Warning - do not use events by leigh
We had to give 5 stars for this review to be at the top otherwise it gets buried in 2018 with her other bad reviews. All her "great" reviews are clearly fake or from friends and all in 2020 so nothing until 2024 when we had the misfortune of choosing this appalling "service".
We deeply regret choosing Leigh of *Events by Leigh* as our wedding planner. This was by far the most unprofessional, unreliable, and dishonest experience we have ever encountered. I am genuinely surprised that this individual operates as a "wedding planner."
**Key points (if you don’t want to read further): **
- Leigh failed to attend a scheduled appointment to take us to obtain our marriage license, a service we had already paid for.
- The day before our wedding, she informed us she would not be attending and left us to handle (order) the flowers, table, and chairs ourselves.
We booked Leigh based on her "elopement package" as we were having a small wedding and needed assistance with local procedures, particularly in obtaining the marriage license and securing a minister. My partner initially spoke with Leigh as I couldn’t be present, but fortunately, we had already arranged the venue, leaving mostly floral and logistical details to discuss with her. Our main concern was ensuring the paperwork, license, and minister were properly arranged. Thankfully, we had a simple approach, as relying on Leigh for a larger event would have been disastrous.
After we had booked and paid for her services, communication with Leigh became a serious issue. My emails regarding flower arrangements were met with delayed responses, and when she did reply, her tone was cold and unhelpful. Despite sending her reference images and requesting guidance on alternatives, her replies were both dismissive and slow—often taking over a week. With less than two weeks to go before the wedding, I received no further responses from her. Emails were bouncing back, and we were left thinking it had been a scam.
When we finally managed to reach her through another email address, she blamed her assistant's absence for the lack of communication—an excuse that became a recurring theme. It was always someone else’s fault. Leigh even divulged personal details about her assistant’s situation, which was both unnecessary and unprofessional.
One of the most critical failures was when Leigh failed to show up for our scheduled appointment to obtain our marriage license. We had arranged and paid for her to pick us up at 10:20 a.m. (the appointment was at 11) but by 10:27, there was no sign of her. When we called, she casually responded as if unaware of the appointment, then claimed she was at another engagement. She hung up and didn’t call us back with the address or any reassurance about us now being late for an important appointment. We were therefore left to arrange our own transport to Bridgetown, all while she held the necessary paperwork. When we did call her back Leigh remained unapologetic and dismissive, even suggesting we should have driven ourselves. Later, she blamed her extended appointment for her absence, but we were never offered any genuine explanation or apology for her negligence. She refused to reimburse the cost of the taxi saying it was our decision to take one.
That evening we sent a polite email requesting a call to go over logistics, as we were understandably concerned. Leigh's response came late Sunday night, where she informed us she now wouldn’t be attending the wedding, citing that we were having a "no frills" event and implying her presence wasn’t necessary. This was completely false, as we had never communicated any such thing. Moreover, she mentioned multiple excuses, including diary issues and miscommunication with her assistant—none of which aligned with the facts of our previous conversations. She also said the apt for obtaining the licence was a mere business transaction and she didn’t know why we were so frantic. Plus, she could not be held responsible for other people’s emotional responses.
Adding to the above it transpired that Leigh had not arranged the flowers or the necessary tables and chairs, leaving us to try and find replacements with less than 24 hours until the wedding. Despite her claim that she had ordered the flowers, we discovered from the florist that no such order had been placed. In fact, her failure to pick us up for the license appointment seemed to serve as a catalyst for her later cancellation, raising serious doubts about her credibility.
To make matters worse, we received a call from the minister a week later, requesting payment—a service we had already paid Leigh for. Additionally, she had said she would charge us $150 for delivering the marriage certificates, a service the minister confirmed was included in his cost and was only an extra $20.
Overall, our experience with Events by Leigh was appalling. Leigh demonstrated a serious lack of professionalism, responsibility, and respect for her clients. Planning a wedding can be a stressful time, and hiring a planner should help alleviate that stress, not add to it. Leigh’s actions had the opposite effect.
We cannot recommend Events by Leigh to anyone seeking a reliable, trustworthy wedding planner. If you're planning an event, I strongly urge you to seek a professional who values clear communication, accountability, and commitment to their clients.
