Believe it or not, many lawsuits have stemmed from weddings, from a groom suing his partner for leaving him at the altar to a bride demanding due compensation for a wedding gown mishap. After all, one's wedding is (typically) a once-in-a-lifetime event, which means it should be no less than perfect.
In this blog post, we'll talk about a wedding where the bride and her family sued not one but two entities: the venue and the wedding planner. The plaintiffs are also asking for five million dollars to compensate for the "ruined" wedding.
Here's what went down.
Rich parents wanted the best for their daughter's big day
On September 18, 2021, the Brooklyn Pier 1 Hotel was transformed into a luxurious wedding venue for Jessica Newman and Matt Alovis. The couple was supposed to celebrate their nuptials in style surrounded by 200 of their closest friends and family. This extravaganza came at an exorbitant price tag that Jessica's rich realtor parents, Marjorie and Russell Newman, covered. The floral arrangements alone cost them $150,000, so it's clear that the Newmans were not just emotionally but also financially invested in this wedding.
Little did the Newmans know that their daughter's wedding would take a different turn because of a noise restriction passed by the neighboring residential condos three weeks prior to the event.
Neither the hotel nor the wedding planner informed anyone in attendance of the said rule, and the bride's father expressed his disappointment about this oversight. He claimed that the organizers had never told them what the music in the venue would sound like and that they have never been offered a chance to relocate.
A wedding that ended not with a bang, but with a whimper
According to the lawsuit filed at the Brooklyn Supreme Court, the newlyweds only learned about the noise restriction when the reception began. The case also cited that the couple's first dance was ruined because the DJ refused to amplify songs beyond a “woefully low” decibel that guests could barely hear.
In order for the wedding to go on with music at audible levels, the bride’s family decided to change venues. In a little less than an hour, the wedding party found themselves cramped into a tiny afterparty room on the second floor of a nearby building. This room had seating for only around 23 people and space that could fit no more than 60.
The father of the bride said that the hotel did nothing to assist them with relocating the guests. Meanwhile, the mother of the bride lamented there was not an inch of space to sit on, and even worse, no flowers in sight. To add to these depressing conditions, most guests were confused by the unexpected turn of events and left early.
Jessica's wedding tragically concluded without a bouquet toss — an unforgettable blow to the blushing bride.
A series of inconveniences costing $5 million
Jessica was crushed when her once-in-a-lifetime celebration went awry. According to her father, the bride was already in hysterics just 30 minutes into the event. She is also unable to look at her wedding pictures without feeling distraught. She had apparently spent countless hours planning for the wedding over the past year just for it to end in disaster.
Thus, the family is filing a lawsuit to the tune of $5 million for turning the bride's beautiful dream into a nightmare. The case cited the deceitful nondisclosure of sound restrictions and a breach of contract as grounds, and included claims of emotional distress caused by these events.
Is the wedding party right to sue the venue over noise restrictions?
It's unfortunate when things don't go as planned for a wedding, especially when the bride and her family spent so much money on it. In this case, the Newmans are suing the hotel and wedding planner because of all the inconvenience and emotional distress caused by the undisclosed noise restriction. It will be up to the court to decide who is in the right, but hopefully, the case can come to a resolution quickly so that the new Mrs. Matt Alovis can move on from the traumatizing experience.
It's never an easy decision to push through with a lawsuit, but if you ever have to file one because of a wedding fiasco, then consulting with Buckingham, LaGrandeur, and Williams could be invaluable. Our firm specializes in family law, and we have extensive knowledge of legal matters such as divorce proceedings, spousal support claims, prenuptial agreements, and more. We’re just one message away if you need us.