Minn. Newlyweds Seek Help After Wedding Crasher Steals Gift Box
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Photos are a big part of any wedding, but the reception photos a newlywed Minnesota couple have are now part of a criminal investigation.
Jill and Jesse Goembel got married earlier this month at Edinburgh Golf Club in Brooklyn Park.
As friends and family mingled at the reception, a supposed guest walked in and walked off with their gift box.
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July 6, 2013, was the happiest day of Jesse and Jill's Goembels' life.
Their wedding was picture perfect.
"Everyone has commented about how it was just a beautiful, beautiful day," Jesse Goembel said.
The reception was held in the grand ballroom at Edinburgh Golf Club.
As the dance was winding, down somebody noticed the card box was not there.
They first thought one of the attendants had taken it and would return it in the morning before brunch.
That never happened…and people began talking.
"People did actually start sharing stories that they had seen someone leaving with the box and kind of gave descriptions," Jill Goembel said.
Pictures taken inside the clubhouse show two "non-invited" guest as they walked into the ballroom.
Two minutes later, the man in the picture was caught on camera again, this time with the card box in his hand, exiting through the kitchen.
"Just a couple of stray folks that we didn't invite...being a part of a day that was not meant for them," Jill Goembel said.
Whoever took the card box used a gift card at the Target store in Crystal.
They tried to use it again in Fridley, but left when told the card was canceled.
"The staff at our reception has not been able to identify him; friends and family have not been able to [identify him]," Jesse Goembel said.
That's why they are looking for the public's help to find the man (pictured in the video above).
They also want people to be on the lookout for those who wish to do awful things on your special day.
"If you're having a wedding this summer, or a reception or a graduation ceremony, be mindful where you put the valuables," Jesse Goembel said.
The Goembels say the hardest part about this is not being able to read the words their guest put in those cards, words that were meant for them on their special day.
Managers at the ballroom say this has never happened before.
