It was the £3 million celebrity-packed ‘dream wedding’ which united a billionaire’s daughter with the son of a sporting icon – and appeared flawless in the glossy pages of Vogue magazine. But behind the scenes, Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding to heiress Nicola Peltz, was allegedly so chaotic that even the bride’s father called it a ‘s*** show’. Now the full drama behind the apparently elegant society event has been laid bare in a shocking 188-page lawsuit filed in Florida.
Wedding planners Nicole Braghin and Arianna Grijalba were left ‘devastated’ earlier this month when billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz launched a lawsuit demanding his £132,000 deposit back.
Mr Peltz, 80, claims the pair were fired just weeks before the three-day wedding extravaganza at the £76 million family mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, last April because of alleged ‘mistakes’.
But last week, Ms Braghin and Ms Grijalba hit back calling Mr Peltz a ‘bully billionaire’ and filed a counterclaim in a Miami court for breach of contract and ‘interference’ with a business deal. They are also suing bride Nicola Peltz Beckham, her mother Claudia, and wedding designer Rishi Patel for damages of at least £41,000 plus costs, which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
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It was the £3 million celebrity-packed ‘dream wedding’ which united a billionaire’s daughter with the son of a sporting icon – and appeared flawless in the glossy pages of Vogue magazine. But behind the scenes, Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding to heiress Nicola Peltz, was allegedly so chaotic that even the bride’s father called it a ‘s*** show’
Flower girls steal the show at Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding
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Wedding planners Nicole Braghin and Arianna Grijalba were left ‘devastated’ earlier this month when billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz launched a lawsuit demanding his £132,000 deposit back
Their lawsuit claims:
Nelson Peltz wanted to ‘cancel the wedding’ and allegedly called it ‘a s*** show’ but his wife ‘begged’ him not to as it would ‘destroy Nicola’s career’;
Actress Nicola allegedly spent $100,000 (£85,000) on hair and make-up with the court documents claiming Mrs Peltz asked the planners not to tell her husband because he would ‘kill her and be so mad’.
The Peltzes were afraid of Victoria Beckham finding out about ‘mistakes’ in the wedding planning;
The couple planned to serve guests burgers named ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Nicola’ – the latter wrapped in a low-calorie lettuce leaf rather than a bun.
The women’s company, Plan Design Events, was hired in February 2022, just six weeks before the lavish wedding. More than 500 guests attended, including TV chef Gordon Ramsay, Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria, Victoria’s fellow Spice Girls Mel B and Mel C and David Beckham’s former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville.
The planners agreed to a fee of £264,000, with Mr Peltz paying a deposit of half that amount.
They were taking over from Preston Bailey – an icon in the industry who previously planned Catherine Zeta-Jones’ wedding to Michael Douglas. He said he left by mutual agreement after a year’s work because his schedule was ‘overcommitted’.
But the planners who replaced him claim things were so chaotic – with multiple guest lists and a bride allegedly ‘too busy’ to speak on the phone – that things went downhill quickly.
The court documents contain hundreds of WhatsApp chat messages texts and emails – summarised below – which show guest lists were incomplete, travel arrangements had not been made and even the flowers and cake still needed to be sorted out. Hair and make-up artists and photographers and videographers had also not been confirmed.
And when the planners came up with an idea for a wedding band Nicole branded them ‘cheesy’ and only wanted the lead singer.
Ms Braghin and Ms Grijalba say they worked 17-hour days to try to cater to their clients’ demands. And while there had already been reports of a fall-out between Nicola and her future mother-in-law because the bride chose to wear a Valentino couture gown rather than a dress from Victoria’s label (a feud Nicola later denied), it was clear, the lawsuit says, that the Peltzes did not want their new in-laws to be aware of the last-minute glitches.
‘Both Claudia and Nicola had insisted that Victoria Beckham could not know about any internal mistakes regarding the ongoing planning of her son’s wedding, including any errors with the guest list’, the court filing states.
During a meeting on March 1 last year: ‘Nelson said, in front of Braghin and Grijalba, that he wanted to “cancel the wedding” and that it was “a s*** show”, but Claudia begged Nelson not to because it would “destroy Nicola’s career.” ’
While Mr Peltz paid a reported £3 million for the event, the court papers allege there were some expenses his wife wanted to keep private: ‘It is believed that Nelson Peltz paid more than $100,000 plus travel expenses for Nicola’s hair and make-up services for the wedding. Claudia mentioned to Braghin that Nelson could not know the cost or he would “kill her and be so mad.” ’
Ms Braghin, 42, and Ms Grijalba, 40, who have spent 17 years building up their business, reveal Nicola sent them a gushing text the day before they were fired saying: ‘You’re killing it!’ Their lawsuit also includes messages from Brooklyn, who they describe as ‘a perfect gentleman’, praising them ‘for everything you guys are doing’.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This lawsuit epitomises the world of the uber-wealthy. These event planners came into a difficult situation, just six weeks before a wedding that was going to get worldwide attention, and put their hearts and souls into it. Nothing ever seemed to be good enough. This shines a light into how the other half live – and it’s not always a pretty picture.’
