Police called out to more than a dozen Northamptonshire weddings and funerals this year

And on three of those occasions the bride, groom, or partner of the deceased was identified as the suspect.

In all, police recorded crimes at five funerals and nine weddings across the county in 2017.

On nine occasions the offence involved violence between two parties which did not result in an injury.

But the incidents also included public disorder, criminal damage and worse.

At one Corby wedding an “unknown female” attacked and injured a wedding guest, but was later charged with a separate offence by police.

A “family member” was accused of carrying out a sexual offence at a funeral, also in Corby, and a groom was even charged with violent offences at his own wedding in Kettering.

The information was uncovered by this newspaper via a Freedom of Information request to Northamptonshire Police, which asked for all the crimes recorded at weddings or funerals during 2017.

Though most prosecutions were dropped when victims either declined to give their support or officers could not gather enough evidence, on three occasions wedding guests were charged with violent crimes.

Bestselling author GP Taylor was a vicar before leaving the church a decade ago.

In his 13 years as a man of the cloth he said he witnessed some unusual sights at weddings and funerals – and said alcohol was usually the root of the problem.

“There was one incident when the service went well but once this family all left the church and moved outside, they all just started fighting,” said Mr Taylor, author of the bestselling Shadowmancer books, which have been turned into Hollywood movies.

“It got so out of control they brought a dog handler in ‐ it was absolute carnage.”