Years ago, I was a regular on a wedding videographers forum, and I would read some hair-raising stories. "You want to know how tough we have it doing weddings in New York? I had a gun pulled on me."
Well, I can't remember a gun being pulled here in Australia, but wedding punch-ups do happen.
Story 1: I notice an altercation in a corner, and suddenly the lights come off, the music stops, and management tells everyone to go home. The groom begs them to turn everything on again. People stand around aimlessly for 15 minutes: "Do I go? Or do I stay?" And eventually some sort of assurance is made, a peace deal is brokered, and the party goes on.
Story 2: I'm inside, I hear police sirens outside, and suddenly I see all the waiters running around in a panic. I float around and overhear what happened. The best man was involved in a fight; police had taken him away. Okay, cool. I guess. But what's the deal with the waiters?
Well, what they were doing is collecting alcohol.
For certain cultures here, it's expected, it's normal that there's going to be a bottle or two of alcohol on every table at the reception. But, apparently, that's either illegal or legally questionable, because the venue has to be able to monitor who gets alcohol and who doesn't.
Anyway, eventually the police leave without raiding the premises, and the waiters put the bottles back on the tables, and the night continues.
Story 3: Bride and maid of honour have a falling out. I don't know why, and I don't ask, and I don't even learn of this on the day.
Instead, I learn about it after the wedding, when I'm asked to edit out the maid of honour as much as I can.
