Well-wishers have rallied around a Fife bride-to-be who was left in tears after her venue criticised her on social media.
Balgonie Castle, which was the first venue to receive a civil licence in Fife, had threatened to stop doing weddings altogether after a dispute with bride-to-be Henia Roy over a meal payment escalated on social media.
The uproar started after Miss Roy, 51, queried being asked to pay for her meal three months before her wedding day on the Blushing Brides wedding forum, without naming the venue.
However, Kelly Morris of Balgonie, who helps to co-ordinate weddings at the medieval castle, replied to some of the comments in no uncertain terms, saying she was “sick to death” of “Bridezillas”, and divulged terms of Miss Roy’s wedding contract many people would consider to be private sparking an online backlash from many brides and brides-to-be who have called for a boycott of the castle.
“I haven’t slept at all, I’ve been in tears, I just don’t know what’s going on,” Miss Roy, who lives in Glenrothes, said.
“It’s just over 22 weeks until the wedding, I was counting down to it.
“I just feel sorry for the owner, he’s a nice man.”
Thousands of people have now seen the Facebook exchanges which have gone viral, and it is understood police have also been notified about the nature of some of the comments posted.
Ms Morris of Balgonie claimed a “hate campaign” had been waged against the venue on Facebook in recent days, although a number of brides took to social media to describe the castle’s handling of the situation as “unprofessional”.
Lauren Hammond, a fellow bride on the Blushing Brides Scotland Group, felt she had to take action after seeing what happened and has seen her post about the situation repeatedly shared.
“I can only hope that this never happens to another bride,” she said.
“It’s not fair for any wedding supplier to talk to any bride like that especially when it involved private details such as contract prices, etc.
“Don’t get me wrong I’m sure suppliers do have to deal with difficult brides at times!
“However, the question which started this was a completely innocent query with no mention of Balgonie.
“This is about the entire bridal community coming together to rebel against an injustice.
“I know a few people have said that I ruined a business and all the rest.
“However, I feel no guilt for this as I didn’t do this by myself!
“The whole bridal community has come together to rebel against an injustice and I would never feel bad about that.”
The overwhelming online response to the situation resulted in a post on the Balgonie Castle Facebook page which suggested “Bridezillas” had prompted owners to contact their lawyers to discuss the possibility of stopping weddings at the 700-plus-year-old site, but that post has since been deleted.
A statement on Balgonie Castle’s website said: “We are sorry to learn of a recent campaign on social media targeting our business and disappointed that this has happened.
“We understand that planning a wedding is a stress full time and full of hopes and dreams.
“We invest time with each client and go through the information pack which is given and discussed with the couple.
“The terms and conditions are set out clearly along with our tariffs.
“In line with the wedding industry.
“We ask for payment in the form of a deposit to secure the venue and reserve the slot for that couple.
“We ask for the balance to paid in full before the big day to ensure there is no complications and to ensure that there is no surprises after the big day.
“The meal tariff does not include child prices as the tariff is highly competitive compared to other venues.”
However, Ms Morris confirmed that the castle will not be taking any future meal bookings and would recommend outside caterers to any prospective guests, although it will honour all weddings with meals currently booked.
In response to being branded “unprofessional” in dealings on social media, Ms Morris told The Courier: “I regret this has happened.
“I was not aware of any issues this bride had until I seen the brides comment on the wedding blog.
“I had been emailing this bride back and forth for four weeks and nothing was ever mentioned in the emails that they needed change the terms and conditions on the final payment.
“Nor was a children priced menu offered because they had a set menu.
“The only concern I was aware of from this bride was her inability to contact our chef.
“I found out our chef’s phone had been broken and was unable to answer emails.”