One Florida wedding venue is going viral on social media, and not for its beautiful aesthetic. After a bride tragically loses her fiancé, you won’t believe what teh venue’s response was about her anticipated wedding date.
According to News 6 Orlando,Tye Hinson and William Coney were set to marry in May 2026 at the Crystal Ballroom in Lake Mary,fla. The all-inclusive event space was chosen to host the couple’s extensive guest list. However,those wedding plans were shattered just before Thanksgiving when Coney unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack at the age of 42.
Hinson reached out to the venue immediately following the tragedy, but the conversation did not go as planned. “I called (the venue) two days after he passed away to make them aware,” Hinson told the outlet. “This wasn’t like a cancellation. This was a person dying.”
Hoping for an exception to her non-refundable contract to recover the $7,600 deposit she had paid, Hinson claims an unidentified ballroom employee offered an unexpected option. Instead of a refund, the employee suggested, “Maybe you can do a memorial here on your wedding day.”
The venue’s response was devastating, given the couple’s long history. Hinson met Coney more than 20 years ago at Orlando’s Fashion square Mall while she was working at a store there and he was a student at full Sail University.
Although the couple later moved away from the area, Hinson dreamed of having her wedding in Central Florida. Instead of the bride looking forward to walking down the aisle in May, she is left navigating a personal tragedy and a public battle over a contract.
Hindon signed a contract with Crystal Ballroom of Lake Mary in August and paid a $2,000 non-refundable administrative fee. She later paid the company an additional $5,609. “the last payment that gave them was literally two days before he died,” Hinson said.
