A “wedding” at Disneyland Paris turned into a disturbing spectacle when guests realized the “bride” was a 9-year-old girl, and the “groom” was a 22-year-old man from the UK.
The British man and three others were arrested after staff at the amusement park realized the bride appeared alarmingly young.
The “groom” later claimed to authorities that the ceremony with about 100 invited guests was staged.
Highlights
- Disneyland Paris raised the alarm when they realized a wedding at the park, with 100 guests, involved a 9-year-old bride.
- The 22-year-old groom, the child's mother, and two others were arrested.
- “I saw a little girl dressed in white,” a witness said. “...I realized when I saw the child. It was atrocious.”
“Mental illnesses at its greatest,” one commented on the incident.
Witnesses attending a wedding at Disneyland Paris were alarmed to see that the “bride” was just a child
Image credits: Kurt Sunkel/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
It was reported that the “groom” had hired the theme park complex outside Paris for what was believed to be a real private wedding.
For a total of 130,000 euros ($150,000), the arrested man had booked the park's complex several weeks before, and the ceremony was scheduled to take place in the early hours of Saturday, June 21, outside the opening hours for the public.
Image credits: Stanislav/stock.adobe.com (Not the actual photo)
About 100 people, believed to be guests, had gathered at the ceremony that was set against the backdrop of the park’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
It was later found that these guests were possibly paid actors, hired to participate in the stunt.
Witnesses saw the bride struggling in her heels and being picked up by a lady
Image credits: Bhumil Chheda/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Witnesses said they couldn’t believe the age of the bride who was carried in her mother's arms.
“We all thought we were going to attend a wedding. Everyone was stunned, no one expected it,” one witness told Le Parisien.
“I saw a little girl dressed in white. I saw her hair prepared with curls and a lady picking her up in her arms,” said one of the extras, Yeleen, who attended the event with her own daughter.
“At that moment, I was shocked. I realized when I saw the child. It was atrocious,” she added.
Image credits: angy vanegas/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Netizes, too, expressed disbelief at the thought of a 9-year-old child being involved.
“Disgusting,” one called it, while another commented, “I’m guessing the bride picked the venue.”
“What is wrong with people anymore,” wrote another.
“Can we send them over a wood chipper to administer the punishment?” one asked.
The police arrested four people, including the British “groom” and the child's Ukrainian mother
Image credits: HJBC/stock.adobe.com (Not the actual photo)
The park’s staff were baffled to see the “bride” wearing a wedding dress and struggling to stand in her heels.
They eventually alerted authorities about the bride possibly being a child.
“A private event booked at our destination was immediately cancelled by our staff after irregularities were identified. Police were called and arrived quickly,” Disneyland Paris told France Inter radio.
Witnesses said the park put an end to the ceremony when they realized the “bride” was a child.
“Disneyland did things very well,” one told local media. “They canceled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were sh*cked to see that.”
Authorities arrested four people, including the 22-year-old groom, the child’s Ukrainian mother, aged 41, and two Latvian nationals, ages 24 and 55.
The mother and the 55-year-old Latvian were eventually released, while the other two were kept in custody over potential financial fraud and money laundering, the prosecutor’s office revealed.
Investigators were told that the wedding was staged and that the guests were paid actors
Image credits: Toni Pomar/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
The event organizers told investigators that the wedding was staged and that the “guests” were all hired actors, who were brought to the park for the fake ceremony and not told too many details about it.
The extras said they had been driven in buses from central Paris to the venue at around 5 a.m.
They were provided pink bracelets with “bride and groom” printed on them.
Image credits: AS Photo Family/stock.adobe.com (Not the actual photo)
“It wasn’t a wedding but a staged wedding that was to be filmed with a hundred extras. They privatised Disneyland, claiming that it was a real marriage,” said Alexandre Verney, assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne département.
When questioned by investigators, the mother reportedly claimed she allegedly turned the child into the fake bride so she could feel like a Disney “princess” for the day.
A medical examination revealed that the 9-year-old girl had not suffered any harm.
“This is sick beyond comprehension,” one commented online
