*UPDATE* Wedding Disaster - What to do now?

There were wasps everywhere (I am allergic to stinging insects and my mother is highly allergic to bees and wasps) and they had told us at the rehearsal they would be taken care of. There were also ant beds everywhere that they had told us weeks ago would be taken care of. From the time that we had booked the venue, several pieces of wood had broken on the deck area and had rotted. It seemed a little hazardous and looked really bad. The hand railing on the deck had also broken in several areas. There were cob webs all over the venue including the area where the dance floor was and where we were getting married at. There were tons of dead plants in pots around, the chair covers and table clothes were EXTREMELY wrinkled and had tons of stains on them. We paid extra for these things so I thought they should have been steamed and at the very least clean. My bouquet kept breaking and having flowers fall out of it because they did not make it correctly and I was not able to have it in pictures. It broke 3 different times (each time they would take it and "fix it" or "redo it") and still was losing flowers as I walked down the aisle. I had to use a bridesmaid bouquet for most pictures just so I had something. Several of the decorations that we had paid for never made it up. When I asked why they weren't put up (1-2 hours before the wedding) I was told they didn't have them. I pulled up my invoice on my phone where I had paid for them and showed them that they offered them on their packages. I had also seen some of them at the visit day. Finally she just said she would refund me but the other decorations looked out of place without everything there. The main thing was the curtains on the gazebo where the ceremony was. We paid for 8 ivory curtains and they only put up 2...when asked they offered to put up 6 white because they only had 2 ivory...they never told us this during planning! The worst part is yet to come. About 45 minutes before the ceremony we went out to finish up pictures and I noticed the chair set up did not look right. I had my mom count the chairs and there were several missing (we had paid for all chairs over 100). So while guests were arriving they were still adding the chairs. During the reception, they were supposed to flip the ceremony site and add chairs and tables to that area. They never did and refused to even though they had told us they would. There were THREE tables of guests that did not have a place to sit! 30 people who had to stand around and hold their plates! DH and I were in the back waiting to be announced and my mother was trying to make them add more tables. After the everything was over, our close friends and family told us that they ran out of certain foods and punch and that my mom had to make them go and fix more (we had paid for enough seats and food for 20 extra people). DH's brother told us some of the food that came out first was very burned. DH's grooms cake was a hot mess. It looked terrible. If they could not make the cake we asked for then they should have told us to pick out a different cake. It was all just a disaster. The slide show of us that was supposed to be projected on the wall during the reception was not played until after everyone had gotten their food. Also, several guests were bitten by ants while sitting at the reception and my mother was bitten while walking me down the aisle. So here is my question...am I justified in asking for some of my money back? DH and our families think I should but I just am not sure if I want to push it? I will definitely leave a truthful review but what else can I do?

OMG I am so sorry to hear about your big day! I would ask for ALL of the money back, not just some of it. What did they actually provide?? That's insane! At least you're married now!

Request money back for false promises as well as not delivering items on the day of the wedding you paid for and did not receive.

They provided me with an overly stressful, half-assed, tacky, rude-as-hell shindig...

Go through your contract and make a list of things that were paid for but not provided. Keep it factual and not emotional. Write them an email listing those things and expressing your dissatisfaction that you paid for items and services that were not provided, see what they offer as compensation, and go from there. ETA spelling.

You at the minimum should ask for the services and items they did not provide

The extra plates you paid for the decorations you did not have etc.

And that is at the very least! I would be going after more considering more then a bunch of contracted items had not been fulfilled

I would make a huge stink. And ask for my money back. What do you have to lose at this point? And I think calling your guests is probably a good idea too. So sorry this happened! At least you're married.

That sounds terrible! You definitely need to ask for money back. On top of that you need to review them everywhere possible so hopefully this doesn't happen again in the future. So sorry OP!

@Lisa no I did not do a BAM...we honestly didn't have time for pics because we were trying to fix things. My bridesmaids were throwing up decorations with me trying to get them done before the groom and guys got there. After that I am not even sure how many pictures we were able to get because things weren't set up and my bouquet was constantly gone

What @Daniella said. I know this is hard, but try to keep emotion out of it. You'll get better results with facts than with feelings.

That's a nightmare and you shouldn't hesitate to ask for your money back. I second PPs - document EVERYTHING, collect photos from your guests, etc. and do not take no for an answer (politely and firmly of course).

I'd ask for all my money back. It sounds like you've got the documentation to back up that they didn't even come close to providing what was contracted for.

Im sorry that happened no one should have to go through that. Def get all money back. If you have to take it to local news station.

I am so sorry this happened. Yes, definitely request a refund by documenting in writing everything in your contract that was not delivered. Did you read reviews of this place before you booked? I can't imagine yours is the first wedding that has gone this badly.

Bring up the allergies and the safety concerns with it.

I read the reviews but the bad ones were years ago and when I asked them about them I was told it was a previous owner (one review was that they had scheduled two weddings for the same place and the same time). None of the recent reviews were negative when we booked. However, after the wedding I went back and in the past few months there were some brides who had posted about running out of food. Nothing this bad though.

ETA: Other than the review about the double booking, none of the reviews were of anything super bad. One was that a planner had been super rude and things like that. They explained those away by "we have new employees since then"

You ask for your money back. Did you sign a formal contract with all of these details in it? they need to honor the contract and if they don't you deserve the money back.

What a nightmare! I'm so sorry. Definitely ask for your money back and emphasize the dangers.

Wow, I am so sorry that happened to you guys! I don't have much to add to what others have said, but just don't post/write any reviews until AFTER you get your money back! Definitely make a list of everything you didn't get but paid for, but in all honest I really would fight for getting a full refund. You likely never would have booked with them if it hadn't been an "all inclusive" venue. You may need to get a lawyer for this, I don't know much about the legal aspect of this all though

You absolutely need all your money back. I would email with your lists, everything you paid for but did not get, itemized line by line. Keep copies of everything, and get as many pictures together as you can. If they refuse to refund your money, take them to court ASAP, with EVERY document and picture you have. In a case like this, the judge should definitely be on your side.

I am so sorry this happened to you, something like this is my worst nightmare.