Couple invites guests to estate wedding at Florida mansion they didn’t own

Something borrowed takes on new meaning as owner calls 911 when set up begins on his property

SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. – For richer or poorer, Courtney Wilson and Shenita Jones planned the wedding of their dreams at a sprawling Southwest Ranches property.

According to their wedding website, they would be married at “The Wilson Estate.”

But there were more than a few problems. For one, the home was not theirs and, secondly, they did not have permission to host the wedding on the property.

Davie police confirmed Saturday that around 8 a.m., two people arrived to set up for a wedding.

That’s when the homeowner, businessman Nathan Finkel, called police.

“They keep harassing me, calling me, they say they’re having a wedding here and it’s God’s message.”

The couple had posed as potential buyers of the property a few months prior to the big day. Then it was their plan to be joined in matrimony at the 9 bedroom 16,000-square-foot home listed for more than $5.5 million, complete with a movie theater, a bowling alley, a dance studio and a fancy entertainment bar.

Reportedly, the couple had previously asked the owner if they could hold their wedding in the home’s backyard, and the owner declined.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Finkel told the 911 operator. “All I want it to do is stop.”

Davie police said that the people who arrived at the home to set up for the wedding did leave when they were asked. No criminal charges are expected to be filed.


About the Authors:

Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.