Couple sparks outrage after revealing ‘controversial’ wedding day rules

One rule couple had is they ‘did not allow guests to request music’ at wedding

A couple has sparked outrage after revealing the “controversial” rules they had for their wedding day.

On TikTok, Emerson, who goes by the username @emersonschiavone, has shared a series of videos about the rules she implemented when planning her wedding. In one recent clip, which is part five of the “controversial things” she did for her wedding day, Emerson shared even more details about the nuptials.

The viral video began with the first rule she and her husband abided by, not allowing guests to request music. She then claimed that song requests were meant for a “prom,” not “a wedding”.

For her next “controversial rule”, Emerson said that there were not “any memorial tables/chairs for deceased family members”. After sharing her and her husband’s thoughts about those chairs, she revealed how they still honoured their late family members at the wedding.

“We both find memorial tables morbid. So instead, we played their favourite songs during the ceremony, sitting and walking down,” she said.

Emerson went on to share another rule she had in place for the day: if guests were late, they wouldn’t be able to enter the ceremony. “No guests were late but if they were, they would have been told to wait to enter cocktail hour,” she said.

According to the former bride, guests were not allowed to take shots at the reception. While she noted that this was already a rule made by the wedding venue, she wouldn’t have wanted shots to be served.

The final rule in the video revealed that, when it was time to cut the cake during the wedding, Emerson and her husband did it privately. “We did not announce our cake cutting and only did it in private with our parents,” she wrote. According to the bride, they also only served two dinner options, steak or fish.

Emerson’s video has quickly gone viral on TikTok, with more than 2.5m views, as of 26 January. In the comments, many people went on to criticise some of the wedding rules, especially the one about only two entree options being served.

“The menu option is the only rule that bothered me because I used to be vegetarian. So when I would go to family parties, I’d starve because of limited options,” one wrote, while another added: “As a person who’s picky, chicken is my go-to.”

However, Emerson then clarified in the comments that, in addition to the filet mignon and fish served, there was a vegetarian option.

Some of Emerson’s other rules also came under fire, including the ones about alcohol and music at the wedding, with one viewer writing: “Shots will be mandatory at my wedding.”

“As a wedding DJ it’s brutal when guests can’t request songs,” another wrote.

“Why is the cake cutting of all things such a secret affair LMAO,” a third added.

On the other hand, some people went on to show their support for Emerson’s strategy for her big day.

“Yes on the no shots! Went to a wedding where everyone was trashed from all the shots. It was a college party lol,” one wrote, while another added: “Awesome rules! Don’t get why some are so pressed lmao - it’s your wedding, your rules and that’s it.”

Last month, Emerson first went viral when she shared her first video of “controversial” wedding rules. In the clip, which has more than 4.2m views, she revealed that no children were allowed to come to the wedding, none of her single guests could bring a plus one, and she and her husband “didn’t go table to table to greet guests,” since they attended their cocktail hour.

The Independent has contacted Emerson for comment.