30 Tips for Crashing Weddings

Crashing weddings has become a sport with some guys. If you havenÍt heard the term or seen the movie, Wedding Crashers, the phrase means attending the wedding reception of a total stranger without an invitation. Crashing weddings is reasonably easy; all you have to do is get out of your sweat pants and put on a sports jacket, grab a few friends, and cruise the ballrooms of swanky hotels or well-known wedding venues on a Saturday night looking for wedding crasher heaven _ an open bar, endless buffet and a bevy of bridesmaids and female guests without dates. You donÍt even have to bring a wedding gift; but, of course, it would be thoughtful if you did! Technically it is not illegal to crash a wedding; however, if it is on private property, you would be trespassing and may be asked to leave if discovered. And, making a nuisance of yourself anywhere could be considered disorderly conduct. Read our rules below on crashing weddings, and, if you dare, try it out. But, really weÍre just having some fun here.

1. Never leave a fellow crasher behind.
2. Never use your real name.
3. Never confess.
4. Blend in by standing out.
5. If anyone asks, youÍre a distant relative of a dead cousin.
6. Offer a toast, with a wine glass in hand, to the bride and groom.
7. If you get outed, leave calmly. DonÍt run.
8. If anyone asks what you gave as a wedding gift, say it is a big surprise being delivered when they get back from the honeymoon.
9. Bring your own emergency rations in a flask, but donÍt over imbibe. A drunken crasher gets caught.
10. Create a buzz word for an emergency situation that your fellow crashers will know.
11. Never overtly flirt with the bride.
12. Always ñbe thereî for the bridesmaids.
13. At the ceremony, sit in the 5^th row. ItÍs close enough that youÍll look like an invited guest.
14. If anyone asks, you forgot your invitation in a rush to get to the wedding on time.
15. Make sure all the women there know youÍve just suffered a terrible breakup.
16. Get choked up during the service, youÍll appear sensitive.
17. Always juggle the bride with the groom, do not speak to them while they are together.
18. Dance with the brideÍs grandmother, but not her mother.
19. Work into conversation, ñI made a mint in real estate, but can money really buy happiness?î
20. Keep interactions with parents of the bride to a minimum.
21. Hungry? Tables farthest from the kitchen always get served first.
22. Stay clear of the wedding planner who might recognize you from another wedding.
23. If asked, youÍre from out of town.
24. Large weddings are easier to crash than small weddings.
25. Dress for the occasion, with cufflinks, a tie and the works _ and always use your best manners.
26. Never sit in the back row; youÍll appear to be up to no good.
27. Always let your fellow wedding crashers introduce themselves.
28. Carry an assortment of place cards and make one for the table, if needed.
29. Know when to abandon ship if the crash starts to fail.
30. And, to repeat, never EVER use your real name!