Up next
Was The Comedian Married? |…
A bride and groom have lashed out at an iconic theme park and accused them of ruining their dream wedding after a series of mishaps on their big day.
Rebecca Stone and Richard Johnson chose Sydney‘s Luna Park as the venue to exchange their vows and promise the rest of their lives together on April 22.
The couple claim their magical day was completely ruined following a string of setbacks with the pair accusing the theme park of ‘inhumane treatment’.
Cancellation threats by staff and incorrect food portions were among the chief complaints as well as claims the employees had called police to the site.
The couple’s complaints has sparked a war of words with Luna Park disputing the claims made by the disgruntled couple.
Rebecca Stone and Richard Johnson (pictured on their big day with a elderly relative) chose Sydney’s Luna Park as the venue when the couple exchanged vows on April 22
The newlyweds now urge other bride and grooms to-be considering Luna Park to think twice before booking their special day at the popular harbourside destination after a day they’ll never forget but for the wrong reasons
Ms Stone erupted into a heated tirade on Facebook several days after the wedding.
She claimed the nightmare began on the eve of the big day when the venue ‘threatened’ to cancel the wedding.
‘Luna Park made multiple threats to cancel our wedding the day before while waiting for the final $1700 payment to clear, despite having the receipt showing that the payment had been paid,’ she wrote.
‘I was told if it was not clear by 5pm, then my wedding would be cancelled due to bank transfer delay issues. I did not need this stress 24 hours before my wedding.’
Ms Stone claimed the threat of cancellation was only the tip of the iceberg with much worse to come on the day.
Ms Stone said the bridal party was waiting at the hotel for transport to the venue on the day of the wedding when the next series of problems began.
She said she was inundated with calls from the DJ and balloon decorator who claimed they were unable to access the venue.
‘The balloon decorator was not allowed into the room to set up her arrangement and was treated very poorly and copped nothing but attitude by the staff at Luna Park,’ Ms Stone said.
When Ms Stone arrived at Luna Park, the wedding party were confronted by angry guests left to stand outside in the pouring rain, including her 90-year-old grandmother, who uses a mobility frame.
‘Definitely not appropriate when they could have easily been allowed into our function room due to the poor weather conditions,’ Ms Stone fumed.
‘So inhumane, especially to our elderly guests.’
Rebecca Stone and Richard Johnson smiled for wedding photos but inside, they were fuming over a series of mishaps
She walked into the function room and was horrified after claiming she found it was not properly decorated.
‘We were confronted by a semi completed function room which was an embarrassment to myself as the bride, as I pride myself on my attention to detail which is always on par and 110% completed and beyond one’s expectations,’ she said.
Ms Stone claimed the run-sheet that detailed the proceedings was ignored by staff at the theme park.
‘I wanted photos on selected rides as part of my package that I paid for but that did not happen and at one ride my personalised bouquet was stolen,’ she said.
‘This was personalised photo charms of my relatives that are sadly no longer with us. Again a very bitter and upsetting moment.
‘The bridal party was supposed to be greeted with canapes and a drink (and) this did not happen at all. The services were so poor it felt we were treated like second class citizens.
‘We walked into a room where tables were not set out as instructed, again not enough seats for all the guests.’
The couple then claimed the portion sizes that were served during the ceremony were considerably smaller to the ones they had enjoyed during the food tasting.
‘The food, if you can call it that, was disgusting,’ Ms Stone said.
‘Not cooked thoroughly, chicken was raw both for the kids and the adults’ mains. The beef medallions literally seared 5 seconds each side and left floating in a pool of blood on the plate.
‘As quick as the meals and drinks were put down, we weren’t even allowed time to eat or drink and the staff would take them away.’
She claimed guests were forced to leave the venue so they could go out and buy snacks being sold at the theme park.
Ms Stone said the reception was shut down early at 8.30pm despite agreeing with staff that the celebration would be able to run until 11pm that night.
‘My maid of honour personally spoke to … the co-ordinator, and she advised her she has never been in this situation and would come back to me soon with what would happen next. How can you be in a role and not know what to do,’ she said.
‘Why was there no discussion to resolve any concerns as we did pay for the event to conclude at 11pm?
‘I bet if it was her wedding she would have been just as upset and saying I understand but doing nothing to assist does not fix anything.’
The rolling disasters came to a head when police were then called to the venue.
Ms Stone claimed the nightmare began on the eve of the wedding when the venue ‘threatened’ to cancel the wedding
Ms Stone and her partner said they want ‘reasonable compensation’ for the harrowing ordeal.
‘If we are not compensated I will be taking this further we need to be compensated this wedding did not go as planned and for all the guests that travelled from QLD, inner and outer NSW for them it was so unfair to be in attendance of something so poorly run on Luna Park’s behalf,’ she said.
‘Our experience was definitely heartbreaking and poor to say the least.
‘Hopefully Luna Park will do the right thing because they’ve already ruined what was supposed to be the most important day of mine and my new husband’s life.’
Luna Park hit back in a fiery response to dispute the bride’s claims and offer a much different version of events.
‘Following numerous incidents involving this wedding party, Luna Park Sydney can confirm that NSW Police were called and closed down the event,’ a spokesman said.
‘We firmly dispute the claims made and stand by our record of being a wedding venue of choice for nearly two decades.’
The newlyweds (pictured with a guest) are demanding compensation after their reception was shut down two-and-a hours before it was due to end at 11pm
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Luna Park for further comment.
Luna Park describes itself as one of Sydney’s most sought after wedding spaces offering unique and elegant venues with unrivalled vistas of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
‘Our team of experienced Wedding Event Managers will be with you every step of the way helping with all the details to create your memorable event in a magical location.’
There are five spaces for choose from where its Grand Ballroom has a capacity of up to 450 guests.
Packages start from $165 per head for a five hour cocktail package and up to $205 per person for the ‘signature’ reception.
