Bees at Wedding in Ohio, the Viral Bride and Groom Reel

Savannah Shelek said her vows to the sound of buzzing. Bees at her wedding, six or more of them, circled her at Glass on Enchanted Acres in Dennison, Ohio, on Sunday 18 October 2026, as she married Andrew Shelek.

Bees at wedding in Ohio: Savannah Shelek in a lace veil faces Andrew at the altar | Wedded Wonderland — Savannah and Andrew Shelek at the altar during their outdoor ceremony at Glass on Enchanted Acres. Photo: Allison Joy Photography on Instagram

"I thought to myself whenever I heard the bees flying around that I was going to get stung," the bride told People.

She was right.

Seventeen days later, on Wednesday 4 November, she and her photographer, Allison Glotfelty of Allison Joy Photography, posted the reel. Glotfelty shot it on her phone the moment Andrew began swatting bees from Savannah's hands. On screen, one line: "Find you a man that protects you at your wedding from so many bees."

The reel has since passed 9 million views. The bride is "so shocked that it has reached so many people."

Six or more bees joined the Ohio wedding

Nobody saw it coming. When the couple toured the venue a year earlier, there was not a bee in sight.

Glotfelty said the bees were "noticeably everywhere" when she arrived. "On the bouquets, the bride's dress, just flying all around us."

She called it "a little nerve-wracking." Savannah put it more plainly: "the bees were an issue the whole time."

Reports call them bees and name no species. Ohio State University Extension describes yellowjackets as predatory wasps whose workers "are often confused with honey bees".

The distinction counts once something has got into your sleeve. Unlike honeybees, yellowjackets can sting repeatedly, and from August to October they switch to sweet food and become "persistent, unwelcome guests" at outdoor events.

The Sheleks married inside that window. What stung the bride is still anyone's guess.

The groom swatted, then went in the sleeve

The headlines have Andrew fighting off bees. The bride's account is quieter.

He swatted them away from her hands. Then, Savannah said, "They were flying all around me and one got into my sleeve and stung me." Andrew "pulled it out of my sleeve and threw it."

"My husband has always been my protector since we started dating in high school so I wasn't surprised by his reactions," she said.

The bees outlasted the vows. "Even after the ceremony we were taking pictures and they were still flying around me," Savannah said.

Glotfelty kept her verdict short: "It was just a moment to remember!"

Bees at a wedding carry an older meaning

Afterwards, Glotfelty came across a reading of what the bees might mean. "I read a message about the meaning of bees and it's so beautiful!" she said.

The reading going round online is simple. Honeybees work together, so some see them at a wedding as a "lucky symbol of partnership" and harmony, in the words of The Mary Sue.

There is an older wedding custom, and it ran the other way: people told the bees.

Telling the bees is a Western European tradition of informing the hives of family news, including deaths, births and marriages. The wedding versions are oddly specific:

In Lincolnshire, the Northern Star reported in 1849 that "at all weddings and funerals they give a piece of the wedding-cake" to the bees.
In Westphalia, newlyweds had to introduce themselves to the hives, or "their married life will be unfortunate", Margaret Warner Morley wrote in The Honey-Makers (1899).
In Brittany, Morley noted, hives were dressed in scarlet cloth for a wedding.
In Scotland, a 1950 Dundee Courier piece described inviting the bees to the wedding.

Nobody told the Ohio bees anything. They came anyway. For more rituals couples still keep, see our guide to cultural wedding traditions around the world.

A tour a year out showed the Sheleks no bees at all. Marrying outdoors? See the site in your own wedding month, and keep a roof in reserve with one of our indoor-outdoor wedding venues, or let Wedded Concierge find one.

Savannah heard the bees and braced for a sting. She got one, and a husband who went in after it.

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Key takeaways

Savannah and Andrew Shelek married at Glass on Enchanted Acres in Dennison, Ohio, on 18 October 2026.
Six or more bees circled the bride, and one stung her inside her sleeve.
Andrew swatted bees from her hands, then pulled the stinging bee out and threw it.
The couple saw no bees on their venue tour a year earlier.
The reel by the bride and photographer Allison Glotfelty passed 9 million views.
Online, bees at a wedding read as a sign of partnership. The older custom told the bees the news.

Frequently asked questions

What do bees at a wedding mean?

Online, some read honeybees at a wedding as a lucky symbol of partnership and harmony, because honeybees work together. The older European custom of telling the bees ran the other way: families shared wedding news with their hives, sometimes left wedding cake beside them, and in Westphalia newlyweds introduced themselves to the bees.

Did the groom really fight off the bees?

Yes. Andrew swatted bees away from Savannah's hands during the ceremony, then pulled the one that stung her out of her sleeve and threw it. Savannah said he has been her protector since they started dating in high school, so his reaction did not surprise her.

Were the bees at the Ohio wedding honeybees?

Reports describe them only as bees and name no species. Ohio State University Extension notes that yellowjackets, which are wasps, are often confused with honeybees, seek out sweet food at outdoor events from August to October and, unlike honeybees, can sting repeatedly. The 18 October wedding fell inside that window.

What is telling the bees at a wedding?

Telling the bees is a Western European custom of informing the hives of family news, including marriages. Records describe Lincolnshire bees given wedding cake in 1849, Westphalian newlyweds introducing themselves to the hives, Breton hives dressed in scarlet cloth and, in a 1950 Scottish newspaper, bees invited to the wedding.

What should you do about bees at a wedding?

Stay calm and still if a single stinging insect is flying around you. Andrew swatted to protect Savannah, but NIOSH, the CDC's workplace safety institute, warns that swatting may cause a sting. To remove a stinger, wipe gauze or scrape a fingernail over the area; never squeeze it or use tweezers.

What if a wedding guest is allergic to stings?

NIOSH notes that people allergic to venom can have anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that needs immediate emergency care. NIOSH advises people with a history of severe reactions to carry an EpiPen and wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace. For an outdoor wedding, ask the caterer to keep food covered and drinks lidded, as Ohio State advises.