'No deal' | Taylor Swift-themed Lavender Haze Balls canceled after last-minute moves, delays

The event was one Holly and her friend had been looking forward to since March. That’s when Holly saw another TikTok creator talking about the Lavender Haze Ball. The longtime Taylor Swift fan said she fell in love with the idea.

“Everyone's going to wear long, sparkly gowns. There's going to be catering, themed cocktails, DJs and photo ops,” Holly remembered.

Organized by Em’s Enchanted Events, the website for the “fan-based” event invited “you and your Swiftie friends to join us in our secret flower garden for a night to remember,” promising a dance floor “dazzling with a mirrorball.” 

“Basically like a Swiftie prom,” Holly said.

“I thought this was my career and my calling. I thought I have finally found a purpose. I was really trying to make an experience for people of all ages, to dress up and be themselves,” Emily Wendt, the founder of Em’s Enchanted Events, told KHOU 11 in a statement.

Emily explained in that statement that she’s been a Swiftie since she was 7 and, though she’d never planned events before, she wanted to provide an option for Taylor Swift Fans who weren't able to get an Eras Tour ticket.

“I hosted the first one, In Portland, OR and it went magically. Word got out, and it got out fast. I was soon finding that people were requesting cities all around the country. I figured since the first one went so well, we’d add a few more cities,” Emily’s statement said. “So we added Seattle, and LA, both went incredibly. I’ve added photos of both. We added more cities that were actively being requested, we’d find the venues on Peerspace, hire licensed bartenders, find the alcohol and mixers and food at local wholesalers, curate Taylor Swift-themed menus, etc. I worked tirelessly on this. For months.”

The first event in Portland was on March 25. It wasn’t long after that Holly learned about the ball in Raleigh. She sent the event details to a Swiftie friend and the two decided to buy tickets, which were listed as starting at $60. With a discount code offered by the original creator, Holly paid $46 each for two tickets to the July 22 event in Raleigh. She said her friend took time off work to make sure she could attend.

On July 22, they drove three hours from their home in Roanoke, Virginia, checked into the hotel they’d booked and started getting ready. 

That’s when the email came in, only an hour before the doors to the ball were supposed to open. It directed recipients to the (now private) Instagram page for Em’s Enchanted Events, where a post explained an issue with the venue would postpone the Lavender Haze Ball until Sept. 16.

“That all just had kind of fishy vibes and that’s when I started taking a deep dive,” Holly said.

She reached out to Grace Studio, whose owner later confirmed in a Facebook post that the event organizer canceled the booking on March 14, several months earlier. Tribeca Rooftop, which had been listed as the venue for the July 29 Lavender Haze Ball, shared in its Instagram story that “this event does not exist at our venue.” Metropolitan at the 9 in Cleveland, Ohio confirmed to KHOU 11 that “the event was never booked at the hotel,” even though it was included as the venue for the Cleveland Lavender Haze Ball.

Holly decided to share what she’d learned on her TikTok account.

“I wanted to be sure that others weren't taken advantage of in the future,” she said. “She had events scheduled through the rest of the summer, then she had the Back to December event scheduled in the fall and winter.”

According to the listing on Eventbrite, the Back to December Ball would be a chance for “you and your Swiftie besties to dress in what makes you feel the most confident and dance the night away, walking away with more Swiftie friends than you had walking in.” The balls would be coming to 12 cities, including Houston, where the address for The Union HTX was listed as the host for the Nov. 25 event.

“That date is not reserved at The Union HTX. No contract is on it. No deposit has been made,” said Anthony Montalvo, the venue’s event coordinator. “It is not happening.”

"At first I was kind of thrown, I didn't think it was real," he said. "I was like, 'Is this really happening?'"

He said he only learned about the event when KHOU 11 reached out, which was then followed by an email inquiry from a prospective visitor.

“She was considering attending this ball in November,” Montalvo said. “I found this to be very alarming. The reputation of The Union is everything to me, so I immediately went on our social media and let everybody know ‘Do not buy tickets to this event.’”

