Bride Siara Zee Elovich Williams and her now husband Kevin Williams set out to host a “completely vegan” wedding. The lawsuit states the venue choice near Mears Park in downtown St. Paul was “absolutely contingent” on serving a “delicious” vegan dinner to wedding guests.
The couple told Mintahoe and A’Bulae “that they did not want their wedding guests to know they were eating an entirely plant-based meal.”
They wanted this surprise to be revealed to guests with signs put out by the servers at the end of the night. However, the couple claims servers told their guests they couldn’t have soy sauce or creamer for their coffee because those options weren't vegan, and the bride had mandated a vegan wedding.
The court documents state problems came up before the wedding day.
Once the couple began setting up tasting events with Mintahoe’s chef, they noticed inconsistencies in their meal. They worked closely with a particular Mintahoe chef, however, this chef was no longer employed with the company on their wedding date. The lawsuit alleges the couple found out “accidentally” days before their wedding.
Other contract disputes involved the cost of the menu for the wedding, which was mostly Thai food.
The lawsuit states, “The food and service at the wedding was horrific,” going as far as calling the meal a “disaster.”
The tofu that was supposed to be crispy was raw, the suit alleges. The curry was unidentifiable as such, and instead was just a bowl of vegetables, which were missing bamboo shoots as instructed and had exorbitant amounts of carrots.
The lawsuit states the noodles, a different kind than initially agreed upon, were “extremely overcooked (mush)” and the dish was missing bean sprouts.
“The sauce was horrific, as it was sickeningly sweet,” the lawsuit states, and it was not peanut sauce as expected. Peanuts placed on the table were not chopped.
Flatbread pizza served late at night was described as “simply nasty and inedible.”
The groom went to the kitchen during the meal, and the lawsuit claims a wedding coordinator admitted the meal did not turned out as planned.
The lawsuit does not stop at the meal, though. The couple is alleging “horrendous” service. The listed complaints include: the father of the bride being told to get his own water at the bar; the grandfather of the bride had his cake taken away and not packaged as requested; and several others complained they never got cake.
The vegan cake was ordered from an off-site vendor, and the lawsuit alleges the pastry chef took the leftovers home instead of the wedding party receiving them.
A guest with celiac disease ate a seitan skewer that she believed was gluten-free, and it was not, according to the suit. The guest was “very ill” as a result. Another guest was allowed to bring in chicken fingers with permission from a wedding vender without consulting the couple.
The open bar was described as “disastrous.”
Via the lawsuit, the couple also expresses disappointment that the temperature of the groom’s room before the wedding was “extremely hot and stifling,” and the wedding party did not receive half the beer that was paid for.
The couple and mother-of-the-bride are seeking $21,721 for each of the seven counts of breach of contract, totaling $152,047. The last count seeks damages in an amount which would be determined at trial.
None of the vendors had returned requests for comment.