A court in Palma has dismissed most of a compensation claim against a wedding organiser by a couple who married in Mallorca in July 2022.
The couple sued the catering and events company for total breach of contract and demanded a full refund plus €1,500 in damages for emotional distress. One complaint was that the DJ had not played Frank Sinatra's My Way when opening the dance floor. The judge stated that this was "completely disproportionate".
The case had been referred to the Provincial Court in Palma, the original hearing have been in Manacor. In respect of the song, the Palma court agreed with the Manacor ruling. The DJ was hired by the couple, not by the company, and WhatsApp messages he exchanged with them made no mention of which song should start the dancing.
The complaint also referred to "ridiculous" portions of food, to chairs that hadn't been provided for the witnesses, to the cake already having been cut at each table, and to air conditioning that didn't work.
According to the judge, the chairs and the cake had not been specified in the contract, nor was there any evidence that they had been discussed. "It is incomprehensible that the lack of chairs for wedding guests could be grounds for requesting compensation for the entire cost of the wedding."
Photographs of the food were presented in court - a cod dish, a beef dish with parmentier potatoes and a panna cotta dessert. In the opinion of the judge, these dishes exceeded the average expectations for a wedding banquet. The photos allowed the judge to confirm that the guests had had the first course, the second course and the dessert, not including appetisers. "More than enough."
Another issue had to do with the party's closing time - 3am. The company reported that the bride wanted to extend this and that she "caused a scene" because it had to end at the scheduled time. The lawsuit claimed this was an anxiety attack triggered by the treatment she received. There was insufficient evidence to support this.
The court did rule in favour of the couple with regard to the air-conditioning. It had broken down and industrial fans were used instead. This did constitute a breach of contract, for which the couple were awarded €2,500 compensation.