A video showing a woman walking through a wedding processional on a beach has sparked a debate about wedding etiquette in public places.
Last month, a man named Cory, who goes by the username @coryatrandom on TikTok, filmed the moment that a woman walked through a line of bridesmaids as they made their way down a public beach.
In the clip, which showed the wedding set up on a busy public beach, Cory filmed from above as a beachgoer appeared to cut across the start of the procession, which included the waiting bride.
“They’re going to walk right through the middle,” Cory said as he filmed the moment the woman cut across the wedding party. In the clip, Cory was joined by a woman, who could be heard asking why the woman on the beach hadn’t just waited for the bride and her bridesmaids to finish walking down the aisle. “It’s almost done, just wait a second,” she said, to which Cory agreed, adding: “Just wait a second.”
In the TikTok, the woman who walked through the wedding party could then be seen turning around briefly to look at the wedding proceedings.
In the caption of the video, which has been viewed more than one million times, Cory wrote: “Oblivious lady walks through beach wedding,” along with the hashtag “weddingfails”.
The video prompted a debate in the comments, however, as many viewers disagreed with Cory’s suggestion that the woman should not have waited until the wedding was over.
“They don’t own the beach because they’re getting married,” one person pointed out, while another viewer asked: “Who gets married on a very busy public beach?”
“Where did you expect her to go? That’s the entrance to the beach,” someone else pointed out.
Others argued that the bride and groom were to blame for any interruptions, and that they could have rented a private beachfront if they were concerned about the public interrupting their nuptials.
“Either rent a private beachfront OR realise that public means just that,” one person commented.
The video also prompted many to reveal that they would have done the same thing as the woman in question.
“I would too, it’s a walkway lol,” one viewer wrote, while another said: “I’m doing the same thing. I’m not standing there waiting.”
There were some viewers who agreed with the TikToker, however, such as one viewer, who wrote: “People just don’t pay attention to what’s going on around them.”
“So true, lost in their own world,” Cory wrote in response, along with multiple laughing face emojis.
According to Martha Stewart Magazine, there are multiple things to consider when planning a wedding in a public place, including the possibility of bad weather, noise and time restrictions, and whether other people will be around.
“Since public parks are open to anyone, a bride and groom can’t banish passersby from the space,” the outlet notes, adding: “Kids may be playing baseball 50 feet from your cocktail hour, and their parents may sneakily snap a few photos of your beautiful reception. If you can’t welcome the idea of potential onlookers with a happy attitude, find a more secluded spot for your vows.”