Weddings are supposed to be unforgettable, but one couple in England ended up with an unforgettable memory for all the wrong reasons. Still, the way they handled it shows what love — and a good sense of humor — can do.
Andrew and Rebecca Fildes were tying the knot in the English countryside in 2023 when Andrew made a mistake no groom ever wants to make. As he nervously repeated his vows, he accidentally called his bride by his ex-girlfriend’s name.
The viral moment, captured on TikTok and posted on July 28, shows the celebrant prompting, “I take you, Rebecca Sarah Joan Qureshi…” But instead of saying Rebecca’s full name, Andrew replied: “I take you, Sarah…”
Cue the gasps, followed quickly by giggles.
@scalesfeathersandfur Oh dear 🫣#weddingday #weddingvowsgonewrong #nohedidnt ♬ original sound - bec_Fildes
Rebecca, to her credit, didn’t storm off or burst into tears. She laughed. The guests laughed. Even Andrew laughed once he realized his blunder.
“His ex-girlfriend’s name is Sarah, [and] so is one of my middle names,” Rebecca explained to Newsweek. “I understood he was nervous and slipped up.”
She added that the mix-up was just part of their personalities: “I’m a lot more outgoing and sociable. Andi [short for Andrew] is more introverted and sensible.”
Andrew admitted he wasn’t even aware of what he had said. “I wasn’t even aware of it when I said it. Rebecca just looked at me and I thought ‘What have I said wrong’ and she corrected me. My brother put his hand on his face and my son shook his head and I thought, ‘I’ve clearly got something wrong.’”
Rebecca reminded him afterward that he had forgotten to say her name. “He didn’t even realize he’d left ‘Rebecca’ out,” she recalled. “I told him and he said, ‘I’m so sorry, I was so nervous that I’d do something wrong.’ We laughed about it.”
Though Andrew’s ex was named Sarah, he clarified that they had been separated for ten years. “It’s just one of those things but it’s quite a common name,” he said.
Rebecca has kept her sense of humor about the slip, even joking, “I keep saying he owes me a proper wedding now, where he gets my name right.”
The TikTok video — cheekily captioned “Oh dear” — has now been viewed more than 38,000 times, sparking a wide range of reactions online.
Some people were sympathetic: “To be fair I think he just got HER names in the wrong order due to anxiety. He looks besotted with her. Congratulations,” one viewer wrote. Another noted, “things like this happen when you are nervous…”
Others weren’t so forgiving: “Oh no, that’s awful. I would have been so upset.” One person even called it “instant romance cancellation,” while another admitted, “I’d be bringing this up for the next 50 years.”
The couple has even laughed about the comparisons to the infamous Friends scene where Ross accidentally says “Rachel” instead of “Emily.”
Despite critics saying the slip was a bad sign, Rebecca isn’t fazed. She’s even made follow-up TikToks poking fun at the situation, showing her wedding ring with the words, “It will or won’t.”
In the end, while Andrew may have flubbed his vows, it’s clear Rebecca said “I do” not just to the man she loves, but also to the humor and grace it takes to build a marriage that can weather a few mistakes — even big ones at the altar.
