American Couple Holds “Pop-Up Wedding” At Coffee Shop Without Booking It, Owners React

Finding the right venue for one’s wedding can be quite a challenge. There are several factors to consider, from price and size to ambience and location. Furthermore, booking it on time for the event can also be difficult. A couple in the USA recently chose to dispense with the latter step altogether while planning their New Year’s Eve wedding. They decided to hold their ceremony in a coffee shop without informing the staff beforehand. The owners of the shop, Mansion Society in Hawthorne, Indianapolis, later recounted the incident in an Instagram post.

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According to the post, “a full bridal and groomsmen party, a wedding officiant, wedding photographers and patrons” suddenly entered the coffee shop on December 31, 2023. The employees had received no prior warning about the same. The wedding party of 20-30 people took over the entire space and even blocked the way for other customers who wanted to come in. They asked the staff to take care of their personal items as if the space had been officially booked as a venue. After a few minutes, the bride walked in and the wedding ceremony began.

The owners have clarified that they indeed do take prior bookings for different types of private events. They debated not publicising the incident, ultimately deciding to share in order to ask “patrons to please be considerate and mindful”. They have slammed the wedding party for “showing up and taking control of our small business with no notice nor any sort of monetary prearrangement.”

In a follow-up post, they have provided more details of the saga. People who heard of the incident have reportedly set up a GoFundMe to compensate them for their trouble. The owners revealed that their earlier post reached the bride, who responded via email with an offer of a “$200 donation”. They have replied with an invoice, although they don’t expect “any sort of compensation from them, they don’t see themselves in the wrong in this situation”. They also explained that they were working with the leasing manager of the building because the wedding party should have asked for a permit/ consent before doing a photo shoot.

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In the next slide, they answered some of the “most-asked questions,” namely: Why didn’t they stop the wedding? Why not ask the group to leave immediately? They explained that the space next to their shop is is a wedding venue and that wedding guests often drop in before or after the ceremony for refreshments. Thus, when this particular party first walked in (without the bride), they simply thought of them as regular customers – who would eventually order their drinks together. However, once the bride arrived, the ceremony began immediately.

“We were taking orders, slinging drinks and we couldn’t stop a wedding ceremony mid-way. The social media backlash could have been cancel-worthy if spun the right way. Our shock froze us in the moment.”

The subsequent slides show a clip of the wedding, and the staff’s detailed response to the bride’s ‘donation’ email. Check it out below.

What did you think of this incident? Let us know in the comments below. 

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