Bride's wedding day ends in disaster after drunk guest catches on fire

02 February 2024 , 14:32

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A bride has told how her wedding venue had scant regard for health and safety protocols (Image: Getty Images/Wavebreak Media)

Candles have a romantic mystique about them – but are also a major cause of fires, injuries and often deaths – so you would expect a professional wedding venue to be very careful when deploying them around people who are wearing particularly fluffy and flowing gowns. The bride said she had been a safety consultant and as soon as she walked into the venue, noticed that the candles they had placed, while on pillars, were still low enough for all the guests to be cautious.

She said that many of the people at the wedding noticed the hazard and were cautious when they went anywhere near them. The wedding party went upstairs for cocktails and the staff at the venue moved the candles around to fit in with the layout for the dinner, but the problem began when the music and dancing kicked off.

She said: "Once the music and dancing started, a few of the older folks (already sozzled) sat around the head table. One woman had a layered chiffon dress that was about tea length. I was sitting facing them while my sister was back to them/facing me, chatting. I see a flare of light behind her quite suddenly and lean around and yes, her dress caught fire! It was put out very fast, the lady patted it and water was poured as well.

"We told the staff and this daft manager came out with a little handheld computer thing and started taking an incident report. Never offered medical attention, never even looked at the small burn on her legs and hand, nothing. Just kept asking her age for the report. We put out the candles ourselves as they seemed disinclined to do so themselves."

She added that the burn victim refused to go to hospital and that she seemed happy to keep on drinking. However, later, the groom dropped a heavy crystal tumbler on the dance floor and yet again, staff were informed. The now fuming bride said that they did not bother to turn up the lights, stop the music or clear the area.

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She added: "They sent out one poor bartender to sweep up the glass with a s****y little torch. I warned off the two girls who had taken off their heels by that point and were barefoot and we used our phone torches to help find shards. One ended up between my sock and sneaker (floor-length gown) and cut my ankle, but not badly. No manager to be seen that time."

It turned out that next morning at brunch, she was informed the burn victim had ended up in hospital once she sobered up as her hand was quite bad. The venue also apparently promised that the candles would be small and in tall glass cylinders for safety.

Paul Donald