A bride-to-be’s dream engagement party descended into chaos when thieves reportedly made off with the decorations for the celebration.
Danielle Mason, 41, and her fiancé Lee Dopson, 44, who got engaged in May after a whirlwind romance, faced unexpected drama on the day of the bash. Lee had romantically proposed on a private boat, leaving the social media sensation completely smitten.
However, Danielle, a former model and TV personality, encountered a nightmare scenario just as they were set to commemorate their engagement with loved ones. They had arranged the bash at the “amazing” Hilton hotel in Wokingham. Despite being offered the hotel’s event services, Danielle had other plans.
Danielle, who is the sister of Eastenders‘ star, Jessie Wallace, said: “Another company had reached out to me and said they really wanted to do it, and would offer me a good price. They organised the dancefloor, all the blue arches and some table decor and other backdrops.
“They called me at 9am on the morning of the engagement party, and said that the van had been nicked with all the stuff inside, and basically let me get on with organising it with two hours to spare.
“Luckily, my friends rallied around and found three amazing companies who got everything organised for me in the space of two hours, so I managed to replace everything within two hours for something that it took me two months to organise.”
In a stroke of luck, Danielle’s friends came to the rescue, finding three companies that managed to pull everything together in just two hours – something that originally took two months to plan. Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Danielle revealed that the company assured her of a refund.
However, she confessed that the sudden predicament “threw a spanner massively in the works”. She shared how her friends were under immense stress as they had to step in to help organise the event.
Despite having booked performers and celebrity acts, the day turned out to be quite chaotic. Nevertheless, they managed to pull it off, but she admitted that the experience has deterred her from getting married in the UK.
“As much as we did end up having a good night, I would never want the stress of it again, so my partner and I decided we would go away on our own and get married in private,” she added. “I think it shows people that really do care for you were the ones that turned up.
“It was a great night, but the stress I wouldn’t go through again, as it should be a really happy experience leading up to the event.”
The original suppliers say they’re a small family business who take their work “extremely seriously”. A spokesman for the company stated they’ve “never let anyone down and consistently deliver a great service”.
He said: “This event would have been the same if the van hadn’t been stolen. Having a van full of equipment stolen is devastating for a business like ours – especially in the lead up to a busy Christmas season.”
The van was reportedly stolen early on a Saturday morning after it had been loaded for three events scheduled for that day. The incident was promptly reported to the police, and the team swiftly brainstormed solutions for the three events.
The company claims to have found a Surrey-based firm that could supply the key items they were providing for Danielle. They said they informed her about the situation, and the alternative arrangements they had made.
Additionally, they say they arranged the booking and immediately refunded her entire fee so she could pay the new supplier. However, she chose not to proceed with them, and found her own alternative.
The events company acknowledges and accepts that Danielle was distressed by the situation, and expressed their sincere apologies.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary added: “We received a report that a white Ford Transit van was stolen from Speedfields Park, Fareham, on 7 November. Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference 44240488446.”
