INDIANAPOLIS — Ana Lezama said New Year's Eve started out like any normal day at Mansion Society on the near west side of Indianapolis, but in a matter of minutes, she noticed a huge crowd.
"We did notice they were really dressed up, like for a wedding," Lezama said.
But what she didn't realize was they were there waiting for a wedding to start in her coffee shop.
"We were behind the bar trying to peek over here, and we were like, 'Wait, are they talking? Are they getting married?'" Lezama said.
The wedding took place in the back corner of the shop, located at 202 Steeples Blvd., near West Washington Street and North Tibbs Avenue.
"When she came in, she was holding her flowers ready, like it was an aisle, and she came up to her groom, and the officiant said, 'We are gathered here today,' so the ceremony began," Lezama said.
Lezama told 13News the bride did this without permission. However, the bride reached out to the leasing manager about having a wedding next door earlier. When the manager tried to meet up with the documents, that's when the wedding started.
When the party left, Lezama posted about it on social media. The most asked question by commenters: "Why didn't the coffee shop kick them out?"
"We didn't want to push them out and maybe have them record us and flip the table saying we didn't accommodate them when we should have," Lezama said.
When the leasing manager reached out to the bride, the bride admitted it got out of hand and offered a $200 donation. The Mansion Society didn't take that, but instead requested a $500 invoice.
"That's when they sent her our original message that was posted on our social media, and she said that was unreasonable," Lezama said.
So far, the bride hasn't paid the invoice. While Lezama hopes this all gets resolved, she said it won't stop her team's hard work at the coffee shop.