A Chicago bride felt “humiliated” after spending more than $12,000 on catering for her wedding, only to have her guests left eating takeout from Pizza Hut at the end of the night.
Lauren Franken, 36, claims her wedding cake was made with Pillsbury cake mix and that most of the “cold” and “raw” food was served an hour late.
The bride, who was married in June at The Chelsea Sun Inn in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, not only paid $500 for the cake, but also for dinner, an open bar, a sushi bar and late-night pizza.
But unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, leaving most of their guests eating Pizza Hut or Chinese takeout when the wedding was said and done.
Things got so bad, Franken claimed, that some of his guests even had to step in to get the kitchen running.
Lauren Franken, 36, claims her wedding cake was made with Pillsbury cake mix and that most of the “cold” and “raw” food was served an hour late.
The Chicago bride felt “humiliated” after spending more than $12,000 on catering for her wedding, only to have her guests left eating takeaway from Pizza Hut at the end of the night.
“They arrived at 3:30 p.m. and the wedding was at 5 p.m.,” Franken said.
‘I was surprised they weren’t there, preparing food, baking a cake or something. Thank God I had the guests I had and they were able to achieve everything.’
He admitted that the caterers had “ruined the whole day on their own” and only served enough food for 40 people, which was served an hour late.
“Food is an important part of a wedding,” he said. “One of my guests, who flew across the country to be there, had to cook at my wedding.”
The bride had initially contacted the caterer in November 2023 and hoped everything would be ready in time for her big day.
He wanted an “elegant” and “naked” three-tier cake, and showed the caterers many photographs of examples he admired.
The couple had decided on a cake with limoncello, cannoli and tiramisu flavors, but said the cake tasted like vanilla and “store-bought buttercream.”
Franken claimed they only arrived an hour before the wedding and started making the cake at 9:30 p.m., an hour after it was due to be cut.
Things didn’t go as planned, leaving most of their guests eating Pizza Hut or Chinese takeout when the wedding was said and done.
He wanted an “elegant” and “naked” three-tier cake, and showed the caterer many photographs of examples he admired.
Franken claimed they only arrived an hour before the wedding and started making the cake at 9:30 p.m., an hour after it was due to be cut.
‘She used boxed frosting and cake mix…. We saw it in the trash. I saw the frosting and someone else saw the cake mix. It was humiliating,” the 36-year-old said.
“At the time I was so surprised by everything that I wasn’t surprised that they used store-bought stuff, she obviously wasn’t going to start making buttercream at 9:30 pm.”
She said they immediately frosted the cake as well, which let the frosting completely melt.
Furthermore, Franken had asked for flowers, which were not added; in fact, a guest had to put some for the couple.
“He had a big impact that day,” Franken said.
‘I couldn’t relax and enjoy my night. I was worried that the guests wouldn’t eat, that people like my grandmother would be in 100 degree weather with no water.’
However, in the end he admitted that the experience brought all the guests together in a strange way.
“At first people were surprised and I think they felt bad, but at the end of the night it became kind of cool that we had such great family and friends who were willing to support us and take a role,” he said.
Since the wedding, Franken has shared a photo of the cake on social media, showing what she wanted versus what she got.
‘It was really good to see that we have such a good support system. “I think everyone felt bad for us at the end of the night,” the bride said.
“They were there to enjoy a wedding and suddenly they were cooking, waiting tables, washing dishes and taking out the trash,” he continued.
‘It was really good to see that we have such a good support system. “I think everyone felt bad for us at the end of the night.”
Since the wedding, Franken has shared a photo of the cake on social media, showing what she wanted versus what she got.
The post received more than 450 comments, agreeing with Franken that the cake was simply horrible.
Franken said the caterers blocked her on social media and she has since attempted to take legal action against them, but was unable to contact them.
The caterer was contacted for comment but did not respond.
