I saw a woman I didn't know in our wedding pictures

A bride has been left stunned after discovering a stranger mingling in her wedding photos, months after her big day.

Sharing her ordeal to Reddit, the woman explained that she and her husband had invited just 100 guests, all of whom were close family and friends.

So, when she received her professional photos two months later, she was shocked to see an unfamiliar woman posing among her guests.

'I saw a woman we both didn't know,' she wrote.

'I figured maybe a relative randomly brought someone else…but my parents had no idea either.'

The bride said she raised the mysterious guest with one of her bridesmaids and finally got answers to uncover who the mystery woman was.

It turned out she wasn't a distant aunt or a rogue cousin's plus-one, but the mother of a high school friend.

'Do they not realise food won't just magically appear to feed the extra person? That an extra chair won't just turn up out of nowhere?'

A bride was stunned to spot a complete stranger posing in her wedding photos - months after the big day. It turned out the mystery woman wasn't a relative or a plus-one, but the mother of a high school friend who'd slipped in unnoticed. (Stock photo)

The couple were lucky one guest had cancelled the night before due to illness, leaving a single spare seat, which the woman wasted no time in nabbing for herself.

'Imagine if he was able to go. Where would the mum go? she added to the post, which now has thousands of comments from other Redditors.

While most agreed the friend's decision was wildly inappropriate, others chimed in with surprising cultural and professional insights.

One caterer revealed that, in reality, venues typically do prepare for unexpected arrivals.

'I always order about two-three per cent more chairs [and] rentals than I need and there's always plenty of food, or, at least one extra portion.'

But others argued it was the principle that mattered, not whether a spare canapé existed.

The thread quickly became a fascinating window into global wedding traditions, with several users explaining that mystery guests aren't always taboo, and in some places, they're expected.

'In England wedding ceremonies are legally classed as public events… it's not that unusual here to have extra people attend,' one wrote.

A cancelled guest left a spare seat for the wedding crasher, prompting debate online. Some say venues expect extras, while others argue surprise guests are simply rude

'One of my friends got a card from a lady who had attended her wedding because she loved weddings and attended every ceremony at that particular location… She'd bring a blank card with a small cash gift in it,' they added.

Another person said it was standard practice in Catholic and Anglican churches which are open to the public.

'Anyone can attend the ceremony. And frequently they do.'

'Here in Australia, it's the norm that anyone can turn up to the ceremony if it's in a public location such as a church.'

However, most agreed that turning up to the reception, particularly one with a tight headcount and a sit-down dinner, is an entirely different matter.

The comments turned into somewhat of a confessional, with other brides sharing similarly bizarre encounters.

One woman said she never met the guest who caught her bouquet.

'She was IDd later as the date of a friend of my husband's who wasn't given a plus one. Not even his girlfriend, just a date. Of course she was all over the pictures too,' they joked.

Another recalled her sister and maid of honour going rogue, inviting 'random guys she met partying the night before' because she thought they needed more single guys at the wedding.

'She will never live that down. One caught the garter, [while] others were spotted peeing into the rose bushes. True story.'