A bride and groom held their wedding ceremony at an Indianapolis coffee shop on New Year’s Eve without obtaining permission.
Mansion Society coffee shop owners Ana and Zoraida Lezama posted on social media on December 31 and January 3 describing “the pop-up wedding” that took over their business.
The initial social media post showed 20 to 30 guests holding a wedding, taking photos and asking employees to take their coats and purses.
The Lezamas answered and added additional questions from social media users in their second post a video of the ceremony.
According to a GoFundMe page created on January 1, wedding guests only bought “six lattes” and lost $500 in potential sales.
A bride and groom were married on New Year’s Eve in front of 20 to 30 guests at the Mansion Society coffee shop in Indiana
Everyone in the wedding party rearranged the furniture and expected the coffee shop employees to grab their coats and hang them up
The ‘small business’ opened in 2022 with a brand ‘Immersed in Wes Anderson’s film.’
The owners began their December 31 social media statement by saying they are doing their best to “provide the best service to everyone.”
Mansion Society offers customers the ability to hold private events in their store starting at $500 and used their first social media post on New Year’s Eve to let others know why they are discussing the incident.
“Ultimately, we are sharing this message to ask customers to be thoughtful and observant and consider booking us for a private event, other than showing up and taking control of our small business without notice.”
A wedding officiant, photographers and bride and groom parties were among the guests who attended the ceremony.
“They asked us to bring coats and wallets and to keep an eye on personal items as if they had rented us out for a private event,” the owners stated.
The Lezamas created their second social media post to “answer all questions.”
The wedding ceremony took place without notice and has sparked backlash due to several social media posts made by Mansion Society
Shop owners Ana and Zoraida Lezama described the entire experience shortly after the party left in social media posts that have now gone viral
Ana discussed the Indianapolis store on the brand ‘Immersed in Wes Anderson’s film’ in a 2022 interview
The bride emailed Mansion Society after the ceremony offering a $200 donation.
One of the owners responded to her email and included screenshots of their response to the second social media post.
She wrote that the store does not require a $200 donation, but they must cover the costs for a venue they “have not previously rented for a wedding ceremony.”
The owner told the bride about the normal weekend rate, who does not believe the store will receive ‘any form of compensation’ from them.”
The co-owner noticed that wedding guests have not used parking spaces and their donation does not correspond to consumption requirements, rental prices or staff tips.
The GoFundMe page will help Mansion Society earn the money they lost from the wedding ceremony.
Social media users had many questions about the first few posts posted on New Year’s Eve, which was one of the reasons for the others published on January 3.
The bride emailed Mansion Society after New Year’s Eve and offered to donate $200, less than half of the usual $500 weekend rental. The owners admitted in one of their Jan. 3 messages that they don’t expect any compensation from the wedding party after all what happened
Ana created a GoFundMe on January 1 and gave a quick recap of the unexpected wedding ceremony the day before.
She explained that the goal is based on the amount of money the company would have made if 30 customers purchased lattes and tips, as well as the additional burden on the store.
The page was closed earlier this month, but was reopened upon request by Heidi Melton.
The company has made over $500 to date.
Ana and Zoraida are no longer the only ones angry at everyone at the ‘pop-up wedding’.
The GoFundMe was reopened on January 7 by Heidi Melton after individuals sent messages to the company saying they wanted to donate
Instagram users were barred from commenting on Mansion Society’s posts about the incident and Facebook users requested the company release the names of the bride and groom
Facebook users wrote various comments throughout the week.
Some wrote that they “called the police” and a few users praised the store’s “classy response.”
Others hated everyone involved in the wedding.
“No respect for private property and small business owners… it’s the new ‘smash and grab’ culture. I’m sorry that you and your staff had to deal with this,” Tammie Gist wrote.