Skip to main content

Post content has been hidden

To unblock this content, please click here

Alyssa
Just Said Yes August 2019

Paid For Our Reception Venue In Full and Now She Isn't Responding!

Alyssa, on July 1, 2019 at 10:43 AM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 23

Hi,


My fiance and I are getting married on August 17th, right around the corner! We are having a 2 location event and were able to find an awesome space to hold our reception. I had been in communication with the owner since June 9th and I accepted her proposal via Gather on June 19th. During this 10 day period, we spoke about catering and she referred me to her in-house Chef. I spoke with the Chef on June 19th and asked him for a quote. He said that he does not have a quote but will speak with the venue owner and give us a call back that same evening. He never called back...


So, we took a tour on Saturday, June 22 and absolutely loved it. We were asked to send the money through Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App. I sent the money through Cash App the same day...I noticed that the Cash App handle she provided, is actually the name of her chef's catering business, not the name of the venue. It was a red flag but I ignored it and sent the money anyway for the full balance of the venue including tables and chairs as it outlined in the proposal.


On Tuesday, June 25th, I sent a follow up text to the Chef saying "Hey Chef, hope you're doing well. Just wondering if you had an opportunity to get a price for us?" My phone shows that he Read the message but still has not responded to me.


On Wednesday, June 26th, I texted the venue owner asking her to confirm that she had received my CashApp payment. She responded with "Good Morning. Yes I did". I sent another text letting her know what color we want for our table cloths and chair covers. She didn't respond. Also, our information has not been updated on Gather to show that we have paid.


I sent an email through Gather on Friday June 28th restating the request for ivory table cloths and chair covers. In the email, I also stated that the Chef has not gotten back to me with a quote. In addition to this, I asked for a follow up about the DJ's contact information that she said she would provide to us when we toured that Saturday. On Sunday morning June 30th, I copied the same email and sent it to her business email address. Then, I sent a text to her phone at 9:28 Sunday morning. I did not get a response so I called at 3:45 PM and left a voicemail.


With our wedding being so close, we want to be assured that everything is going as planned. Am I just going crazy for no reason or should I indeed be alarmed?



23 Comments

Latest activity by Angela, on July 6, 2019 at 11:44 AM
  • M
    Legend June 2019
    Melle ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    No it makes sense why you would be peeved about this. I'd be annoyed too because it's just always a lot nicer for places to be responsive to you and your needs.
    Will you be having any more in person meetings with them?
    • Reply
  • Sarah
    Master September 2019
    Sarah ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I’m a little confused honestly. Do you have a contract with pricing or not? Usually if a venue includes catering, the cost of that is included in your contract. Why did you put money down without being sure of how much your final cost will be? I will say that venues have events on weekends usually so I’m not surprised she didn’t respond to any of your communication attempts yesterday.
    • Reply
  • Alyssa
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Alyssa ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment

    The weekend was not the first time that I reached out to her. As stated, I sent her a text on Wednesday that she didn't respond to. Also, we do know the final cost. It is in our proposal on Gather that I mentioned.

    • Reply
  • Sarah
    Master September 2019
    Sarah ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment
    So is catering separate from the agreement you have with her? So you’ll need to get a separate contract for the caterer? You made it sound like it was all one thing by saying the chef is in-house. Usually that means all one contract.
    • Reply
  • Alyssa
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Alyssa ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment

    We would like to meet again in person but since we can't get in contact with her, we're not sure where to go from here. We may stop by the venue sometime this week.

    • Reply
  • Kelly
    VIP October 2020
    Kelly ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I'd be pretty upset.
    Are you close to the venue? Do they have office hours?
    • Reply
  • B
    Dedicated June 2022
    beee ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I honestly don’t think it’s that odd that the venue owner hasn’t responded. Weekends are usually the busiest time for a venue. I would give it a few more days.
    • Reply
  • Alyssa
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Alyssa ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment

    Well, I actually texted her first last Wednesday and followed up on the weekend. I'll give it a few more days though. Thanks.

    • Reply
  • Alyssa
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Alyssa ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment

    Yes, I'm pretty close. I don't want to seem like I've lost my mind but the clock is ticking and I'm panicking. How long do you think we should wait before we go up there?