A spokesman for Mr Peltz said last night that the planners’ complaint ‘is replete with inaccuracies and their claims have no merit’.
Additional reporting: Daniel Bates
NICOLA SAYS THE GUEST LIST IS SUCH A MESS, ‘IT’S LIKE A MURDER SCENE’
Dozens of texts are exchanged about the guest list, often prompting Nicola to apparently lose patience.
The bride-to-be texts her wedding planners saying: ‘This is not what I asked for. I ASKED FOR OUR INVITE LIST. IN. VITE. NOT. RSVP. Can u manage to send that to me.’
Nicola, whose messages often contain spelling or grammatical errors, refuses to log into the app that guests are using to confirm their attendance, instead ordering Ms Braghin and Ms Grijalba to send her an email or text.
As the pair implore Nicola to help them, she texts: ‘Can someone just send me a list of yeses PLEASE.’
With the issues continuing, Nicola becomes even more exasperated, writing: ‘I don’t want it to be so complicated. I just want a list PLEASE.
‘I’ve repeated myself a lot. I don’t want an app or google doc. Just a text or email. Simple. Old school. That’s the way my mom and I like it!’
At one point Brooklyn chimes in: ‘It’s a mess!’ Nicola replies: ‘Omg [Oh my God], more like A MURDER SCENE.’
WE NEED AN ALL-PINK AFTER-PARTY ROOM… AND A WATER DANCE FLOOR
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In one exchange, Nicola sends this picture of an all-pink lounge with an orb light and asks: ‘Who is going to make sure this happen for after party’
In one exchange, Nicola sends this picture of an all-pink lounge with an orb light and asks: ‘Who is going to make sure this happen for after party. This light instead of disco ball and the mixes of peaches, apricot and baby pink.’ She also wants a ‘water aisle and matching water dance floor.’
‘HEAD DID NOT ACTUALLY EXPLODE’
In his lawsuit, Mr Peltz raised concerns about the planners’ ‘references to alcohol use’ in their messages. The new papers include a text from Ms Grijalba after a long day saying: ‘Now I’m going for a tequila my head is about to explode.’ To which Nicola responds: ‘Yes queen!!!!!’ But the lawsuit adds that ‘contrary to her text message, Grijalba’s head did not explode and she did not drink any tequila that evening’.
FIRED BY A ‘BILLIONAIRE BULLY’
After Claudia Peltz fired the wedding planners, Ms Grijalba asks why. Mr Peltz replies: ‘Arianna, I don’t want to keep talking to you, this is clearly not going to work. I will have my people call you. I don’t like to have these types of conversations.’ The wedding planners accuse Mr Peltz of ‘acting like a billionaire bully.’
FLOWERS ARE NOT ALL WHITE!
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After seeing pictures of peonies and cabbage roses she texts: ‘They should be more white’
Nicola complains the flowers are not white enough. After seeing pictures of peonies and cabbage roses she texts: ‘They should be more white – I didn’t realize the second picture [of roses] were cream.’ When a planner suggests a ‘slight colour variation so you can make out individual roses’, Nicola replies: ‘What do u mean.’
BREAKING UP THE BAND! ‘CHEESY’ SINGERS AXED
Nicola claims that the superstar magician David Blaine offered to entertain guests for free at a dinner the day before the wedding.
She writes: ‘David Blaine is going to go around to tables on Friday night it’s for free he’s my friend.’
But she has problems choosing the band as she only likes one performer from the group the wedding planners suggested, dismissing the rest as ‘very cheesy’.
After Nicola says she wants ‘no other back up singers, they’re way too much’, the band’s manager eventually agrees to build a group around member she likes.
Nicola also insists they wear ‘plain chic tuxes’ and says the music should be ‘early 2000s hip-hop’, rejecting the suggestion of anything more traditional.
When Nicola sees the suggested names of dishes including ‘Bag It Like Beckham’ she says: ‘These names are embarrassing’
While Brooklyn remains mostly quiet during the group texts, one subject does get him very animated – the Wendy’s fast food truck.
