Violence which erupted during the early hours of New Year's Day near No. 6 Shed on Front Street had nothing to do with a wedding reception being held nearby, according to the family of the newlyweds.

Yesterday The Royal Gazette ran a story which stated that a wedding reception had taken place at No. 6 Shed, where the fighting started.

However, said mother of the bride Judith Burgess, that was incorrect. "There was no problem at our reception," she said, stating that that her daughter's reception was in fact held at No. 1 Shed.

The reception was over by 2.00 a.m., Judith Burgess said. However members of the wedding party, including the bride and groom, then went to No. 6 Shed, where a New Year's Eve function had also been going on earlier that the evening.

And family members told The Royal Gazette, the incident - which saw an estimated 1,000 people block off nearby streets - happened "by accident".

"It was country and town - it started by accident. It was crowded, and someone walked across a town guy," said Terral Burgess, the bride's daughter.

"There was just too many people then somebody just bumped somebody. We saw the guy trip by mistake," she said.

The party in No. 6 Shed had been private. However, the bride's daughter said it opened its doors to the public around 2 a.m.

"They started letting everyone in," said Terral Burgess. "We were standing in the middle of it (the party), before the fighting even happened."

Terral Burgess then described how she and her cousin saw the one unidentified man bump into another and fights start. The lights came on as the DJ started calling for people to calm down.

"He was saying, 'Stop all this, stop all this...', " said Terral Burgess.

The bride and groom, the family said, were about to enter the party when the fighting began. When asked if the bride believed the fighting had ruined her wedding night, Judith Burgess replied: "No, she was upset that it was in the paper."

And, Terral Burgess said, people believe that the fight stemmed from her mother's wedding because of media reports.

"But it wasn't," said niece Murricea Iris. "She had a beautiful wedding."

And, the Burgesses say, Pembroke residents felt like they were being invaded in their own territory.

"They seem to have a real territory thing going on," said Judith Burgess."There are people who live in town and people who live in country who have the same family. They need to settle it in different ways. Innocent people are getting hurt."

The family expressed disappointment with the way the night ended.

"It was just one happy night turned into a nightmare," said Terral Burgess.

"For a whole lot of nice people," her grandmother agreed.