Alex Buscemi
A springtime wedding in a botanical garden sounds like a nature lover‘s dream come true, with colorful plants blossoming alongside the romance between bride and groom.
This couple, however, saw their dream botanical garden wedding turn into a netted nightmare.
On June 6, TikTok user Mhope revealed her wedding venue horror in an eight-and-a-half-minute video, which received over 750,000 views at time of publishing.
TikTok user Mhope had a gorgeous botanical garden wedding planned, but when she arrived for the rehearsal dinner, the plants were covered in ugly white netting
The scene was set on Memorial Day weekend, but during the rehearsal dinner, the bride found herself in disbelief. The plants in the garden were masked under unsightly white nets.
Walking into the venue with her entourage, she was struck by the absurdity of the netting. “Underneath the gazebos, there are a bunch of plants covered in white netting,” she says in the video.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks as she noticed the netting extended to other parts of the garden.
As she toured the venue, her favorite part, the cocktail hour spot, was also tarnished by the omnipresent netting.
“We’re walking around, showing people the venue space. We go to cocktail hour, which was my favorite part of this venue, honestly. Like, unreal. Except the giant trees in the middle also have said white netting over them.”
The plot thickened when she discovered that her original planner, with whom she’d been coordinating for a year, had left two months prior, and the new coordinator was a novice. After the rehearsal dinner, Mhope contacted her new coordinator, only to be told the nets were there to stay.
“It’s to protect the plants as they readjust to their new home,” she was told.
Her father saved the day by buying a bunch of trees to cover up the unsightly nets
@mhopee Wedding venue story time!!!!! #fyp #weddingtiktok #weddingstory #wtf #wtfmoments #whatwouldyoudo #2024bride #weddingvenue
Determined to salvage her dream, Mhope’s father took matters into his own hands. He rented a U-Haul and bought trees from Home Depot to obscure the unsightly nets.
“He bought a bunch of trees to block this netting because I’m devastated,” she said.
Yet, the challenges didn’t stop there. On her wedding day, a 20% chance of rain pushed the ceremony indoors, much to her chagrin.
“I arrive at 4:30, ceremony is not till 6, they’re setting up the ceremony inside,” she says. “The rain space is 20% chance of rain. Like, when was this decision made? And why didn’t you tell me about it?”
Despite the setbacks, the day ended on a beautiful note, albeit not as Mhope had dreamed. “It wasn’t what I had dreamed of because it’s a very short aisle space.” But she conceded, “I will say the day ended up being beautiful.”
Netizens sympathized with her wedding day plight and even encouraged her to sue the venue
@mhopee Catfished by my venue with no apology… story time is on my profile LOL #fyp #weddingfail #weddingtiktok #2024bride #wtf #whatwouldyoudo #catfish #thisiswhatiwanted #thisiswhatigot #storytime
The TikTok community rallied behind her, with many urging her to seek legal action.
“People get married at a botanical garden FOR THE PLANTS,” one user pointed out. Others expressed outrage at the venue’s breach of contract and suggested she deserved a refund.
@mhopee Wedding storytime follow up #fyp #weddinghorrorstory #weddingday #wtf #bride #2024bride #whatdoyouthink #venue #photography #tiktokstory #weddingstory
Mhope’s viral videos did more than just vent her frustration; they served as a cautionary tale for future brides. One bride-to-be who booked the same venue commented, “Big thank you to you, our coordinator just let us know these covers will not be there for any 2025 weddings.”
Choosing to focus on her new life, Mhope decided against legal action.
“I don’t wanna have negative energy. I don’t wanna use the time, money, and just negative energy associated with, like, a lawsuit or anything like that,” she says.
Instead, she left reviews to warn others and embraced her newlywed bliss.
@mhopee Replying to @hnicholsillustration MISSION DAMN ACCOMPLISHED #fyp #wedding #weddingtiktok #2024bride #botanicgarden #bride #weddingvenue #storytime #weddinghorrorstory #socialmedia #weddingcoordinator
“I’d demand a full refund” — the internet reacts to her viral wedding story
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