Guests were apparently treated to a meal from the US burger chain with Beckham-themed meals including the ‘Nicola and Brooklyn Combo’.
When Nicola sees the suggested names of dishes including ‘Bag It Like Beckham’ she says: ‘These names are embarrassing.’
One of the planners tries to persuade her: ‘After all the formality fun is good and for some people would be like wow! Why did they do that? And the answer is: because you can.’
Nicola replies: ‘I don’t love it.’
Brooklyn, an aspiring chef, texts: ‘We should do a brooklyn burger. L ke [sic] double or single burger and a nicola burger witch [sic] is no bun and it’s lettuce instead of Bun and meat for the girls.’
Ms Grijalba points out that a single burger might not be a good look for a wedding.
Brooklyn agrees and responds: ‘Oh s*** hahaha’.
Nicola objects to one dish being called the ‘Beckham bag’, texting: ‘I don’t love it. I like personalised but not that’ followed by a vomit emoji.
‘CAN WE FIRE THEM YET?’ NICOLA’S BLUNT TEXTS – AND EVEN BROOKLYN DOESN’T ESCAPE HER IRE
Nicola demands staff hired by the previous wedding planners be ‘cut off’ in one of many blunt texts. She says ‘I hate them’ and ‘can we fire them yet’ in the group chat with the new wedding planners.
Nicola refers to one worker as ‘slow’, texting: ‘He doesn’t work weekend (sic) and when the suns (sic) down he won’t work… Ya honestly he kinda sucks Truth be told’.
Even her husband-to-be cannot escape Nicola’s irritation. While discussing the Beckham side of the guest list Nicola cuts in and says: ‘I do not trust Brooklyn with this. U should be asking an assistant He has no idea. And is guessing.’
Six weeks out from the wedding Claudia Peltz expresses her frustration, too, complaining about the ‘EXTRA’ cost of hiring new wedding planners. She writes: ‘This is certainly not what I expected at this point!!!’
THE GUESTS: LEWIS HAMILTON, RON DESANTIS… AND WHO’S MEGHAN?
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Claudia Peltz asks: ‘Did Megan get an invite’ to which Nicola asks: ‘Who’s Megan’
Nicola appears to lose her temper after finding out that F1 driver Lewis Hamilton did not confirm his attendance.
She texts: ‘Lewis Hamilton did NOT RSVP. So explain why his names on the list please. We spoke to him. He can’t come so explain why you said he rsvpd yes.’
Arianna Grijalba, one of the wedding planners, tries to explain but Nicola remains unimpressed.
Nicola writes: ‘That’s not true. He didn’t rsvp AT ALL… I’m tired of catching mistakes on this rsvp list honestly. When will I get a straight answer on this’.
Among those who were not welcome at the wedding was Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a hardline Republican and possible future presidential candidate, who calls his state the place where ‘woke goes to die’.
Nicola writes: ‘Desantis must be OFF THE GUEST LIST. PLEASE CONFIRM!’
Claudia Peltz asks: ‘Did Megan get an invite’ to which Nicola asks: ‘Who’s megan’. Claudia asks: ‘And Harry’. It is unclear if this exchange refers to the Duke of Sussex and his wife, right.
Michael Bay, who directed the Transformers movie Nicola starred in, is also invited. Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams were among the host of celebrities who ended up attending.
Cruz Beckham is launching a pop career with a little bit of help from some of the music industry’s most respected names.
The youngest son of David and Victoria Beckham has been recording in studios across London with Norwegian record producer Fred Ball, whose songs have been performed by Rihanna, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey.
He has also been working with Jordan Riley, a producer-writer who studied at the famed Guildhall School of Music.
And while sources close to the Beckham family say the teenager, who turns 18 tomorrow, has a talent for singing and playing the guitar, some have also remarked on how he has managed to connect with some of the most sought-after studio musicians in the world.
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One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Cruz has been in the studio a lot recently. It’s his passion, he loves it and he’s pretty good at it. But the question does remain, how does he get so many people to work with him? It wouldn’t be the first time Cruz, or his older brothers, have been helped by their parents’ connections.’
Cruz recently signed to Tap Music management – who also represent Ellie Goulding and Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix.
When Cruz was 11, Victoria arranged for Scooter Braun, music mogul behind Justin Bieber, to manage him and he released a single, If Every Day Was Christmas. David was said to have wanted his son to keep singing as a hobby at such a young age. In 2019 the Beckhams arranged for eldest son Brooklyn to be an intern for society photographer Rankin.
