Photo: TikTok
She just wanted her wedding day to be as seamless as possible.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Feb 23, 2023
A wedding for many couples is meant to be their one perfect day.
To accomplish that, many brides and grooms will often send out a list of customs to their guests that they should adhere to either before coming to the ceremony or even during.
However, one bride was accused of having too many rules and coming off as "demanding" after sharing a few mandates she had set for her wedding guests.
She was called a 'bridezilla' after listing rules she had implemented for her wedding guests.
In a TikTok video, Rachel Romano explained that before her wedding, she sent out a list of strict rules to all the wedding guests that would be in attendance.
For the first rule, Romano refused to have any children at her wedding, and instead, only allowed people 21 and over to attend.
"People asked us left and right if they could still bring their kids, but we said no because we didn't want the liability," Romano said.
She added that there was a lake on the property of their wedding venue, and they didn't want to have to worry about children falling in.
"Weddings aren't the place for a kid. Parents, take the night off [and] have some cocktails with your friends and family. No kids, sorry."
For Romano's second rule—which she noted was the one that caused the most uproar—none of the groomsmen were allowed to drink before the ceremony started.
"I've been to so many weddings where the groomsmen and/or the groom are trashed and they can't even function during the ceremony," she pointed out.
Romano argued that couples "spend so much money and time" on their day, and it wouldn't hurt if the groomsmen just waited until afterward to celebrate and party.
For the third rule, Romano didn't allow any of her wedding guests to bring a plus one unless they knew that guest "personally."
"We wanted to know every single person at our wedding, if we wanted the person there, we would've invited them," she said. "It's the bride and the groom's day, not everyone else's."
The fourth rule Romano implemented was that she didn't want any of the guests showing up to the ceremony in casual clothes, such as jeans.
"Do not wear jeans to a formal wedding," she pressed. "Wedding attire only."
On the topic of dress codes, Romano added that for the fifth rule, she asked that her family and her husband's family "stick to the wedding colors provided," which were neutral.
"We really wanted our [family] photos to be neutral and all blend in together, and now they look fabulous, but we had some backlash on that."
For the sixth and final rule, Romano stated that none of the wedding guests were to stand in the aisle during the ceremony and take photos of her and her husband.
"Even if you think the bride and groom are definitely going to want [your] photos or videos, we don't want them," she remarked. "We paid for a photographer."
In the comments of Romano's video, many TikTok users accused her rules of being too much to follow.
"Imagine being 17-20 years old and not being invited because you’re a 'kid,'" one user wrote.
Another user added, "Too many damn rules. I would've stayed home."
"I hope as you grow older, you realize that these requirements are silly, embrace family and friends, the memories will always be better than photos," a third user chimed in.
However, other users defended Romano and pointed out that the rules don't seem unreasonable to ask of guests.
"Everyones being so negative in the comments. This wedding sounds great and ALL are reasonable rules," a fourth user remarked.
Another wrote, "I think these rules are perfect," while a fifth user added, "Why are people so butthurt by these rules it’s HER day."
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Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.