette Brown: Nope. Don’t want your money, don’t want your opinion, don’t want your advice.
Christa Innis: Exactly. That would be a last-minute invite if I was feeling friendly, maybe.
Lucette Brown: If I was feeling the love.
Christa Innis: Exactly. Okay, let’s keep going. “My husband and I just wanted a simple ceremony, then a party. She got angry and called me every name in the book. She asked my dad and stepmom for help, saying they should give her money instead of me. She said she’d help find people to set up the midnight lunch, but she lied. When it came time for help, she yelled at me and said my husband’s family was selfish and they should just do it. By the way, his family cooked and served our whole meal—it was their gift—and they wanted to enjoy the wedding, which they never got to because my mother was selfish.”
She then started tearing down the decorations at 9 PM, and people thought the wedding was over and started leaving.
Lucette Brown: She needs a wedding redo.
Christa Innis: Yes! She needs to get rid of that one.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, keep them as a distant relative at this point.
Christa Innis: Definitely. I feel like so many brides just want to keep the peace and have everyone get along.
Lucette Brown: It would be hard, especially with a mom. You’d probably think, No, it’ll be fine. She’ll be different, and then, as history shows, it never usually is.
Christa Innis: Right? It’s like if you have a gut feeling about it, you’re probably right. I hate that for this bride. She was probably just excited, like, Mom’s coming back! She really wants to be involved. And then it’s just one thing after another.
Lucette Brown: And that’s the hard thing with weddings. There’s so much generational trauma and family baggage. People just want their ideal wedding day, but a lot of the time, it doesn’t work—like the mother-in-law with her armed security and white dress!
Christa Innis: Yes, that never ends. The craziness! Okay, this last part gets even wilder. “My ex-father-in-law caught my ex-brother-in-law and ex-sister-in-law having sex in the bathroom. I had to tell them to get out because they were caught.”
Lucette Brown: Wait… not siblings?
Christa Innis: No! I read it as her husband’s brother and his wife.
Lucette Brown: Oh, okay. You’re like, “What’s happened with this family?” I’m like, “Oh god!”
Christa Innis: You’re like, “Wait, what is happening? It was already bad, but—”
Lucette Brown: Okay.
Christa Innis: I’m glad we clarified. That’s how I read it. I’m just hoping that’s what it was.
Lucette Brown: Yes, let’s, let’s go with that. Let’s go with that one because it’s—
Christa Innis: It’s better. Yeah, that’s way better. Still bad, but way better. Um, yeah, she said there was so much more, but I’ll leave it with all of this to start. That is enough for a full-on novel. I can’t believe there’s more. Geez.
Lucette Brown: Yep. I feel like she needs to, she needs to do something like, I don’t know, wedding redo or I don’t know, go overseas, get away from all of that. All of that.
Christa Innis: Cause that drama, that’s like immediate family drama where that’s going to follow you. You know, like if they were to do that on her best day, they’re going to follow her with that. So I’m wondering if it was, it sounds like it was like she’s divorced from this family.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, definitely. That’s what I’m guessing.
Christa Innis: So maybe she realized all this, like—
Lucette Brown: Yeah, well, she—yeah, ex-father-in-law and—
Christa Innis: Yeah, I’m guessing. Well, I’m glad she was able to get away from that family. But the mom stuff, that’s, that’s a whole other thing.
Lucette Brown: Yeah. Hopefully, either they’ve reconciled for a good reason, or they, uh, separated.
Christa Innis: Separated. Yeah. Like, they always say too, like, weddings bring out the true colors of people, whether that’s friends or family. And so unfortunately, you’ll either be closer to some people, or you’ll just distance yourself from some people, which—
Lucette Brown: Is—
Christa Innis: Unfortunate and fortunate.
Lucette Brown: Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think the types of people who aren’t comfortable with not having the attention on them—they’re the ones that are gonna create the biggest amount of drama for you because they will naturally just need that attention. I’ve found, you know, with the weddings where I’ve experienced that, it is, yeah, the people who, and you can just kind of tell—they’re not probably necessarily subconsciously doing it, but they just, yeah, they’re the ones that can’t handle not having the attention on them.
