California bride paid a premium for an ‘all white’ wedding venue. But she later found it covered in an orange and blue mural

A California bride says her wedding venue changed the design of her ceremony backdrop without telling her, replacing a white and neutral setup with a colorful mural featuring astronauts and sailboats.

The bride, identified as Mariah (@murrcraig) on TikTok, shared the story in a video that has drawn 485,600 views and more than 43,100 likes. She said she found out about the change not from the venue, but from another bride’s warning post in a bridal Facebook group.

Mariah said the space, called the “Gravity Terrace,” was previously an all-white, elegant setup that came with an added premium fee. She said the venue changed it to a curved wall showing a projected scene of a blue sky, sailboats, and astronauts, paired with modern, abstract furniture.

Bride says the venue gave no notice before changing the design

In her video, Mariah said, “My wedding venue changed my ceremony backdrop from this to this without telling me.” She added, “No email, no phone call, no heads up.” She said the Gravity Terrace was “considered one of the resort’s premium venue spaces that we had to pay an additional premium fee for because it looked like” the original white design.

After learning about the change, Mariah said she looked through the comments on the other bride’s Facebook post and “realized I was one of many upset brides.” She shared screenshots of comments from other brides who described similar experiences with the venue. Wedding-day disappointments can feel overwhelming, as when a bride was jailed for a DUI despite being sober. 

According to Mariah, brides who had already contacted the venue “were being told no refund, no compensation.” One comment she showed read, “The manager denied my request for refund.” Another comment stated, “they replied saying take it as it is. There will be no refund. The ‘premium venue’ fee still applies even though this looks cheap and trashy.”

Mariah also said brides were told that if they did not like the new design, “we can pay to drape it ourselves.” She then shared what she called her favorite response from the venue. Quoting a comment from another bride, she said, “I finally contacted the wedding manager and she essentially said just be happy we are still giving you the private venue. They are not refunding anything and not acknowledging a breach of contract.”

Mariah said the premium fee was still being charged despite the new design, stating, “the premium fee still applies because astronauts and sailboats are premium.” Surprise venue fees have sparked broader outrage, as when a Tampa woman was stunned by a hidden fee that a senator later addressed in proposed legislation. 

As of the video, Mariah said it had been “day 7 or 8” since she last heard from the venue’s on-site wedding sales advisor. She said her wedding planners had suggested she start a petition and collect signatures and wedding IDs from other affected brides. She said she hoped to share a follow-up video letting viewers know if the venue “made it right,” and asked other brides what they would do in her situation.

Viewers reacted to the video in the comments section. One person wrote, “They host WEDDINGS and picked THAT backdrop?!?! Someone needs fired immediately.” Another commenter raised a question about the venue’s contract terms, writing, “What does your contract say? Is there something that mentions they have the liberty to make changes like that? If not, it sounds like a breach of contract on their end.”

One viewer offered a mixed take on the mural itself, saying, “Ok, so the mural is kinda pretty (to me) but like at a cool bistro type place. Not as a wedding venue.” Another commenter said, “Unfortunately redecorating is not uncommon and it’s SO FRUSTRATING and really, really unethical. I’m super sorry.” A separate commenter wrote, “Hope you guys all sue together!”