Coordinator not responding..

tiggy5555 · June 2011

Ok I hired Lori from Tropical Maui Weddings and she was very informative prior to me booking and up until recently. I have been trying to go over general costs for rentals, music, etc so I can make my realistic budget and so I emailed her on May 3rd with my questions. She wrote back a few days later and said she was really busy with weddings and would email me in two weeks. When I didn't hear from her at the 3 week mark I sent a follow-up email. It's been a week since then and just over a month since my initial email and still nothing. What would you do? I 'm not happy at all because my questions were not in-depth and things she should be able to answer off the top of her head. Being that she already has $1000 of my money shouldn't I get some sort of attention even if my wedding is next year?

maui2011 · June 2011

Sorry to hear about your frustrations...have you tried to contact her on the phone? J.

AKWinterBride · June 2011

I would try to call her as well. They are really busy during these months, but she should be able to at least touch base.

destiny1108 · June 2011

I would call and ask to schedule a time to talk. It is their busy period, but she should be able to get back to you on your questions.

motoLyn · June 2011

I agree with Destiny that calling ahead to schedule a time to talk would be best that way when the appt. time comes Lori would be focused on you. I'm sure all WC are super busy during this time with a bunch of weddings. Good luck.

fabutan · June 2011

To be honest, we ran into very similar problems with Lori, before we even booked her services... As with all vendors, it tends to fluctuate according to how busy they are and this is probably their most busy time of year. As others said, your best bet is to try calling her. Last year, we even had difficulty scheduling a phone appointment! Probably because your wedding is more than a year away, it's less of a priority to them when they're busy with weddings back-to-back right now. Not saying that's right, especially if you paid for full-services....it's just how they might operate at this time of the year, unfortunately.

Due to the responsiveness issue, we ended up not booking Lori (Tropical Maui Weddings) in the end - although she has rave reviews from other brides on this board. I'm sure she'll do a great job on the day itself... If I were you, I'd just keep trying or else be prepared to sit tight until she does respond (which I'm sure she eventually will). If your questions are vendor-specific (i.e. florals, rentals), you might try contacting vendors directly about your questions.

Not sure whether it's of any comfort, but you're definitely not alone in the vendor responsiveness issue. That plagued us throughout the planning period (or maybe I was just impatient or had high expectations?).... just have confidence that your chosen vendors know what they're doing. I'm sure everything will work out in the end!

Tanq&Tonic · June 2011

Ditto fabutan, 100%. I actually ran into the exact same issues with Lori and ended up not booking her either. I am also confident she'll do a great job for you as the time draws closer, but she seems to overbook herself (she actually booked a wedding the night before ours and would not be available to lead a rehearsal) and this is the peak of wedding season.

Phone is always best with Lori - just pick up the phone and call her or her staff (if that person is still around). Once you get her on the phone, I would let her know that the lack of response time is frustrating, and that you would like to come to an agreed upon maximum response window. Something like 14 days now and 2 days within 4 months of the wedding, and ask if she has problems meeting that.

ShantinaMarie · June 2011

I have a diffrent coordinator but my wedding is in 11 days and I don't even know the NAME of the officiant. Which means I have yet to finish my wedding programs. Not super thrilled about this. I felt the same way before we booked her she was quick and great all the reviews were good and then after I paid I would email or call with questions and it would be weeks without hearing from her. I figured once my wedding is closer she would be in contact with me but really 11 days until I get married and I feel kind of let down a bit.

tiggy5555 · June 2011

Thank you al very much...here is an update!

So I decided to call a few vendors and get some lighting quotes, etc. Well they all ask "who is your coordinator?" After telling one girl she tells me that yes they have been really busy...something like 171 weddings in May alone. She says they have a special pricing menu with Lori and that she would personally send her an email remindering Lori to contact me soon. She told me that it was not acceptable to not hear from her for over a month and she'd make sure she sent a polite reminder......6 hours later guess who emailed me!!!!

I guess I got the right person on the phone. We are planning a phoNe meeting this week.

*ShantinaMarie* Totally not cool not knowing who your officiant is. I wonder if she plans on using her brother...she was pushing him in my direction for a while.

*Fabutan* Your post was so helpful, thank you for keeping me on track and realistic.

Celstrial · June 2011

Hi Tiggy,

Glad Lori finally got back to you. I worked with Lori, and I was 1 of the 171 in may

Agree with all other responses, may was the start of a really busy season for them. I worked with Lori for about a year, and around the 6 month mark was when she was quietest. A few thoughts could be phone contact for sure and also she has an assistant, Jackie who you can try to get the contact email for from Lori. Jackie actually responds usually a lot quicker than Lori and is helpful esp with simple questions. I would leave the big stuff for Lori but Jackie is helpful because she is familiar with all of Lori's vendors.

Hang in there! It'll all work out

iallrd8it · June 2011

Hi Tiggy

I'm also using Lori and although she is very busy, she is fantastic. At one point I also had a lot of questions so I emailed requesting a skype date and she called me after a week or two and patiently answered all my questions. I did a lot of research before I booked her and I have complete faith. I booked with her about a year and a half in advance and although we didn't communicate too much for most of that time, since the wedding has been getting closer she is much more available. I guess my best advice is just to try and stay ahead of the game so you can afford to wait a while before she gets back to you.

I have no idea if any of that is helpful at all

tiggy5555 · June 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_coordinator-not-responding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:73Discussion:8822d505-de4f-4ae9-9fb6-830ff2d0fa25Post:9bba7157-f736-43bd-968a-926c1f43aaf9">Re: Coordinator not responding..</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi Tiggy I'm also using Lori and although she is very busy, she is fantastic. At one point I also had a lot of questions so I emailed requesting a skype date and she called me after a week or two and patiently answered all my questions. I did a lot of research before I booked her and I have complete faith. I booked with her about a year and a half in advance and although we didn't communicate too much for most of that time, since the wedding has been getting closer she is much more available. I guess my best advice is just to try and stay ahead of the game so you can afford to wait a while before she gets back to you. I have no idea if any of that is helpful at all :)
Posted by iallrd8it[/QUOTE]

Yes totally helpful. I gave her my schedule and we will be setting a phone appt soon I hope! I have tons of questions because we may cough up the extra money and book Olowalu for the entire day. That's a lot of money and I want to be sure we aren't getting in over our heads with hidden costs.

brazeneye · June 2011

I am feeling your pain.. I am STILL trying to get a caterer and a coordinator..!

CasSwan · June 2011

I almost hired Lori for our wedding but because of the lack of response, I decided not to. She seems really nice and I've read a lot of good reviews. I hope it works out okay. It's so difficult planning a destination wedding and you just want to make sure you can rely on your coordinator. Best of luck!

Coordinator not responding..

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