News

Waltham Forest bride complains after town hall wedding ruined by concert

25 October, 2021 12:00 am
2 Min Read

Waltham Forest Council was told to give her a £150 apology
By Local Democracy Reporter Josh Mellor

The bride paid £900 and believed she had booked the town hall exclusively (credit: Stocksnap/Pixabay)
The bride paid £900 and believed she had booked the town hall exclusively (credit: Stocksnap/Pixabay)

A distressed bride who says her wedding at Waltham Forest Town Hall was ruined by a concert outside has received a £150 apology.

Waltham Forest Council was told to pay her the sum by the Local Government Ombudsman, who ruled she should have been warned of the event.

According to the ombudsman’s anonymised report, the bride spent £900 and believed she had booked the “breathtaking” venue exclusively in early 2019.

However, when she arrived she found a musician playing to an audience settled on camping chairs, who refused to pause or turn down their music.

The wedding party closed the windows to try and drown out the sound and after the ceremony were unable to take photographs on the steps outside because of the noisy show.

After receiving her first complaint, the council apologised for “the unfortunate interruptions”, saying “this was not envisaged”.

Despite its apology and promise to change its promotional materials to warn about outdoor events, the bride escalated her complaint to the ombudsman.

The ombudsman ruled that she should have been told about the public event, as she had booked seven months in advance.

In its report, published online, it said: “Because it did not do so, Mrs X lost the opportunity to change either the timing, the date or the venue for her ceremony.

“Mrs X’s wedding went ahead, however Mrs X was distressed and frustrated by the noise and disruption caused by the outside event.”

Waltham Forest Council spokesperson said it has apologised for any distress caused to the complainant during their wedding.

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