A bride and groom got married in a Cinderella like ceremony.
Stephanie and Nik Karamountzos said they never imagined what awaited them at the reception inside a grand ballroom at the Innisbrook resort in Florida. The newlyweds were eating dinner when it happened.
Both Stephanie and Nik said gasps from guests who could see what they could not warned them something was happening but they had no time to react. Seconds later a tall backdrop made up of aluminum poles, large lanterns and drapes crashed down on the wedding party.
The groom suffered a blow to the head. Paramedics took Nik to the emergency room where he said doctors confirmed a concussion.
The impact sent scattered glass flying into the eye of one of Stephanie's bridesmaids who they said also went to the ER.
Stephanie said one of the hanging lanterns nailed her sister in the face.
Nik and Stephanie returned to their reception two hours later to discover another disaster.
One of the guests took video that shows water shooting thru the lights flooding the men’s room. Soon after guests say the toilets stopped working in every restroom.
Records show the couple's parents shelled out $46,000 for the reception and another $20,000 to Conceptbait, the events company that hung those drapes.
Stephanie and Nik say Innisbrook offered to deduct $1,500 from the bar bill but Conceptbait did not offer to refund any of their money.
In January, the bride and groom filed a lawsuit against Innisbrook and Conceptbait for damages exceeding $15,000.
Tampa-based WFTS contacted Innisbrook and went to Conceptbait looking for answers. Innisbrook refused to comment. Conceptbait sent us this statement in an email:
“We have been in business for over 20 years. Our goal is to ensure that all of our clients’ expectations are met with the highest quality and professionalism. Unfortunately, due to the pending litigation, we are not allowed to comment on this case. Thank you for your understanding.”
WFTS showed veteran wedding planner Linda Boosinger pictures of the fallen rails, drapes and lanterns. She said it is rare for a wedding disaster to wind up in court.
When planning a wedding Boosinger suggested purchasing event insurance in the event of the unexpected. Also ask the company doing the staging about the safety of the set up and ask vendors about their back up plan.
