A cringe-worthy clip has gone viral showing the moment a bride and her groom walked into their wedding reception to find it practically deserted. Kalina Marie and her hubby Shane were expecting a room full of smiling guests as they tied the knot, but instead, they were greeted by a sea of empty chairs in a venue that echoed with silence.
The newlyweds, accompanied by their son, maintained composure as Miley Cyrus’ tune “When I Look at You” played hauntingly in the background, with lyrics like “When my world is falling apart” adding to the sombre atmosphere. Only a few friends turned up to celebrate with them.
The devastated bride took to TikTok to share the footage, which has since racked up over seven million views. In her post, Marie, hailing from Oregon, expressed her disbelief: “This is our entrance to our Masquerade ball,” she penned.
“The Masquerade ball that I have talked excessively about for the last 10 months. The same ball that I not only digitally invited over 75 people to. But also spent money to send 25 beautiful invitations out to.”
She continued, “FIVE PEOPLE SHOWED UP! Like, are you kidding me! As you see in the video, we enter the venue. And no one is there. The invite said 1pm. My mum messaged me at 1.15pm that no one was there. My husband and I finally showed up at 2 o’clock, to five people, in a venue planned for 40,” reports the Mirror.
Maire opened up about how she had envisioned a venue echoing with cheers for the newlyweds, but instead faced the heartbreak of empty seats. “All the wasted food and drinks. All the empty tables and chairs. Every moment of my reception changed to adapt.”
Despite the lack of guests the couple posted videos of themselves dancing joyously with the few attendees and enjoying their first dance as man and wife. Marie couldn’t hide her confusion and upset: “It just makes me think, like, why? What did we do? Am I that bad of a person? What did my husband ever do to deserve any of this?” She anguished over her absence of meaning to those who failed to attend.
“Why couldn’t we matter enough for people to show up?” Marie disclosed her distress over “friends” who hadn’t even texted congratulations or provided an excuse for their absence. Their wedding disappointment stirred TikTok users into action, generating loads of commentary and sparking debate about the possibility of another side to the story.
Confused remarks poured in, such as “How can people RSVP ‘yes’ and then not show up? ” while others pondered if guests were only invited to parts of the event. A recent update revealed the pair, who have been together nine years and engaged since January, were grappling with embarrassment and a cocktail of emotions, including unresolved anger.
“I wouldn’t even wish this on my worst enemy,” Marie concluded.
