There are two issues. The first is services received not being clear up front and being very over-priced. The second is that due to negligence, and possibly fraud Peggy Senter-Villagomez cost me the deposit I paid to the wedding site of Sardis Gardens.
On February 25th I signed a contract with Dream Come True Weddings for the services of Peggy Senter-Villagomez as my wedding planner. My wedding was on May 4th at Sardis Gardens in Waxahachie, Texas. Peggy's fee was $1880.00 for the Diamond Service, which included "18 non-negotiable services". These services were not detailed until I asked for a detailed list, after Peggy told me that she would not be contacting vendors and making arrangements. This was a service that I thought wedding planners typically provided, and had expected of Dream Come True Weddings.
I paid Peggy $1880. To recommend some vendors, to attend two meetings with myself and Marilyn Mancuso of Sardis Gardens, to send me a *non-customized* budget spreadsheet with my figured plugged in, to prepare a stock format binder with the spreadsheet and tabs, to help with picking stationary (which I paid for at a discount), to call the vendors the week before the wedding to make final arrangments, and to be at the wedding to supervise the caterer.
Dream Come True Weddings advertises in their e-mail "Eliminating your stress by taking care of the rest". However, since they / Peggy did not take care of a good portion of the work - the vendor arrangments, I certainly was not spared stress. That is the first complaint I have - that I did the majority of the work before the wedding.
The second complaint is that I believe I was ripped off. After I got back from my honeymoon, I opened a letter from Marilyn Mancuso of Sardis Gardens stating that my $300 site deposit would not be cleaned up. She alleged that herself and Peggy were left to clean up the site by themselves. I called up Peggy, who reiterated this, and also stated that no one helped set up the site. There were a number of contradictions to my own experience and what some of the guests have told me.
1 - Two friends of mine have told me that they did indeed help clean up the site.
2 - Peggy told me that there was no help setting up tables. The tables were not moved (she said they were) and the caterer was in charge of tablecloths & food. Therefore, what table setup was needed had already been arranged.
3 - Peggy's allegation that no one helped set up anything else is patently false. I saw my Houston friends carry the drinks, coolers and ice to the site and set them up.
4 - Two friends of mine state that they and others helped clean up. Therefore, it is untrue that Peggy and Marilyn were left to clean up by themselves.
5 - In our first meeting, Peggy bragged to me that none of her clients had ever been charged extra for going overtime or for anything else. I had expected the same, but her dropping the ball cost me this security deposit.
On the phone, Peggy blamed me for the supposed lack of cleanup. She stated that I had said I would get my friends to do it. 1 - They did. 2 - I paid Peggy a lot of money to make sure that things were handled. If things were not handled, I believe that to be a breach of contract on Peggy's part. 3 - I had been told on the phone prior to the wedding by Peggy not to worry about cleanup, so I didn't.
I am very concerned that both Peggy and Marilyn are insisting on a story that is not true. I suspect they may have been in agreement on this story, and have fraudulently cost me that security deposit.
Therefore, I am asking for the refund or reimbursement of my security deposit of $300. I am also asking for $1000 of the $1880 back, since I did at least half of the work before the wedding.
Tracey
Austin, Texas
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