INDIANA TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) – Couples using a popular wedding reception venue in Allegheny County will have to adhere to new rules starting next year.
Couples will have to turn down the music and wrap up the festivities a little earlier at the Hartwood Acres Mansion in Indiana Township, which is nestled amid residential homes.
When weddings are outside at the pavilion, neighbors said the music can be heard from inside their homes.
“We did not expect that a noise complaint would rally multiple officers from Allegheny County and multiple officers from Indiana Township.”
That was the scene at roughly 9:30 Saturday, Sept. 24, the night Amanda Ehrhardt and Tom Bambara said “I do.” It’s not exactly what you’d expect to see on your wedding night and yet that’s what happened after neighbors called the cops.
(Photo: Provided)
“I’m with my groomsmen having a cigar and I look over and I see that my brother and my brother-in-law are arguing with a league of police officers,” said Bambara.
The mansion pavilion has been home to dozens of weddings this summer and county officials say the township has received complaints of excessive noise from those events. In light of the concerns, the county took steps to keep the peace by protecting neighbors while continuing to offer the venue for large-scale events.
“I don’t want this venue to not have weddings anymore,” Ehrhardt said. “They have these new rules and I hope they’re satisfying to these neighbors.”
Weddings at the mansion starting in 2023 will be required to use their sound system and end at 10 p.m. In a statement to KDKA, chief marketing officer for the county, Kelsey Dowd, says in part: “We want the park to be a good neighbor while also allowing county residents to enjoy the many amenities and features of the park. We will continue to work to find that balance.”
Bambara says he just hopes neighbors show future couples a little empathy that was not afforded to him and his wife on their special night. He adds it didn’t take a “league of police officers” to ask them to turn the music down or wrap up the party.
“It made us feel like we were criminal for getting married,” he said.
The couple says the folks at Hartwood Acres have made good with them and they don’t harbor any ill feelings toward them. They say they had an “epic” night and this incident will in no way overshadow their memories.
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