A groom went ballistic at his wedding reception and started choking a bartender after being told that a bartender had spilled red wine on his wife's wedding gown, according to Oberlin police.

The bride asked for a glass of cabernet, a red wine, shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, but was refused. The bartender said he could not serve alcohol past 11 p.m., according to police.

The bride told the bartender she would tip him well if he gave her a drink, and the bartender then poured her a glass and pushed it toward her across the bar, which caused some wine to splash on the dress, the police reported being told.

Several guests told the groom what happened and he confronted the two bartenders, yelling, ''Which one of you guys poured wine on my wife's dress?''

Although the bartenders denied spilling any wine, the groom ''jumped'' one of the bartenders and started choking him, according to accounts from police and the bartender.

The second bartender said he tried to physically remove the groom's hands from the neck of the first bartender but could not, according to police.

The bride ran over to the fight and told her new husband that the bartenders were not responsible for the spilled wine.

The two men were eventually separated.

The bartender's shirt was torn and the skin on his chest was red and purple with scratch marks, police reported.

In an interview, the bartender said, ''I have been in this business for 30 years. This is the first time anything like this has happened.'' He said he saw several splashes of wine that would need to be cleaned on the bride's dress, but not an entire glass.

The bartender refused medical treatment and said he did not wish to pursue charges against the groom.

''There was no sense in putting him in jail on his wedding night. It was over and done with.''

Extract: zwire.com