In a heartbreaking viral TikTok, a new bride, Kalina Marie, expressed her dismay after almost none of her friends showed up to her wedding reception, despite sending out nearly 100 invitations. The video, which has captured the attention of millions, shows Kalina and her new husband entering their beautifully decorated venue, only to be greeted by a nearly empty room.
Kalina shared her shock and disappointment in the video, writing, “POV: you planned the most beautiful entrance, only to open the doors to an empty venue.” In her caption, she explained the painstaking effort that went into planning the masquerade ball-themed reception, which she had spent months preparing and talking about with friends. Not only had she sent out digital invitations to 75 people, but she also spent extra time and money to mail 25 formal, printed invitations.
On the big day, only five people showed up, a far cry from the full room they had envisioned. “Are you kidding me?” Kalina wrote in disbelief, describing how she and her husband walked into a mostly empty space, set up for 40 guests. The invite time was 1 p.m., and after receiving a message from her mother at 1:15 saying no one had arrived, Kalina and her husband postponed their entrance until 2:00, hoping more people would come. But by then, only five guests were there.
The caption continued, with Kalina pouring out her feelings about the painful experience. “I dreamed of walking into a crowd cheering us on, celebrating us. But instead, I was just trying to hold myself together, looking at a nearly empty venue,” she wrote. She detailed how it felt to see all the food and drinks go to waste and the tables standing empty. Despite this, Kalina and her husband made the most of the day and cherished the few family members who showed up to support them.
“Did we make the best of it? You bet we did,” she wrote. “But seeing this video again still hurts. It makes me wonder, why? Did we do something wrong? Why weren’t we important enough for people to show up?”
Kalina’s followers quickly rallied around her, flooding the comments with support and encouraging her to throw another celebration. Many have suggested that she host a second reception, with the backing of her new online community, ensuring that this time, there would be a crowd.
Through all of the emotions, Kalina’s video ends with gratitude for her husband, her child, and the family who stood by them. The couple may have faced a tough moment, but with the outpouring of support from her followers, it’s clear that Kalina has people rooting for her.
@kalina_marie_23 This is our entrance to our Masqurade ball. The Masqurade ball that I have talked EXCESSIVELY about for the last 10 months. The same ball that I not only digitally invited over 75 people to. But ALSO spent money to send 25 beautiful invitations out to. FIVE PEOPLE SHOWED UP!!!!!!! Like, are you kidding me!?!? As you see in the video, we enter the venue. And no one is there. The invite said 1pm. My mom messaged me at 1:15 that no one was there. My husband and I finally showed up at 2oclock, to 5 people. In a venue planned for 40. I dreamed that I would walk in to a bunch of people cheering us on. Hooting and hollering for us in celebration……but all you see is a woman trying to hold herself together because she had NO idea how to deal with her venue being almost completely empty. All the wasted food and drinks. All the empty tables and chairs. Every moment of my reception changed to adapt. Did we still make the most of it?? You bet your SWEET @$$ we did. But did this video just take all the good moments and shoot them out of the water for a second, F$&K yea it did 😔 It just makes me think, like, why? What did we do? Am I that bad of a person? What did my husband ever do to deserve any of this? Why couldn’t we matter enough for people to show up? I still have “friends” that haven’t even messaged me to congratulate me or tell me why they didn’t come. It truly makes me sick. I honestly can’t wrap my head around this yet. But all I know is, I have my man. My baby. And family that shows up when I need them. And for that, I will be thankful ❤️ #FAIL #fyp #whereisthelove ♬ original sound – Sara Lones