He added that The Union HTX promotes events hosted there on social media, encouraging anyone who has a question about an event to check with a venue before paying for tickets.

“We were not supposed to be at Union HTX- we were supposed to be in a booking listed on Peerspace through a private contractor,” the statement from Emily explained. “Union HTX is right next door.”

However, when KHOU 11 contacted Peerspace, which offers rentable spaces such as photo studios and meeting rooms all over the country, the company said in a statement, “We do not see any indication of a planned event or a canceled booking matching your description at that date and time in Houston.” (You can read the full Peerspace statement below as well.)

“I was very disappointed, to be honest with you," Montalvo said.

Over the course of the day Tuesday, as videos from Holly and other creators (including Nikki and Swiftie Suite Project) gained traction, cancellation notices appeared on a number of the Back to December Ball dates listed on Eventbrite, but not all of them.

“Everyone is being refunded for their orders within four to six weeks. This time frame is extensive and I’m fully aware of that, it’s because I am one woman processing a list of hundreds of refunds by manually going down said list and typing in order numbers from emails that may contain an order number or a death threat/hate,” Emily’s statement said. “Sifting through these will take time as it’s not easy. Everyone will be refunded though, a lot of which have already gone out.” 

As for Holly, her ticket refund from Eventbrite had been processed by Wednesday morning. Emily has requested that anyone else who purchased tickets for upcoming canceled Lavender Haze Ball or Back to December Ball dates reach out to her at emsenchantedevents@gmail.com.

Here is the full statement provided to KHOU 11 by Em’s Enchanted Events founder Emily Wendt: 

“These events have been cancelled due to mass bullying, besides the one on 12/27 in Portland, OR. All bookings have been cancelled for every venue, for each event besides 12/27 in Portland, OR which we will release the address for 30 days prior to ticket holders only as the threats I’ve gotten are unreal and I need to keep myself and my family as safe as possible right now. 

We were not supposed to be at Union HTX- we were supposed to be in a booking listed on Peerspace through a private contractor. Union HTX is right next door. 

I started all of my events out of passion for the Swiftie community, as I’ve been a Swiftie since I was 7. I have never planned events before, but I figured I’d try because so many people didn’t get Era’s tour tickets. So I hosted the first one, In Portland, OR. And it went magically. Word got out, and it got out fast. I was soon finding that people were requesting cities all around the country. I figured since the first one went so well, we’d add a few more cities. So we added Seattle, and LA, both went incredibly. I’ve added photos of both. We added more cities that were actively being requested, we’d find the venues on Peerspace, hire licensed bartenders, find the alcohol and mixers and food at a local wholesalers, curate Taylor Swift themed menus, etc. I worked tireless on this. For months. 

I thought this was my career and my calling. I thought I have finally found a purpose. I was really trying to make an experience for people of all ages, to dress up and be themselves. But it’s all over now, and everyone is being refunded for their orders within 4-6 weeks. This time frame is extensive and I’m fully aware of that, it’s because I am one woman processing a list of hundreds of refunds by manually going down said list and typing in order numbers from emails that may contain an order number or a death threat/hate. Sifting through these will take time as it’s not easy. Everyone will be refunded though, a lot of which have already gone out. 

The people I did get to host and meet at the events, I will always treasure in my heart. I have met so many amazing people throughout all of this, most that I still talk to. I am deeply saddened that it went this way. It never should’ve. 

Thanks for reaching out, unfortunately, I'm not open to a phone call but you’re more than welcome to share this. I apologize if this wasn’t what you were looking for. I’m not the fraud everyone is making me out to be.”

Here is the full statement provided to KHOU 11 by Peerspace: 

“For the privacy and security of our hosts, we do not disclose the street address of Peerspace listings until a guest has made a booking. Similarly, for the privacy and security of our guests, we do not disclose their booking details. But in general, we do not see any indication of a planned event or a canceled booking matching your description at that date and time in Houston."