Bride Claims She Arrived at Airbnb Wedding Venue to Find It’s an ‘Ants-Infested’ Nightmare with no Power or Water and Wedding Crashers

A Virginia couple’s dream wedding turned into a string of unexpected disasters — from power outages and ant infestations to uninvited guests showing up mid-ceremony.

After getting engaged, Maggie Reed and Tyler Smithhart began planning their big day and chose Buttercups Home, an Airbnb in Portsmouth, Virginia. They set the date for Oct. 11 and booked the venue early, signing a contract in April 2024 and paying a total of $5,750, including a $750 security deposit, according to what they told WAVY 10.

When the long-awaited weekend arrived, Reed said she immediately sensed trouble. “I went to ring the doorbell and the Ring camera wasn’t working,” she recalled. “I peeked inside and there was no power. There’s a delinquency notice on the door for public utilities — no power, no water.”

Reed claimed she reached out to the venue owner several times but got no response. “I’ve paid five grand for this place, and they’re not responding to me,” she said.

Her bridesmaid, Brandi Paugh, backed up her account, saying that no one was there to let them in and that the venue appeared to have a utility delinquency. Reed added that ants were crawling throughout the kitchen and bathrooms, ruining food prepared for the next day. “No bride should have to think about restarting her entire wedding 24 hours before it begins,” Paugh said.

The chaos continued on the wedding day itself. The couple’s families reportedly had to turn away strangers who mistook the celebration for an open house. A realtor had scheduled a showing for Oct. 19, but some potential buyers apparently confused the date and arrived that weekend instead. “I had to go to the end of the driveway several times to get rid of people coming to the open house,” said the groom’s father, Randy Smithhart.

“I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Reed admitted. “We still had a beautiful wedding weekend thanks to our family and friends, but the venue itself was terrible.”

Venue owner Brandon Feagin disputed many of the allegations in a statement to WAVY 10. “At no point before, during, or after Ms. Maggie’s stay were any utilities disconnected or interrupted,” he said, adding that no one reported outages to his team. Feagin claimed he sent the access code to the guests once he gained Wi-Fi access on a flight and that cleaning crews serviced the property before and after the event. He also said he was never notified of any ant problem.

Feagin expressed regret for the couple’s experience. “We understand how important weddings are to our guests and we are truly apologetic that the recent couples who have come forward did not have the experience they hoped for,” he said. He also confirmed that the property has stopped hosting weddings due to “economic headwinds currently facing the broader hospitality industry.”

“Our goal from the beginning was to offer people a safe, unique and affordable setting for their short-term stay,” Feagin told WAVY 10. “We remain proud of the many wonderful stays and gatherings we’ve hosted and the joy this property has brought to so many people over the years.”