Mansion Society, a coffee shop in Indianapolis, Indiana, gave their account of an odd incident on New Year’s Eve where they were suddenly bombarded by a wedding party “with no notice or any sort of monetary prearrangement.”
The small business claims that a “downpour of patrons” spontaneously walked in, including a full bridal and groomsmen party, an officiant, photographers, among others.
The coffee shop said that they’re used to serving lattes to wedding guests during the weekends because they're located next to a wedding venue. They thought that the party was merely waiting for the entire group to arrive before ordering.
A wedding ceremony allegedly began immediately after the bride walked in.
“We book for private events and are proud to host bridal & baby showers, engagement shoots, parties, and all sorts of private events.” read an initial statement from Mansion Society.
“The group of about 20-30 people continued to not only have a wedding ceremony but take pictures, videos, and block pathways for customers trying to enter Mansion Society. They were asking us to take coats, purses, and watch personal items as if they had rented us out for a private event.”
The store claimed that the employees were too busy taking orders to attempt to stop the ceremony midway, claiming the “social media backlash” could have been spun against the two-year-old business. However, they also allege that one barista attempted to stop the wedding party from blocking the entrance to the building with their photoshoot.
It didn’t take long for the alleged “pop-up wedding” story to go viral on social media, prompting a range of reactions from confusion to outrage.
Mansion Society provided updates since their original statement with more specifics on the matter and claimed that the bridal party in question had become aware of their post and offered a “$200 donation” without an apology or accepting responsibility for the event.
The shop sent her an invoice for the fee based on the rates they typically charge for booking their facilities in hopes to leave the situation “in the past.” The bride has allegedly not responded with more than "That's unreasonable."
