A TikToker said her 'villain bridesmaid' walked away with bachelorette party planning funds – then accused her of bullying for sharing her viral storytime
tiktok.com/@hispanahippie
- A bride said her "villain bridesmaid" never repaid money owed, as their bachelorette party planning went awry.
- The conflict spun into a small claims suit in which the plaintiff, another bridesmaid, prevailed.
- But now, the TikToker told Insider she's being accused of bullying and harassment for sharing her story online.
A TikToker who goes by Hispana Hippie went viral earlier this month with a storytime video about how her bachelorette party spun into a small claims suit. She claimed her ex-friend failed to repay hundreds of dollars she owed to another bridesmaid.
While the so-called "villain bridesmaid," or what the creator has been calling her, ultimately coughed up the money owed, the viral saga has apparently caused further headaches. Hispana Hippie told Insider this week that her ex-friend was threatening to press harassment and bullying charges — all because she opted to share the ordeal on social media.
On April 11, Hispana Hippie, who declined to disclose her name amid potentially ongoing legal proceedings, shared her three-part TikTok story about the ordeal. "Storytime on how my ex-best friend and bridesmaid stole money from my wedding party and ended up with a warrant," she captioned the first one, which has garnered 6.3 million views.
"I thought this person really cared about me," the 34-year-old administrative assistant and aspiring content creator told Insider of her ex-friend of nine years after she and the ordeal went viral.
According to the then-bride-to-be, the events took place last summer, when the bridesmaid in question offered to front the costs of bachelorette party accommodations at an Airbnb in New Hampshire. The other bridesmaids were to pay her back for their shares of the trip.
But days after collecting two payments — totaling roughly $390, per a copy of a small claims court filing Hispana Hippie provided to Insider — the bridesmaid said she couldn't front the costs. Another friend stepped in, but the bridesmaid never paid for her portion of the Airbnb (which was $162, according to the filing), nor did she give back the two portions she'd already received.
"I didn't happen to know that any of this was happening," Hispana Hippie said in her TikTok. "[The bridesmaids] wanted to make sure I had a stress-free wedding, which I did at the time."
She said the ex-friend was a no-show at the bachelorette party, and left the wedding rehearsal and reception early, without paying back the other bridesmaid.
The TikToker said she helped her friend pursue legal recourse to get her funds back
Hispana Hippie told viewers she was "livid" when she finally learned about the saga after her wedding, and sought to help her friend who'd fronted the money seek legal recourse.
"Initially, we sent a couple of demand letters stating that if she just returned the money that she had accepted from the other bridesmaids, it would be considered paid in full," Hispana Hippie told Insider. "But she ignored those letters, and so then we proceeded with filing with the courts for the full amount."
The original filing from October 2022 asked for $552 plus $50 in court costs.
When the bridesmaid didn't show up to civil court on Zoom, the judge ruled against her, Hispana Hippie said, and set another date to confirm the payments were being made. (The bridesmaid did ultimately tender these payments, she confirmed, however there were months of back-and-forth negotiations.)
As Hispana Hippie deals with more fallout from her ex-friend, the TikTok community is swarming her with support
Hispana Hippie kept viewers up to speed as fallout occurred in real time. In several update videos, she said her former friend and bridesmaid had been calling her so incessantly that she'd had to temporarily shut off her phone.
Even after the payments were legally settled, things didn't end there.
Hispana Hippie said her ex-friend sent her a text message claiming she was going to charge her with "harassment and bullying" for sharing their spat so publicly. Hispana Hippie told Insider as of Thursday no formal charges have been made against her.
"I haven't done anything except tell the truth," Hispana Hippie said, noting that she suspects her ex-friend could be bluffing about having filed these charges.
On TikTok, strangers who've become invested in the drama, have rallied behind her. It's also become somewhat of an illuminating example of how high stakes some weddings and bachelorettes can become.
"Weddings truly reveal the real character of individuals," one top commenter wrote on her original storytime.
Others are commending on how well her other bridesmaids and friends coped with the situation to try to protect the bride. "But can we talk about the other bridesmaids keeping the drama from you?? Those women are worth more than gold," another top commenter weighed in.
All in all, the creator is happy justice was served. "I think next time I would just elope and avoid the whole bridal party," she said. "I just don't ever want to be put in that type of position again."