A FURIOUS attendee of a Bridgerton-themed ball has described how what was supposed to be a magical night turned into a disaster, with raw chicken, a stripper, and no bar.
Madison Bates, from Michigan, attended the Bridgerton Ball in Detroit on Sunday, September 22, with her mom and sister.
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Madison and her sister Brooklynne had bought the tickets as a surprise for their mom, as all three are huge fans of the Regency-era Netflix show.
The two siblings had attended an official Bridgerton-themed ball in Chicago two years ago where the gorgeous decorations and attention to detail blew them away.
“It felt like you were actually in the show,” Madison told The U.S. Sun.
Their mother loved the pictures of the Chicago ball and so, when they learned a similar-looking event was coming to Detroit, Madison and her sister knew they had to take her.
This event, which was not officially affiliated with the show and was instead put on by a third-party company, Uncle & Me LLC, promised attendees “an evening of sophistication, grace, and historical charm.”
On its website, which has since been taken down, it said there would be dancing, live music, dinner, and drinks.
When they revealed they had bought her a ticket on the day of the event, Madison said her mother “was so excited.”
The tickets weren’t cheap. Madison said: “I spent almost $400 on the tickets… but that doesn’t include my dress that I purchased, which was about $300.
“My sister, I think she paid $150 for her dress.”
In total, the night was costing them close to $1,000, but, if it was half as good as the Chicago ball, they thought it would be worth it.
But when they arrived at The Harmonie Club in Downtown Detroit, their hopes were quickly dashed, and she claims they were scammed.
The first warning sign was the long line of people still waiting outside in the rain to get in, more than half an hour after the event – which reportedly sold around 1,500 tickets – was due to have started at 6 pm.
When they finally got inside, Madison said that none of the staff were dressed in the theme appropriate to Bridgerton.
“They were all wearing black jeans and black polo shirts,” she said.
The decorations were horrible and everything looked so cheap and tacky
Madison Bates
Another red flag came as no one scanned their tickets.
“That was a little insulting,” Madison said, “because we spent all this money, almost $400 on these tickets, and they’re not even gonna check them. So that’s when I knew something was up.”
She added that there was a clear security risk as “anyone could have walked in.”
Inside the venue, Madison said: “The decorations were horrible and everything looked so cheap and tacky. There was nothing Bridgerton-themed.”
That “tacky” decor included a fake photo backdrop resembling a grass lawn and fake flowers.
“I feel like I could have thrown a better party in my house and just invited some friends over,” Madison said.
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The icing on the cake for Madison was the entertainment, which included a pole dancer, and a single violinist.
“I was there with my mom and my sister, we were not there for adult entertainment at all,” she fumed. “I thought that was really offensive.”
The food, Madison said, “looked disgusting,” with “raw and pink” chicken.
Only people who had paid for the “premium” tickets were able to sit down, which Madison said was painful for the many attendees wearing gowns and heels, and there wasn’t even a bar, as had been promised.
She took pictures and video on the night, showing a largely undecorated venue, a far cry from the promotional materials’ portrayal of opulent elegance.
BRIDGERTON BALL ORGANIZER’S STATEMENT
Chelsea Beard, a Detroit-based entrepreneur who put on the Bridgerton-themed event, said in a statement:
“We understand that not everyone had the experience they anticipated at our event on Sunday night at The Harmonie Club, and for that, we sincerely apologize. Our goal was to create a magical evening, but we recognize that organizational challenges and unforeseen changes, including a last-minute venue and date change, impacted the experience for some guests. Unfortunately, some nonrefundable deposits from the original bookings resulted in losses on our end, which added to the challenges. Nonetheless, we take full responsibility for these shortcomings.
Please know that we are working diligently to address all concerns and will be reaching out with further details shortly. Your feedback, both positive and constructive, is greatly appreciated. You can expect an email with next steps.
We want to extend a special thanks to those who attended. You all looked breathtaking, and we are excited to share the recap video and photos soon.
Your understanding and loyalty mean the world to us, and we are dedicated to making this right.
With love and gratitude,
Chelsea”
The event has since drawn comparisons to the infamous Willy Wonka experience held in Glasgow, Scotland, earlier this year.
That event, which promised a magical adventure themed around the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” franchise, went viral around the world after pictures and videos showed a sparsely decorated factory and a grumpy woman dressed as an Oompa Loompa.
Chelsea Beard, the organizer of the Detroit event, put out a statement on Thursday, September 26, apologizing for letting people down.
She blamed “unforeseen” issues, such as a “last-minute venue and date change,” for impacting on the “experience.”
Her post also shared a glossy video purportedly showing the Detroit Bridgerton Ball, with attendees dressed in elaborate costumes based on the show.
Madison says her mother was left “very disappointed” by the night.
“I would like a refund,” she said, adding that the company had told her “they weren’t going to give any refunds.”
She went on: “It was definitely a cash grab scam. It was horrible. It wasn’t as advertised. There was adult entertainment which I found very offensive. The food was disgusting and undercooked.”
Madison also accused the organizers of using “the Bridgerton name because they know that it’s very popular.”
She added: “They capitalized off of the demand for the experience and the popularity of the show just to take people’s money.
“And when you’re charging $150 a ticket, and some people paid $300 a ticket.
“When you pay that kind of money, you expect a certain standard, and that standard was not met”
The U.S. Sun has approached the organizers of the Detroit Bridgerton Ball for comment.
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