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On Your Side: Wedding Planner Woes
posted 5:05 pm Wed February 13, 2008 -
ANCHOR:
HERE'S A STORY JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S DAY. IT'LL GIVE FUTURE BRIDES AND GROOMS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, WHEN THEY'RE PLANNING THEIR WEDDINGS.
EVEN "7 ON YOUR SIDE" COULDN'T PATCH THINGS UP WHEN THIS "RELATIONSHIP" WENT SOUR. HERE'S ROSS MCLAUGHLIN.
Ross McLaughlin:
THESE WERE HAPPIER TIMES BETWEEN SHELLIE COURY AND HER WEDDING PLANNER TREVIA NEWELL, BUT JUST BEFORE THE WEDDING THE BRIDE GOT DUMPED BY THE WEDDING PLANNER AND NOTHING COULD REPAIR THIS RELATIONSHIP.
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IT MAY LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE PERFECT WEDDING: DOVES, BAGPIPER, STRING QUARTET BUT THE PLANNING WASN'T EASY.
Bryan and Shellie Coury: "It was horrible, it was horrible, bad all the way across the board."
BUT WHY? ALL THE STRESS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HANDLED BY THEIR WEDDING PLANNER, TREVIA NEWELL OF CALLA LILY EVENTS. SHE WAS PAID 58 HUNDRED DOLLARS TO PLAN EVERYTHING. BUT ONE MONTH BEFORE THE OCTOBER WEDDING, EVERYTHING FELL APART. Shellie Coury: "She bailed."
Ross: "Did she give you any money back?"
Bryan Coury: "Nothing."
Shellie Coury: "She actually asked us for some money."
AND THEIR WEDDING CAME IN WAY OVER BUDGET.
Bryan Coury: "All said and done...Over 200 thousand."
WOW! SO WHAT HAPPENED? CALLA LILY EVENTS WEBSITE SAYS "WE ARE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING" EXCEPT...
Ross: "Hi, it's Ross McLaughlin calling from 7 On your Side."
THE WEDDING PLANNER TOLD US SHE COULDN'T HANDLE THE COUPLE AND QUOTE, "I told Shellie I couldn't work with her anymore."
Shellie Coury: "I started hysterically crying."
CLEARLY TENSION WAS HIGH ALL AROUND. SO SHELLIE AND BRYAN SENT THE WEDDING PLANNER A LETTER canceling HER SERVICES. WHAT THEY GOT BACK WAS A DOCUMENT CLAIMING THEY OWED HER MONEY. BUT WHAT ABOUT SOME OF THE DEPOSITS THE COUPLE HAD PAID. THE WEDDING PLANNER CLAIMED THEY WERE FORFEITED. AND NOW THE REST OF THE PLANNING WAS UP TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM.
Bryan Coury: "She would not release any information to us so we could proceed on with our wedding."
THEY HAD TO TRACK DOWN THE VENDORS, AND THEY WANTED TO SEE INVOICES AND PROOF WHY CALA LILLY HAD A RIGHT TO KEEP THEIR MONEY...BUT,
Bryan: "She's completely..."
Shellie: "Gone!"
Bryan: "Off the face of the planet."
MAYBE WE CAN HELP. WE GO TO THE MAILING ADDRESS.
Ross: "Not here obviously."
THAT DIDN'T WORK. AND CALLING? THE WEDDING PLANNER SAID SHE'D MEET WITH US, THEN...
Ross: "She said speak to their attorney then hung up, I don't know who their attorney is."
ACCORDING TO CORPORATE PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, CALLA LILY IS OWNED BY TREVIA AND RYAN NEWELL AND LOCATED HERE AT A HOUSE IN FORT WASHINGTON.
Ross: "Hi I'm Ross McLaughlin from 7 On Your Side. Are you Ryan?
Ryan: "Uh."
Ross: "We're looking for Trevia."
Ryan: "Not here."
Ross: "Is she here?"
Ryan: "No."
BUT HE'S ALSO A PARTNER...
Ross: "Why you hiding behind the door if you got nothing to hide? Hey hello. Hello?"
THEY DON'T HAVE TO TALK TO US...BUT THEY STILL HAVE UNRESOLVED ISSUES WITH THE COURYS.
Bryan Coury: "I don't want this to happen to somebody else."
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FINALLY GOT A CALL FROM AN ATTORNEY Friday WHEN THEY KNEW THE STORY WAS RUNNING BUT WE HAVEN'T TALKED YET.
WE CAN ALSO TELL YOU CALLA LILY EVENTS HAS AN UNSATISFACTORY RECORD WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.
HERE'S WHAT WE'VE LEARNED...
MAKE SURE YOU GET SIGNED COPIES OF AGREEMENTS BEFORE WORKING WITH A WEDDING PLANNER. TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THE COMPANY AND MAKE SURE YOU CAN DEAL DIRECTLY WITH VENDORS INCLUDING PAYING THEM AND SIGNING CONTRACTS.
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