ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A “wedding crasher” attends a wedding uninvited. Some weddings even hire security to keep stragglers out, but if security does apprehend them, can they be arrested? Is it illegal to crash a wedding, particularly in Illinois?

People have been attending and crashing weddings long before the 2005 release of Wedding Crashers starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. If they do, there are numerous potential charges a crasher can face including first-degree burglary, robbery, petty theft, and trespassing just to name a few.

At weddings, since food and drink aren’t free, most crashers are actually committing theft, even if it’s just petty theft. A lot of weddings take place on private property, so wedding crashing frequently involves trespassing. However, some weddings do happen on public property, like beaches or parks. If an uninvited guest learns the name of someone who wasn’t present and poses as them, they may also be charged with false impersonation if they gain something from doing so or damage the other person’s reputation.

There are states in the US that, according to the law, can file suits against those who jeopardize their marriage. Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah still have it in place, despite the fact that the majority of states have long since done away with it.

In fact, the ‘alienation of affections’ is, “A legal claim that exists in a limited number of states. It allows someone who was currently or formerly married to sue a third party for interfering with their marital relationship.”

This law earned a North Carolina man a $750,000 judgment against his ex-wife’s lover.