Christa Innis: Yeah. I definitely see that as a common theme in the stories that are sent to me.
Lucette Brown: Yeah.
Christa Innis: Yeah, a lot of times they’re harmless, where it’s like they’re just doing little things, but then it kind of starts adding up or it can be like your story, where the mother comes in and has the bridal suit, you know.
Lucette Brown: And that was like—and the security! That was the last kind of thing that she did. Like, all throughout, there were little bits that she would do, and she would call us up and all that kind of stuff. Like, there were just all these little moments. And then, yeah, that last day—it was just, yeah, it was interesting. It was like, the couple was so lovely, and I just felt so bad that this will forever kind of also be part of their wedding. Yeah and something that people will remember because, like I said, you couldn’t not. She made it very well known that she had her security.
Christa Innis: Right.
Lucette Brown: So, yeah. I remember trying to, like, sneakily take a photo to send to my sister because I was just like, “You will not believe what is happening right now.”
Christa Innis: It’s insane. You’re like, “You’ll only believe it if I have a picture because it’s so insane.”
Lucette Brown: And I think because of how she looked, like she looked like a bride. Like, if you didn’t know who the bride was, you would walk into this wedding and think she was the bride.
Christa Innis: And she knew exactly what she was doing.
Lucette Brown: Oh, she—
Christa Innis: Hundred percent. That makes my blood boil because it’s like, you can’t let your daughter have this one day. Just make it about her, please.
Lucette Brown: Yeah, I think that’s like, you hear sisters and cousins and that, but like when you hear mother-in-law or the mother or like the father, it’s just like, Oh, come on. Like just let them have their day.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Like, you are the parent. Like, let’s be a little—literally—you are the parent. Oh my gosh.
Christa Innis: Okay, so I know we’re getting towards the end of time. I want to end this with—it’s called a weekly confessions game—where I’m going to read people’s confessions that they send me on Instagram, and I’m going to ask you to rate it from one. One means mild tea, and ten is absolute chaos.
Lucette Brown: Two? I don’t know. I’m like, wow, that’s your decision. That’s your life. So good for you, I suppose, if that’s how you want to do it.
Christa Innis: Yeah. Yeah. I say go for it.
Lucette Brown: Yeah. Right.
Christa Innis: Okay. I feel like that’s… I mean, to secretly do it—I mean, I’d be wanting to tell people, but I think that’s awesome.
Christa Innis: Okay, my mother-in-law forgot the rings on purpose on our wedding day in hopes her son would change his mind.
Lucette Brown: She needs to get a new mother-in-law. Um, I’d say that’s… See, it’s so hard to, because like, kind of knowing what I know with what has happened at weddings, it’s just like, I know of much worse things that have happened, but like on a normal scale, that’s pretty high. That would be like, like a seven or eight.
Christa Innis: You’re just so used to it, you’re like, it doesn’t even phase you anymore. Perfect.
Lucette Brown: I’m like, yeah, that sounds right.
Christa Innis: That checks all the boxes.
Lucette Brown: Yeah.
Christa Innis: My thought is, when I first see this, I’m like, I wonder if all along, the mother-in-law was pretending to be a fan of hers. Cause I’m like, if you knew the mother-in-law didn’t like you or was acting some way, I would never in a million years trust the mother-in-law to have the rings. You know what I’m saying?
Lucette Brown: Yeah, unless she actually stole them.
Christa Innis: Yeah, oh yeah, like got them from someone, like took them from the best man, who’s like, “I’ll just hold on to these.”
Lucette Brown: Then that does bump it up a notch.
Christa Innis: Yeah. I read a story once where the mother-in-law—or the grandma—wanted to hold on to the ring for a photo and then forgot where she put them. So they didn’t have it for the ceremony.
Lucette Brown: Did they find them though?
Christa Innis: I think they ended up finding them later. Like, it fell on the ground somewhere. And it was so traumatic because everyone was ready for pictures, and they were just like, “We can’t find it anywhere.” The grandma—or mother-in-law—was like, “I need it for a photo,” and they didn’t find it until after the ceremony.
