Bride sobs on dance floor as brazen wedding crasher steals £75,000 worth of gifts

A bride's dream wedding quickly turned into a nightmare when a thiefmade off with nearly $100,000 in gifts from her lavish reception - leaving her sobbing on the dance floor.

The shocking theft happened shortly after midnight on Saturday at the Renaissance Banquet in Glendale, California, where George and Nadeen Farahat were celebrating their marriage with almost 300 guests. Surveillance footage caught the moment an unidentified man dressed in black snatched a box packed with cash, checks and gift cards before fleeing the venue. The suspect had reportedly spent around 90 minutes inside the main hall, and was seen pacing the hallways with a mobile phone in his hand, even ordering a drink at the bar before slipping into the ballroom.

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Guests watched in disbelief as he grabbed the box from the dance floor and fled. "It's very brave. I think he even tipped the bartender," the groom said.

Outside, footage captured the man speeding off in a black Mercedes Benz. The couple explained most of their gifts were cash or checks worth about $80,000 to $100,000 (£60,000 - £75,000) collected in a single box in line with Middle Eastern tradition.

George said: "We had a wonderful ceremony at our church, we had a really fun party with our family and friends to celebrate until the incident."

Nadeen broke down in tears when she realised what had happened. She added: "As soon as we found out what happened, you know, the music shut down, everything immediately stopped. I ended up sitting on the dance floor sobbing with my friends and cousins around me." A close friend recorded the theft, alerting the couple to the shocking moment.

Despite the couple having paid for extra security, the thief managed to slip past unnoticed. The couple have now filed a police report and are offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the suspect's arrest.

Nadeen said the incident has left a bitter mark on what was supposed to be a joyful day. "It's such a memorable and happy day that you're having so much fun. You don't think about this stuff. It's the last thing that could've been on anyone's mind," she said.