Latest news with #mockwedding
Times
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Briton arrested after Disneyland Paris ‘mock wedding' with girl, 9
A British man was arrested on Sunday after an alleged attempt to stage a mock wedding with a nine-year-old girl before a crowd of 100 guests at Disneyland Paris. The man, 22, was allegedly the 'groom' at a bizarre staged ceremony at dawn on Saturday in front of the Sleeping Beauty castle in the theme park 20 miles east of Paris. The aim was to make a video for social media, he told police. Disney staff intervened to halt the action and called police when they spotted the girl, a nine-year-old Ukrainian, in a bridal dress. The organisers had booked the park — which is available to rent outside public visiting hours — for a function that they said would be a genuine wedding ceremony. The 'guests' were recruited online through adverts seeking 200 adults and 100 children aged between five and 15 to play the guests at a 'rehearsal' for a wedding at Disneyland. Video obtained by BFM TV showed about 100 seated guests awaiting the ceremony as a female violin trio played at dawn before a stage strewn with flowers. The event had cost the organiser €130,000, BFM said. Alexandre Verney, assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne département, said: 'Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24. '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.' The mother and the older Latvian were released after a medical examination of the girl showed no mistreatment or constraint. The Briton and the other Latvian were held for questioning over possible money laundering and fraud offences, the prosecutor's office said. Disney thanked its staff for their action in halting the event. A witness told Le Parisien: 'We were not told at any time that it was about a film shoot. We all thought we were going to part of a wedding. Everyone was stunned. No one expected this. Disneyland does things very well. They immediately cancelled when they understood that the bride was a kid. We were sickened by that.' The extras said they had been driven from central Paris on buses at 5am and given pink bracelets with the names of the 'bride and groom' printed on them. One of the extras, named Yeleen, who went to the ceremony with her daughter, said: 'I saw a little girl dressed in white. I saw her hair prepared with curls and a lady picking her up in her arms. At that moment, I was shocked. I realised when I saw the child. It was atrocious.'
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Parents rip into 'crackers' primary school over 'mock wedding' school trip to a church where seven-year-old pupils will play 'bride and groom'
A mother has voiced her concern after she found out her child's teacher had organised an excursion where young students would participate in a 'mock wedding'. The teacher, thought to be based in the UK, arranged for the year one and two pupils - aged between five and seven) to head to a nearby church, where boys and girls would be selected to play a bride and groom, as well as bridesmaids and groomsmen. Parents were asked to dress their children in formal party wear and contribute flowers and cake for the event. Although it was billed as a happy occasion, people had mixed reactions over the wedding re-enactment after a mother posted a photo of the letter she'd received on Reddit. According to the note, students will act out a wedding ceremony and sing songs to 'get an insight into a church building' and 'learn about some key aspects of the service'. Then they will head back to the school grounds for a role-play reception 'wedding party' complete with 'speeches and dancing'. But one mother was left scratching her head after reading the note detailing the event that her child brought home and expressed her bewilderment online. Many agreed the field trip was an unusual move, however others said they had a great time when their school organised a similar excursion when they were young. A mother has voiced her concern after she found out her child's teacher had organised an excursion where young students would participate in a 'mock wedding'. Pictured, the teacher's letter to parents The note stated the school will be holding a 'mock wedding' for nursery, year one and year two students. 'It is an event that we have coordinated every few years, so that children have an insight to a church building, with a special event to mark and be part of,' it read. A local vicar will be assisting in the wedding role play where all students 'will participate, singing songs, and learning about some of the key aspects of the service'. Children are invited to dress up in their 'most formal/party outfits as if they were getting for a real wedding' but the teacher stressed that parents don't need to buy a new outfit for the occasion. 'We will arrange for some pupils to carry flowers from each class - the pupils will also be randomly selected to take some of the lead roles within the service, such as the bride, groom, best man, bridesmaids and so on,' the message continued. 'There will be a bride and groom selected from each of the classes, so it's going to be a big event for the children! 'Following the service, we will return to school for a wedding party, with speeches and dancing.' Parents were invited to go to the church to watch the 'ceremony' and were encouraged to bring flowers, cakes, and decorations. 'Being part of an event like this is something that I'm sure your child will remember for years to come, and I do hope that you will agree with your child attending,' the teacher said. The mother posted the note to Reddit asking if a mock wedding was 'normal', admitting she had never heard of such a thing, branding it 'insane'. Users were quick to agree and share their confusion over the 'weird' event. 'Seems really weird. If the kids were just watching a wedding (or a wedding being acted out) that's one thing, but the children being chosen by teachers to play the bride and groom feels a bit odd. Yeah, the whole thing is a bit uncomfortable,' one person said. 'We had this at primary school 20 years ago and think the whole thing is absolutely crackers to be fair, can't believe it's still happening in 2025,' a second commented. 'Ask if they can do a mock divorce the week after to show the impact of signing your life away,' someone joked. 'I would love to see this for other religious ceremonies, but having a bride and groom be children is a bit odd,' another said. But not everyone was put off by the idea and shared fond memories of doing something similar in their school years. 'I remember doing this!! And we had a fake christening too!! To be honest, it was really good fun, and helpful to learn a) what a wedding/christening is, and b) as a child what was expected of me if I went to one,' one user recalled. 'Like how long it would take, sitting quietly etc so we could get all the 'why and what' questions out the way at school - and not disrupt an actual wedding! 'The bride and groom were two of our teachers, and for the christening, it was a plastic doll and a random selection for the parent. I remember it being really good fun!' 'I have never heard of it before. But on the face of it, it seems like a good idea, weddings are a normal part of adult life and role-playing seems like a good learning experience,' another replied.
