MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee couple is scrambling to find a place to get married.
Monday, they reached out to TMJ4's Jenna Rae for help when they found out the wedding venue they toured and booked nearly a year ago, was no longer an option.
Erica Forbes and Erich Weidenbener's email to Rae said they were getting "ghosted" by a local company they booked in April of last year. They also paid nearly $5,000.
"We decided to reach out to you because we felt like there was, you know, we wanted to take next steps in trying to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else. We didn't know where else to turn," Forbes said.
Forbes and Weidenbener have been together for three years.
"We met in residency. We're both emergency medicine physicians," she added.
In February 2024, they got engaged and started planning their dream day.
After going to a friend's wedding at a space run by Black Swan Enterprises, Forbes included its venues on the list of places to shop.
"Black Swan was actually, the company, was higher on that list of places that we really liked," Forbes said.
Wisconsin Business Filings show Black Swan Enterprise's registered agent is Peter Shepard. Its website says Stephen Shepard is the director of operations.
Forbes said the business is a father-son duo and said she's been in contact with both of them for months.
"The building itself is called Eaglesknitting [Eaglesknit], and this venue was going to be called Eagles Nest," Forbes said.
"And you guys toured the building and everything," Rae asked.
"Yes we toured," Forbes responded.
Watch: Couple contacts TMJ4 after reserved wedding venue falls through
On April 22, 2024, Forbes and Weidenbener signed a contract with Black Swan and put down a $4,900 deposit for their July 2025 wedding.
"We reached out to him, I believe, the first week or so of February, and we had like radio silence for a month. At that point, we were emailing almost every week," Forbes said.
After weeks of what the couple calls minimal communication, they used public records to find court filings related to the company.
Monday, Forbes and Weidenbener sent an email to Black Swan's owners about "concerning rumors regarding other properties and events scheduled at Eagles Nest" adding "I am looking for reassurance from you."
The next day, Black Swan responded and said late last week the owner of the building will not be giving "tenant improvement funds" and then promised to refund the couple's deposit.
The couple still hasn't gotten their money back.
In a statement from the actual building's owner, the same building where Forbes and Weidenbener planned to get married, we're told they've "never entered a leasing agreement with Black Swan Enterprises or any of its affiliated entities."
"What is your reaction to finding that out," Rae asked Forbes.
"I was angry, angry for sure, like I had been taken advantage of for the last year. I mean, people go into this like this is supposed to be the best day of their life," Forbes explained.
We tried calling Peter and Stephen Shepard on Wednesday, and even went to one of their homes in Cedarburg.
Their Water Street venue, Black Swan MKE, is closed according to a receptionist at the building.
Court records show they were evicted from their Milwaukee Street venue, Plant No. 4.
Records also indicate Black Swan owes $173,629.20 in rent and other damages to the owners of the Milwaukee Street location.
Also, Wisconsin Department of Revenue records show Black Swan is delinquent in $26,228.38 worth of state taxes.
To cap things off, DOR revoked Black Swan's license three months ago on December 12, 2024.
"I thought that the business was like a good business and a trustworthy business and now it feels like was this even a business at all," Forbes said.
If you've been impacted by Black Swan Enterprises, you can email Jenna.Rae@tmj4.com.
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