Lucette Brown: I was going to say, never give anyone the rings, but looking back, we gave our photographer the rings to get photos with them beforehand. And I’m like, oh God, it could so easily happen.
Christa Innis: I know. You’d hope a photographer would be really careful or do it often enough that they’d know, “This is like gold. I can’t lose this—literally gold.”
Christa Innis: Okay, last one: not sending out save-the-dates because “I don’t want people to save the date.”
Lucette Brown: My question would be, why are they invited?
Christa Innis: I know. If everyone could see my face, I’m just like, what?
Lucette Brown: Why? If you don’t want them to save the date, then don’t invite them.
Christa Innis: Yeah. I’m wondering if it’s one of those situations where her parents are pushing her to have a big wedding and she doesn’t want a wedding. Or maybe she’s not excited to get married?
Lucette Brown: Yeah. Because if you don’t want people to save the date, then don’t do it. Like, don’t have the wedding. It’s so odd. If you don’t want people to have that, then they shouldn’t be coming to the wedding.
Christa Innis: That would be my first clue that you don’t want to get married or you don’t want the wedding you’re having. If you don’t want people to come, then, like you said, don’t invite them. Just do a small wedding. No one has to have a big wedding.
Lucette Brown: No, literally. You can literally do whatever you want.
Christa Innis: Oh my gosh. It’s crazy, the number of people—and I’m sure you have stories too—but it’s crazy how many people get bribed in some way by their parents. Like, “If you don’t do this…” I’ve heard of parents saying, “If you don’t get married in this church, we’re not going to pay for it,” or “If you don’t invite so-and-so, we’re not going to do this.”
Lucette Brown: A hundred percent. We even had it, to some degree, with our wedding because we had a destination wedding. People expected certain things because we had a destination wedding.
Christa Innis: Yeah.
Lucette Brown: My response was, “Well, you don’t have to come. You’re more than welcome not to buy the ticket and fly over. If you choose to, then you’re here for us. Have a great holiday. Have a fun day.”
Christa Innis: Right.
Lucette Brown: We did a cocktail-style wedding, and that was a bit of an issue. People were like, “If you’re flying people over, they need to have a seated meal.” And I was like, “They’ll probably end up with more food the way we’re doing it.” I flew out to the company I used to work for to cater my wedding. They’re going to end up with more food this way. But there’s always going to be opinions, no matter what you do.
Christa Innis: Oh yeah. I never get why people have opinions or get mad about how someone else chooses to do their wedding. I’ve seen comments about destination weddings saying, “Oh, it’s ridiculous, it’s so expensive.” You don’t have to go. Just say no.
Lucette Brown: Exactly.
Christa Innis: This is how the couple wants to do their wedding.
Lucette Brown: Yeah. People are like, “Well, you should have a wedding here.” And I’m like, “No, that’s what you want to do. So you should do that. We wanted to go overseas, so that’s what we did. Figure it out. Come, don’t come, have fun.”
Christa Innis: Yeah, exactly. Well, this was awesome. Thank you so much for coming on. I loved hearing your hot takes, and you have so many great stories. Can you tell everybody where they can follow your stories and hear more of your craziness and your awesome skits?
Lucette Brown: Yes, so, the handle is just Events and Affairs. I think if you search Lucette, I sometimes come up, but I think there are also some other creators with my name. But yeah, Events and Affairs is how you’ll find me, even though my tagline is weddings and events. So it’s confusing.
Christa Innis: No, it totally works because it makes sense. I think it still will come up with the name, and, uh, yeah, you do amazing skits.
Lucette Brown: Thank you.
Christa Innis: Oh, you cut out for a second there. Okay, you’re back. Um, yeah, you do great skits.
Lucette Brown: We’re back.
Christa Innis: I’m going to blame it on the time difference or something. But, uh, yeah, no, you do amazing skits. Everyone, go check out Lucette. Thank you so much for coming on. It was so great meeting you officially and hearing all your hot takes.
Lucette Brown: No, thank you so much for having me too. And like I said, likewise, your skits and stories are amazing. I’ve become a fan of Sloan and kind of got into that drama. So yeah, it’s really cool to meet and connect with people who do similar things. It’s been a lot of fun.
Christa Innis: Love it.
