10 Wedding Problems That Suggest a Far Deeper Problem with Your Relationship

If you ask almost anyone who has ever worked weddings, they'll tell you that planning a wedding is the ultimate relationship test. There's always drama surrounding the guest list, choosing a venue, and even hammering out little details like wedding favor ideas.

By the time that you walk down the aisle, you will most likely feel exhausted with the entire ordeal. By the time Aunt Maria has had one too many glasses of wine at the open bar and starts talking about her third marriage, you'll be over weddings altogether.

Everyone will have wedding problems, to an extent. Some problems will be larger than others. Most of the time, the problems you face won't do much aside from be an annoyance that you overcome.

Once in a while, though, the problems you experience before and during the wedding can be a bit more telling. Sometimes, they could signal serious relationship problems that need to be addressed—or a potential divorce in your future.

Worried about the problems you're seeing during wedding planning or during your ceremony? If any of these issues arise, you may want to hold off on making it official until things are settled.

Weddings take a lot of work to plan out and actually carry to fruition. To a point, that's part of the huge test that a wedding is supposed to be. How you handle wedding planning as a couple says a lot about your staying power.

There's something to be said about working together as a couple when it comes to wedding planning. When you both pull your weight, it's a good indicator of how your marriage will be in the future.

If one partner is not doing any of the work despite the other partner asking for help, you should be worried. This is one of the few wedding problems that suggests that the marriage will not be a partnership, but rather, a very uneven relationship that will likely burn someone out.

Bachelor Party Problems

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a bachelor party or a bachelorette party as long as both partners in the relationship talk about it and are cool with the activities. However, there is a line where things need to be drawn.

One of the most common indicators of serious relationship problems occurs during the bachelor celebrations. More specifically, this is usually a time when you see the couple's ability to stay honest with one another.

If one party holds a celebration behind another's back, cheats with a stripper during the party, or otherwise does something underhanded, that dishonesty will often translate into the marriage as well.

It's often said that you never just marry a person; you marry their family, too. In some cases, this can be great. Marrying into the right family can make you feel like a brand new person, and also help you feel more established in your future.

On the other hand, the wrong in-laws can spell D-I-V-O-R-C-E faster than you can say it. Most of the time, people will have an idea of how in-laws will be when they meet them. However, once in a while, you'll see in-laws who show their true faces during the wedding planning stage.

If your partner's in-laws are turning into major wedding problems, or worse, make a scene during your actual ceremony, that's a bad, bad sign. It's doubly true if your partner makes no move to stand up for you. Depending on what they do, you might want to call off the wedding or annul it.

We're just going to point out that there are people who you shouldn't feel forced to invite to your wedding. In-laws that hate your guts can be those people.

Unilateral Planning

Weddings are definitely difficult to deal with when it comes to planning, but for the most part, everyone has their own idea of what a perfect wedding will be like.

In a healthy relationship, couples will talk things out—or, if one partner doesn't really care about the planning, will let their partner plan the details while they focus on the marriage.

A bad relationship will often have one partner who takes the reins without even bothering to ask their partner about their input. This leaves an ousted partner feeling hurt or ignored.

This type of controlling behavior tends to be the reason why many couples end up divorcing within the first two years. Why? Because that type of behavior doesn't really stop once the wedding is done.

Did you drag your partner to the altar, kicking and screaming? Do they look absolutely miserable while they are saying their vows, or while you pick out china patterns?

You know you want to get married, but your partner doesn't. I hate to break it to you, but this is a sign you're incompatible. It is a sign that things will probably not work out.

Admittedly, this isn't necessarily an issue among wedding problems as much as it's an issue that asks why you even think having a wedding is a good idea. You can't force someone to marry you and expect a good outcome!

Forgetting to Plan Your Marriage

Planning a wedding is tough, but that's really not what will be the biggest task together. A lot of people forget that a wedding is really just an overblown party, more for your wedding guests to celebrate you than anything else. The marriage, of course, is what you should be most focused on.

That's why one of the biggest wedding mistakes isn't choosing the wrong wedding dress, but not really talking things out with your spouse. Things like a prenup agreement, premarital counseling, and even just chats with them about how you feel can make a huge difference in you two staying together happily.

When wedding problems rear their ugly head, it's common enough to see a bride or groom have a tantrum, pout, or otherwise be on their less-than-best behavior. However, there's a difference between a well-deserved rage rant and a Bridezilla moment that's caused due to an over-the-top wedding that isn't exactly the way she wants it, no exceptions.

The attack of Bridezilla (or Groomzilla) isn't something that you should take lightly. It's a sign of a spouse that's exceptionally selfish, and if you think that won't play out in marriage, you're mistaken.

When things don't go your partner's way and life doesn't turn out to be Pinterest-perfect, what will they do? If they act like a Bridezilla or a Groomzilla, you can safely assume things will get really ugly, really quickly.

A lot of highly dysfunctional couples tend to play a game I call "Wedding Tug-O-War." This is where every single issue turns into a power struggle involving arguments, bickering, guilt-tripping, and cold shouldering until one party gives in.

I shouldn't have to tell you why this is unhealthy, or why this is an indicator that you should stop the wedding in its tracks, right? Things won't get better if this is already happening.

This type of relationship dynamic is toxic. Worse, this is also a sign that you may be in an abusive relationship.

A typical marriage costs about $25,000 on average, and that number continues to rise year after year. Staying within budget isn't easy, even when your price is going to be that high. Fees get tacked onto everything, and that one little mishap you have can easily cause more cost issues to arise.

Pricey as it is, most couples will do what they can to stay on budget. Once in a while, though, you'll see a bride or a groom who is totally okay on splurging and exceeding wedding budgets.

Most planners will tell you that this isn't good sign for the "happy" couple, especially if one partner is upset about the excess spending. Those same habits tend to extend into married life... and you know what that means!

Excessive Wedding Styles

Most people wouldn't consider having an overly lavish wedding one of the worst wedding problems out there, but statistics will tell you otherwise. Studies have shown that overly lavish weddings with extremely long, drawn-out ceremonies tend to be linked to higher divorce rates.

We wonder why...