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You’ve probably heard a lot of stories of grooms who bolt right before the wedding–sometimes when they’re already standing in the ceremony, waiting for their bride to talk down the isle. When you hear these stories you probably think, “Why did that guy choose this time of all times to leave? Once hundreds of guests are seated and thousands of dollars have been spent?” It’s actually not really a coincidence or just bad timing when a groom takes off days or moments before the wedding–it’s because the wedding is getting closer that certain issues arise. There are some problems that only come up, or secrets that only come out of the woodwork, once an engagement has been announced. In fact, wedding planning can be one of the most stressful experiences a couple ever has together. So, here are 15 reasons a groom bolts right before the wedding.
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Shutterstock

He proposed because she’s pregnant

A lot of men propose when they discover that their girlfriend is pregnant, but they may not have actually been in love with her, or known her very well. Eventually, reality sets in that it would be better for this kid to have two single, separate but happy parents, than unhappily married ones, and he calls it off.

Sneaky friend/cheating love

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He proposed because he cheated

Unfortunately, sometimes men propose because they cheated. Maybe their partner found out, and they’re trying to prove their loyalty this way. Sometimes the partner doesn’t even know, and the guy just thinks he can hide it forever, and better lock his partner down before she discovers his mistake. Either way, he usually realizes that the very fact that he cheated means this woman wasn’t right for him.
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He proposed out of fear of losing her

Some men propose because they have a feeling their girlfriend isn’t as into them as they are into her. They propose as a way of locking a woman down before she realizes this is the wrong man. But, as the wedding gets closer, they start to realize that, if this woman isn’t really in love with them, the relationship can either end before the marriage as a breakup, or later as a divorce, but either way, it’s going to end.

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Corbis Images

Wedding planning brings out true colors

As stated before, wedding planning is stressful, and when people are stressed, their true colors come out. One person might take to drinking heavily; one person might take to yelling a lot–both people might realize they don’t want to live forever with somebody who responds so poorly to stress.
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Image Source: Shutterstock

Secrets come out on her end

You know that part of the ceremony when the officiator says, “If anyone knows any reason this couple should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace?” Some people speak way, way before that. When an engagement is announced, sometimes friends of the bride step forward to confess things about her like an abortion she hid from her partner, or a time that she cheated.
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Shutterstock

Their friends talk them out of it

Here’s another thing that will come out after you’re engaged: how your friends really feel about your partner. If a man’s friends never approved of his girlfriend, they’ll speak up when he proposes to her–and he might hear reason in their words.
Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

Another woman comes forward

The last thing that can come out of the woodwork after a proposal is another interested woman. If one woman has been harboring feelings for a man for years and finds out he’s engaged to somebody else, she might step forward and admit her feelings. And he might reciprocate those feelings.