A couple took over a cafe to host their wedding. Now they're refusing to pay for it.

The wedding community was in an uproar over the weekend after a coffee shop came to social media with a rather bizarre claim.

Mansion Society, a mother-and-daughter-owned business in Indianapolis in the US, told their followers last week that they were inundated when a wedding party showed up – "with no notice or any sort of monetary pre-rearrangement".

The business claimed a "downpour of patrons" – including a full wedding party, an officiant and photographers –spontaneously walked into the establishment while customers and staff milled around grabbing their orders and making their drinks.

Watch: Engagement Ring Trends Through The Decades. Post continues after video. 

However, no one thought much of it initially. 

After all, their quaint little cafe was right next door to an actual wedding venue. It wasn't odd to see patrons coming in from next door to grab themselves a beverage or a bite to eat.

"It's normal for us to have wedding guests during the weekends, [a wedding venue] is next door and it's very common for us to serve a latte before or after their ceremony," the post read. 

That is, until the beautiful woman dressed in white entered the venue and a vow exchange immediately began. 

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A post shared by Mansion Society (@mansionsocietyindy)

"The wedding guests came in [within] a 15-minute timeline and sat down. We figured they were waiting for their entire group before getting up to order," the post continued. "[But then] the bride walked in and the ceremony immediately began."

Neither Mansion Society employees nor customers said anything initially. Mostly because they were in complete shock. 

It didn't help that the staff were overrun with actual patrons waiting for their beverages.

"We were taking orders, slinging drinks and we couldn't stop a wedding ceremony mid-way!" the cafe owners shared in their post. "The social media backlash would have been cancel-worthy [for our coffee shop]. Our shock froze us in the moment."

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A post shared by Mansion Society (@mansionsocietyindy)

The bride and groom had not booked the cafe or paid to have their wedding there.

"The group of about 20-30 people continued to not only have a wedding ceremony but also take pictures, videos and block pathways for customers trying to enter Mansion Society," the post read, adding that staff were then asked to hold on to "coats, purses and [to] watch personal items as if they had rented us out for a private event."

The venue reiterated they would have been happy to host the couple's special day – just not for free.

"We book for private events and are proud to host bridal and baby showers, engagement shoots, parties, and all sorts of private events," Mansion Society said in their statement.

It didn’t take long for the 'pop-up wedding' story to go viral on social media, prompting the cafe to provide more information about the experience.

Here’s the video of them having their wedding without permission in this coffee shop. I am in shock pic.twitter.com/GHaZTW0FfO

— Andrew (@MrAndrewRoby) January 7, 2024

In a later post, they clarified that the bridal party had offered a "USD$200 donation" – but not an apology, nor any accountability.

"We will wait for a payment from the bride to hopefully leave this in the past, an invoice has been sent," Mansion Society said. "Although we’re not expecting any sort of compensation from them, they don’t see themselves in the wrong in this situation."

In an email to the bride and groom, the cafe said the pair had no consideration for the patrons surrounding them and "moved sofas, chairs, coffee tables, end tables and cushions".

"Without asking, consideration and zero care to those patrons around you or us, you proceeded to have a wedding at the coffee shop with at least 30 people... We don't need a donation of USD$200. We need you to pay the fee to use a place that you did not previously hire for a wedding ceremony."

The cafe, which chose not to accept the $200 "donation", asked for $500 instead – their usual weekend rate for hiring the venue.

They also explained that they are now working with the building's leasing manager, as the bridal party's photographer did not get permission to shoot in the building either.

The business owners implored others to "please be considerate and consider booking us for a private event" rather than "showing up and taking control of our small business with no notice or any sort of monetary rearrangement".

While Mansion Society has sent invoices for the day's events in hopes of leaving "the situation in the past", the bride has allegedly not responded beyond labelling the cafe's request for payment as "unreasonable".

As such, the community has rallied around the cafe, setting up a GoFundMe to help cover the cost that the bride and groom allegedly refuse to pay.

Those behind the fundraiser said the target amount they're hoping to raise would cover 30 guests' lattes ($240), 20 "missed patrons' lattes" ($160), a $100 tip and an additional $250 charge for being a "burden" on the business.

"The purpose of this fundraiser is to show that our community loves and supports this Latina lady-owned business," the GoFundMe statement read. "We don't want the rudeness and inconsiderate behaviours of this wedding couple to stop or slow down their business."

Feature Image: Instagram @mansionsocietyindy.

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