Wedding Planners / Consultants: Couture Events By Lottie

Vendor Comment:

I was surprised by the review provided recently from Emut N. It's a bit out of nowhere actually. The bride came to us after deciding on her venue (family home), budget (very tight), and date (outdoor in April in Texas). Difficult choices across the board but I agreed to make the best of what we had. We began the planning process and many creative ideas were provided. Because the bride and groom were on such a tight budget, we shopped and found the least expensive ways to create the feel and theme that they were searching for, which was a southern wedding feel. I purchased on my own pocket book vintage windows, pinwheels, treat platters, highboy tables, linens, several bunting flags, I constructed note cards for a birdcage setup, and various signage. I arrived with furniture such as a wreath stand, vintage desk for setup, vintage cameras, food and dessert platters, vintage suitcases for display, books to be used as props, sheppard's hooks, floral arrangements, lawn games, galvanized tubs for all of the drinks, and I also was courteous enough to pick up the rental stereo equipment so that the couple would be saved $125 on the delivery charge. Several times during the course of planning the bride would change or strike items on the list due to lack of money, which made it harder and harder to accomplish our original set atmosphere. But I continued to come up with ways of making great impacts with very to little money. Four weeks before the wedding I get a frantic call from the bride that they may be calling off the wedding or picking a new venue because her pet chicken was killed by something on the same property that the wedding was to be held. As crazy as it sounded, I was supportive and uplifting. I specifically remember telling her that if she needed anything to call me, that I was there for her. It just seemed as though the bride was always unhappy. She actually arrived to the wedding almost an hour late from makeup and hair and then was mad about someone in her family. It was a very uncomfortable situation to be put in. Originally I referred them to a florist who gave them an unbelievable deal on flowers but then the bride shaved it all the way down to a bouquet and bout. Because I felt obligated to provide the bridesmaids bouquets, I purchased and arranged pinwheels and baby's breath at no charge. The same florist that made remotely no profit on the couple came out and offered her floral services on the day of at no charge as a favor to me. She brought flowers from a wedding that just so happened to be the same colors that took place the night before. Yet the bride acted as though she didn't notice these beautiful arrangements although she had to have known she didn't pay for them. Again, one day before the wedding the bride and groom let me know that they were cutting tables and linens because the rental company never got the check they "supposedly" sent them. So in order to make things right and not have to cut tables and linens, I made a call and they agreed to provide these at no charge as a favor to me. These are people and vendors that I recommend so my hopes are that my clients are not going to burn them, making me look and feel badly. I felt used and betrayed by the couple. We went above and beyond doing things such as cutting their cake, cleaning up and bagging trash, manning the stereo equipment during the ceremony because they did not have money to pay for a dj. All of these things most wedding planners would charge for. I did it out of the goodness of my heart. We took one of the worst atmospheres as far as location and situations and made a beautiful wedding from it. One that I would be proud to show work from. It's really crazy because the photos have not come out yet and I guarantee that if any client were to see them and see our work, they would be moved to hire us in a heartbeat. My quality and attention to detail speaks volumes for one girl who is upset because she couldn't afford the wedding of her dreams. We got several compliments from guests at the wedding saying what a great job we did and how they couldn't believe the transformation. It's even crazier because when the groom saw the work we had done, he said it was better than he had ever imagined it to be. One guest said we have a way with details that is a gift. I have discussed the situation with my vendors, Red Sole Events, Culinary Arts Catering and Big D Party Rentals so if anyone is interested in their insight, please feel free to contact them. They will vouch for the quality and professionalism that Couture Events by Lottie is known for. Images from the wedding: http://everylastdetailblog.com/2011/07/15/rustic-eclectic-texas-wedding/