Take almost 7,000 square feet of luxurious real estate, add a gorgeous ocean view, sprawling green lawn, chef’s kitchen, ample parking and what do you have? Instant wedding venue and an ecstatic brides’ dream location, right?

Sounds great, but not so fast there you blooming wedding planners.  In order to use a house as a wedding location, you must have a city permit. There are noise ordinances and time frames you must adhere to, your business licensing must be current and finally, you must have the blessing of  thy neighbors.

This was not the case of  Melahat Uzumcu and her mansion aka instant wedding location in the Palos Verdes Estates.  Actually, she had zip. Nada. Now, she’s facing steep fines and up to two years in jail for her egregious ways.  Uzumcu faces charges of violating city zoning laws, conducting business without a license and creating a public nuisance. Not only that, she was just plain rubbing her neighbors the wrong way.

All savvy wedding planners know, (especially for high profile locations which accommodate hundreds of guests), you’d need to plan for: large equipment trucks driving in and out of the neighborhood, DJ’s testing their mics and speakers, photographers flashing, videographers interviewing, a small army of servers and caterers shouting orders, valet’s directing traffic, high elevation decor, tenting, lighting, and the minutiae of  busy work from sun-up to sun-down. People could literally be hanging around the venue for days, even weeks prior to, and following the event.

Come to find out, the city even issued a code enforcement violation to her on July 21st, however the events seemed to continue. Greg Robinson of the Palos Verdes Police Department stated “the Uzumcu estate has been the subject of 18 noise complaints just since July.”

If you’re getting ready to plan a fabulous wedding, find a reputable, certified event planner who will take care of all the details. They will make sure your location is permitted and help to keep your day complaint free.  Cheers!