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Washington Bureau Chief
Bridgerton superfans in Detroit were disappointed after a Bridgerton Ball event turned out much different than expected.
After the event was canceled in August and rescheduled for 22 September, many were excited to dress up in Regency garb and take a turn around the ballroom like their favorite characters. Held at the historic Harmonie Club, dozens showed up ready to immerse themselves in the world of the Julia Quinn adaptation but were met with anything but a fantasy.
People stood in line out in the rain only to enter an overcrowded first floor, greeted with barebones, Party City-esque decor, a sight far from their Regency dreams. From raw, undercooked food to a lone violin player, not to mention that the event seemingly hired an exotic dancer for the festivities, fans were outraged – especially after they had spent $150 per ticket and even more on their costumes.
“I mean all of these dresses that you see on these beautiful women, we’ve all been getting them tailored to fit us. So we spent extra money on costumes, all of this beautiful beading, getting our hair done, our nails done for this to be the way that it is,” Amanda Sue Mathis told NBC News. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Ayrton Hamrick told the outlet that he’d bought the “Duke and Duchess” package to celebrate his girlfriend for her birthday. Costing $250, the package was advertised to include a professional dance card as well as professional photo, valet service, dinner, music, and entertainment. However, the couple reportedly got hardly any of the amenities they paid for.
“We were told there would be valet service and we had to end up self-parking and paying for parking,” Hamrick said.
But he wasn’t the only one who felt as though they’d been grifted, with Mathis noting that the event’s itinerary was far different than what actually transpired at the event.
“The way that it was described was this was going to be a Bridgerton evening. We were gonna have classical music, good dinner. There was gonna be a play and they were gonna pick Diamond of the season. They were gonna give away all of these prizes and we went in and it was completely empty in there,” Mathis continued. “There is nothing going on. They have a pole in the middle of the dance floor. A stripper pole in the middle of the dance floor.”
The situation with the exotic dancer was just one of many moments of the evening that diverged from an advertised itinerary released by the event’s organizer, Uncle & Me LLC. The company has since disabled comments on its social media posts about the event, but that hasn’t stopped some users from taking to social media to brand the whole affair a scam.
One person alleged on X that the company hadn’t refunded her for the first cancellation.
“NEVER go to an event that’s being run by Uncle & Me LLC. Disorganized, dishonest, and will take your money guilt-free,” artist Rachel Eaton wrote, adding she later found out via TikTok that the cancellation occurred because the company couldn’t pay the first venue in full. Although she ultimately didn’t go to the rescheduled event, but saw the aftermath unfold online, she wrote: “Really hope this ends in a lawsuit because I want my $300 back.”
People in her comments section were shocked.
“THE STRIPPER THO??? AT A THING THEMED AROUND A SHOW SET IN THE 1700s????” one person wrote, another added: “The lone stripper dancing to a single violinist is sad yet hilarious.”
“Oh, this p***es me off so badly for all of you,” someone else commented. “Especially as someone who regularly attends Georgian and Regency balls. These kinds of events CAN be done! And for MUCH less than $300/person. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ticket even HALF of that. Y’all were cheated horribly.”
Others noted that the Bridgerton Ball reminded them of the ill-fated Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience.
“Oh my god no they Wonka experience’d Bridgerton too,” one user wrote, while someone else dubbed it “the new Wonka experience.”
The owners of the Harmonie Club have since released a statement addressing the uproar over the event.
“We would like to clarify; The historic Harmonie Club is a new venue and events center located in Paradise Valley in downtown Detroit,” the owners wrote. “The Harmonie Club can be rented by all for private or public events. We are in no way affiliated with the promoters and/or organizations that rent our venue for events such as the Bridgerton Ball. While we offer support for all events i.e., providing a proper back-of-house facilities and management team; The planning, programming, and execution of the actual events are handled by the venue lessees, promoters, and their teams.”
Recently, Uncle & Me LLC. shared their own statement claiming “full responsibility and accountability” for the debacle.
“We understand that not everyone had the experience they hoped for at our most recent event Sunday night at The Harmonie Club, and for that, we sincerely apologize,” the statement read. “Our intention was to provide a magical evening, but we recognize that organizational challenges affected the enjoyment of some guests. We take full responsibility and accountability for these shortcomings.”
As for whether or not attendees and ticketbuyers would get their money back, they only had vague answers.
“We are reviewing resolution options, which will be communicated shortly. Your understanding and loyalty mean the world to us, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to make this right.”
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