A Chicago bride was left feeling “humiliated” after spending more than $12,000 on catering for her wedding, only to have her guests eat takeout from Pizza Hut at the end of the night.
Lauren Franken, 36, claims her wedding cake was made from Pillsbury cake mix and most of the “cold” and “raw” food was served an hour late.
The bride, who got married in June at The Chelsea Sun Inn in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, paid $500 not only for the cake, but also for dinner, an open bar, a sushi bar and a late-night pizza.
But unfortunately, everything didn’t go as planned, leaving most of her guests eating Pizza Hut or a Chinese takeaway once the wedding was over.
It got so bad, Franken claimed, that some of her guests even had to intervene to get things going in the kitchen.
Lauren Franken, 36, claims her wedding cake was made from Pillsbury cake mix and most of the ‘cold’ and ‘raw’ food was served an hour late
Chicago bride felt ‘humiliated’ after spending more than $12,000 on catering for her wedding, only to have her guests eat takeout from Pizza Hut at the end of the night
“They showed up at 3:30 and the wedding was at 5 p.m.,” Franken said.
“I was surprised they weren’t there, making dinner, baking a cake or something. Thank God I had the guys I had who could get everything done.”
She admitted that the caterers had “single-handedly ruined the whole day” and only served enough food for 40 people, which was served an hour late.
“Food is a big part of a wedding,” she said. ‘One of my guests, who flew across the country, had to cook at my wedding.’
The bride had first contacted the caterer in November 2023 and expected everything to be ready in time for her big day.
She wanted an “elegant” and “naked” three-tier cake and showed the caterers many photos of examples she admired.
The couple had chosen a cake with limoncello, cannoli and tiramisu flavors, but said the cake tasted like vanilla and “store-bought buttercream.”
Franken claimed they didn’t show up until an hour before the wedding and started making the cake at 9:30 p.m., an hour after it was supposed to be cut.
Things didn’t go as planned, leaving most of her guests eating Pizza Hut or a Chinese takeaway once the wedding was called
She wanted an ‘elegant’ and ‘naked’ three-tiered cake and showed the caterers many photos of examples she admired
Franken claimed they didn’t show up until an hour before the wedding and started making the cake at 9:30 p.m., an hour after it was supposed to be cut.
“She used frosting and cake mix…. We saw it in the trash. I saw the frosting and someone else saw the cake mix. It was humiliating,” the 36-year-old said.
‘At that point I was so shocked by everything that I wasn’t surprised that they were using stuff from the store. She clearly wasn’t going to be whipping up buttercream at 9:30 p.m.’
She said they also froze the cake immediately, which caused the frosting to melt everywhere.
Moreover, Franken had asked for flowers, but they had not added any; in fact, a guest had to put some on for the couple.
“It had a huge impact on the day,” Franken said.
‘I couldn’t relax and enjoy my evening. I worried that guests wouldn’t eat because people like my grandmother would be stuck in 100-degree temperatures without water.”
Ultimately, though, she admitted that the experience brought all the guests together in a strange way.
“At first people were shocked and I think people felt bad, but at the end of the night it became cool that we had such cool family and friends who were willing to support us and step into a role.” , she said.
Since the wedding, Franken has shared a photo of the cake on social media, showing off what she wanted versus what she got
“It was really good to see that we have such a great support system. I think everyone felt sorry for us at the end of the night,” the bride said
“They were there to enjoy a wedding and suddenly they were cooking and bartending, waitressing, washing dishes and taking out the trash,” she continued.
“It was really good to see that we have such a great support system. I think everyone felt sorry for us at the end of the night.”
Since the wedding, Franken has shared a photo of the cake on social media, showing off what she wanted versus what she got.
The post received more than 450 comments, agreeing with Franken that the cake was simply awful.
Franken said the caterers blocked her on social media and she has since taken legal action against them but has been unable to contact them.
The caterer was contacted for comment but did not respond.