    • Reply
  • N
    Expert August 2019
    N ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I would go in person. You have my money and I want to feel comfortable about my plans and such. Did I mention you have my MONEY?? They should be bending over backwards to accommodate at this point. I am a more laid back bride and my wedding is August 31. If I was in that situation right now I would be there every freaking day and they would compensate me in some way for my trouble.
    You are NOT crazy.
    • Reply
  • Kelly
    VIP October 2020
    Kelly ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I'd email and call them and tell them you're coming after the fourth.
    They might be closed for the fourth otherwise I'd say go now.
    • Reply
  • S
    Dedicated August 2020
    Sare ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content

    Honestly, its pretty sketchy. If I were you I'd show up without even calling so she can't say shes busy. You have my money, you aren't responding and the wedding is a month away. There's no time for any mistakes and as a vendor this is not professional AT ALL

    • Reply
  • B
    Dedicated August 2019
    Blag ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    Yikes. That is a disaster. Any chance you can collect your money back? They aren’t really meeting you half way. Request a meeting with all of them ASAP
    • Reply
  • B
    Dedicated August 2019
    Blag ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I changed my mind. Go there and show up now. Demand to speak with the owner. print out everything to show what you done to reach out numerous times with nothing in return. I would be freaking out. Keep us posted as soon as there are any updates!
    • Reply
  • Iva
    Super September 2019
    Iva ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    Wait, do you have signed contract with the venue & with the caterer? Forget about Gather proposal, that’s not legally binding document. Without signed contract they can do what they want.

    Also, if you paid venue in full but are waiting for quote from caterer/chef, that means you don’t even know what the catering cost will be? If you do know catering cost from Gather proposal, why are you asking chef for a quote? Why would you pay in full without knowing all these details?

    It can be that they are just very busy & not answering. But if I was you, with a wedding that close, I would go there asap & insist to meet in person with venue manager & chef.
    • Reply
  • MrsJohansson
    Expert June 2019
    MrsJohansson ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    I would go in in-person. I can understanding wanting to make sure everything is in place but I think the frequency and forms of communication are really off putting. Writing to her personal email on a business day then business email/texting then calling on a Sunday, two days later would annoy me. Also using text messaging and email then calling and so on.. it's not really the way most businesses and clients typically communicate in a service relationship. I would choose one (pref written) and stick to it. There isn't really anything weird about the chef situation.. maybe he was told that the owner was already dealing with you and that she would just take over.

    Anyway, the entire thing seems sketchy from the get go as in I wouldn't proceed with unprofessional sounding people but you've already given them money. I hope you got a resolution and the answers you needed. Is there an update?

    • Reply
  • Alyssa
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Alyssa ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment
    The Chef is not a make or break for the venue. We were going with the venue regardless of whether we booked her chef or not and that’s what we paid for, the venue space and our tables and chairs.
    • Reply
  • Alyssa
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Alyssa ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    View Quoted Comment
    Thanks for your response. However, I never said that I wrote to her personal email. I don’t even have her personal email address. I wrote to her business email and her business is open 7 days a week.
    • Reply
  • Angela
    Beginner July 2020
    Angela ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    Hey Alyssa, just wondering if this is a frequently used venue? Do they have reviews from other couples or maybe any complaints written from anyone who used them previously and possibly went through a similar situation? I agree with everyone though, I'd go there in person especially since the wedding is only a month away. You're not crazy, that's worrying. It's a little sketchy that the money went to the name of her chef and not the venue itself. I wish you the best of luck.
    • Reply
  • Wendy
    Dedicated April 2020
    Wendy ·
    • Flag
    • Hide content
    If they are a busy venue, they could have been handling another wedding and the final details when you were trying to reach them. I would show up in person this coming Monday and ask to schedule a time to meet with them, to iron out the final details for your wedding.

    This is a very reasonable request and approach. If they act shady after that, then it's time to freak out and ask for your money back.
    • Reply

You voted for . Add a comment 👇

×
WeddingWire celebrates love ...and so does everyone on our site! Explore how we embrace diversity

Groups

WeddingWire article topics