A video of a bride and groom entering their nearly empty wedding reception has been going viral on social media this week. The bride, Kalina Marie, a TikTok user from Oregon, US, has shared her heartbreak, revealing that she is cutting ties with several friends after the incident.
Kalina Marie and her husband arrived at their reception two hours after the scheduled start time, only to find just five guests present. The venue had been prepared for 40 attendees, according to a New York Post report.
“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 1 pm. My mom messaged me at 1:15 pm saying no one was there. My husband and I finally showed up at 2 o’clock to find five people in a venue planned for 40,” Marie explained in her original video.
Marie later revealed that she had received 40 RSVPs for the wedding and followed up with guests the week of the event, according to a New York Post report. At least 20 people had confirmed their attendance, added Marie.
The bride has expressed frustration over the lack of communication from guests. “If I could answer why they didn’t come, I would tell you. And no, I haven’t really received many messages explaining why people didn’t show up or offering any excuses,” she said, as quoted by the New York Post.
Despite the disappointment, Marie and her husband, together for nine years, decided to proceed with their reception. They danced with the few guests who attended and shared their first dance.
Marie described the experience as eye-opening. “We’ve been dealing with the grief of deleting a lot of people from our lives,” she shared.
“For the most part, we’ve spent a lot of time reevaluating our lives and appreciating what we have and what we had,” she added.
In a TikTok clip, Marie admitted that she was still “slightly embarrassed” and “working through the stages of grief” after the incident.
The original video of Marie and her husband entering the empty reception hall has amassed over 8 million views on TikTok.
