Weddings are supposed to be one of the happiest days of a person’s life, dancing, toasts, laughter, maybe even a few tears of joy. But for one Pennsylvania bride, her big day reportedly turned into a nightmare when she was allegedly punched in the face by one of her own wedding guests. The bride herself ended up being knocked to the ground in the middle of what should have been a celebration of love.
The shocking incident happened over the summer, at The Woods at Eisler Farms, a scenic venue in Connoquenessing Township, Butler County. The accused wedding brawler is John Cianci of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, who has since been hit with a laundry list of charges. According to the criminal complaint obtained by CBS News, Cianci became “extremely angry and violent” after being cut off from alcohol during the reception in a booze-fueled meltdown.
Witnesses claim things spiraled fast. At some point, Cianci allegedly threw what was described as a “round house style” punch, and it landed squarely on the bride’s face. The blow was so forceful that it reportedly knocked her to the ground. Imagine being in your wedding dress, surrounded by friends and family, and instead of twirling on the dance floor, you’re hit by a drunken guest. Absolutely horrifying.
Pennsylvania Bride Gets Punched Out During Wedding Reception
However, the chaos didn’t stop there. After striking the bride, Cianci was described as “extremely irate” and allegedly turned his fists on others. When several people tried to intervene and restrain him, he reportedly punched three more guests. The criminal complaint notes that his violent outburst not only left injuries but also caused “public inconvenience, annoyance and alarm” for the rest of the partygoers. Translation: the entire reception was thrown into turmoil because one man couldn’t handle being cut off at the bar.
Cianci has since been charged with four counts of simple assault, four counts of disorderly conduct, four counts of harassment, and one count of public drunkenness. He was released on $5,000 bail and is awaiting his next court appearance.
The whole thing reads like the plot of a disastrous wedding comedy, except this was all too real for the bride and her loved ones. Weddings are already stressful enough without having to worry about guests turning violent.
The Internet Is Appalled
Of course, being cut off from alcohol is hardly an excuse for throwing punches, let alone hitting the bride herself. If anything, it highlights a bigger issue about how some people treat weddings like an all-you-can-drink free-for-all instead of, you know, a celebration of two people starting their lives together.
“She should sue him for emotional distress as well and hopefully recoup most of the wedding costs,” one person commented online. “She’ll never recover from this. It was supposed to be her big day, and instead someone she trusted to share it with her ruined it all and hurt her,” a second person stated.
While Cianci waits for his day in court, one can only hope the couple gets a proper redo of their big day, this time with joy, dancing, and love taking center stage instead of an ugly headline-making brawl. Because this Pennsylvania bride shouldn’t have to remember her wedding as the night she was assaulted in front of her guests.
Hunter Spears 
Kenna Raye 
