Couple Says Dream Wedding Became a Disaster

Emily and Andrew Pidgeon thought they were going to have the wedding of their dreams aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Sensation, but they say it turned into a complete disaster. INSIDE EDITION has the story.

"It certainly was not the wedding that I dreamed of..." says Emily Pidgeon.

It was supposed to be their dream wedding, onboard a luxury cruise ship. But Emily and Andrew Pidgeon say their big day was a total disaster  

"I was frustrated. I was shocked, completely annoyed," Emily tells INSIDE EDITION.

Emily spent months planning her wedding, and the couple's family and friends traveled from all over the United States to attend.

The guests were supposed to board the cruise ship, the Carnival Sensation, at 1:30 p.m. on the day of the wedding, but a bomb threat delayed boarding and they had to wait until 4:30 p.m., three hours late!

When they finally got on board, the Pidgeons say they were told they and their guests had no time to eat the brunch buffet that they had paid for. To make matters worse, other cruise ship passengers started wandering into their private reception.

"They came in, they saw our buffet line, and they immediately started making plates of food!" says Emily.

Due to the late start, they say cruise ship personnel told them they had to rush through their vows and they had only six minutes to complete the ceremony.   

"It was 'I do,' 'I do,' we kissed, and then we were quickly escorted out," Emily says.

With no time to spare, they were ushered into another room to cut the cake. But their guests were never even allowed to eat the cake because they were told there was no time.

The Pidgeons say the final insult came when Emily's sister, the maid of honor, stood up to make the toast. She was rudely interrupted by the public address system summoning the passengers to a safety briefing.

She never did get to finish that toast and the wedding guests were told they had a half hour to leave the ship before it left port.  

"They were very quickly escorted off the ship. We didn't even get to say goodbye to people who had flown in especially for the wedding," Emily tells INSIDE EDITION.

In a statement to INSIDE EDITION, Carnival Cruise Lines offered their "sincere apologies" to the couple, blaming the bomb scare for the rushed wedding, saying:

"The duration of the Pidgeons' wedding ceremony and reception had to be adjusted. We recognize the disappointment the shortened time frame caused them."

The cruise line agreed to refund the entire cost of the wedding, $2,500.

But for Emily and Andrew, it's a small consolation for a ruined wedding day they can never get back.