April Fool's Day wedding gone wrong, or April's Fools Day prank?

April Fool’s Day is usually saved for cheap gags, but this April Fool’s Day joke was a bit more expensive than posting a fake update on Facebook.

A young man and woman from Washington booked the Homestead Café in Lakeside for their wedding on April 1 at 4 p.m.

Reservations were made six months in advance for the facilities and LA Audio and Productions was scheduled for karaoke night in the café to recreate the night the couple met and fell in love at Homestead Café.

April 1 may seem like a bad choice for a wedding date, considering the lifetime of pranks it sets up. However, their motives were straight from a fairy tale, as it’s the anniversary of when they first met and the opening day for the Boston Red Sox.

By 3 p.m. the café was empty except for the staff. Everything was spotless and the karaoke equipment was set up and ready to go by 3:30. But nobody was there yet.

As the afternoon transitioned into the early evening, the staff joked about the couple getting cold feet or skipping straight to their honeymoon.

“The runaway bride went with the Flathead Monster,” Sheryl, one of the employees, suggested. “Maybe she got drunk in Vegas and missed her flight. Or, maybe she could’ve won the Megabucks and didn’t want to split it!”

Nobody was there yet. No guests, no reverend, and definitely no bride or groom.

With no phone calls and no signs of a wedding party as 4 p.m. grew closer, Sheryl’s suggestions seemed likely, or perhaps it was just an elaborate prank.

“Why would they spend money on this?” Homestead Café owner Cindy Hendrick asked. “I’ve got a $50 reward for anyone that can tell me where the bride and groom is!”

As customers came through the door the entire staff would look to see if the bride had entered.

Homestead Café Manager Tyler Hendrick asked each new customer if they were getting married. Perhaps their casual attitude about punctuality meant they would also opt out of getting dressed up?

“It’s a kick in the pants,” Tyler said.

Lenny Anderson and Dan Hendricks of LA Audio and Productions fired up the karaoke machine and ordered a round of drinks, determined to have a good time, wedding or no wedding.

Nobody knows what became of Homestead Café’s mystery bride and groom. Nobody called and no guests arrived looking for a reception.

“That’s an expensive April Fool’s Day joke,” April Stegura, bartender at Homestead Café, said.