Hawaii

WC Frustrations (My Previous Post Diasppeared!)

I don't know what to think of her. I get the vibe that she doesn't really like to do weddings and just wants to do what she wants to do instead of what the bride wants to do. Granted, she has honored my requests, but with some resistance... For example, I really want these lights: I told her a few months back, but she was so discouraging, saying it would be out of my budget, etc. So I let it go. I found out from another person getting married on Maui that he is going to have café lights at his wedding for $1/foot installed. Hmm...that doesn't sound too expensive, right?! So I inquire with a Maui Rents, and that's what they quoted me. I told her that I was quoted this price, so she went and inquired with one of three, yes, three, rental companies that she has hired for my wedding since she couldn't get everything at one. They quoted $375 to adequately light a 30'x75' tent, which btw, was not the original tent she told me I'd have. First she said 40'x60', but never informed me that the rental company's 40'x60' tent was already booked, so she went ahead and booked the 30'x60' tent--without notifying me of the change. She then says the rental company said a 30'x75' tent better suits my needs. I asked her if I could meet with the rental company that she booked my tent and lights with, but she said, "No" and that she would forward the photo of the lights that was sent to her. Uhm...she e-mailed me with the exact photo that I sent to her! Not sure if the rental company really provided her with the photo (above) or if she just resent it back to me...kinda fishy, I think... Anyway, she also makes unneccessary comments. We talked about lighting before as well and she said, "Uplighting is a waste of money." There are other ways of saying that, but she chose those words. She has this negative personality about her and I feel like I can't trust her all that much, but at this point I don't want to drop her since we already paid her a non-refundable fee. It's just so frustrating to have a WC that isn't enthusiastic about your wedding, who wants to do things cookie cutter, who doesn't see your vision, and who is just discouraging about "different" ideas. I don't think what I want is so far fetched, so I don't know what her deal is... Any thoughts?
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Re: WC Frustrations (My Previous Post Diasppeared!)

  • I couldn't post the pic of the lights, but they are café lights (you can look it up on Google...)
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  • It's a tough cost to eat, but I say if you're not happy now, you're not going to be happy with the end result.  I think you should find someone who wants to do your wedding your way.  Personally, having a day we want and with less stress seems worth the deposit to me, but that does depend too on your budget and financials.

  • I like the lights by the way.  Very pretty

  • I looked up those lights on google and didn't see anything that looked right so I'm not sure what you're looking for, but that's not really the point.

    The point is, you're uncomfortable. 

    It's time for a change. I would just tell her that her attitude just lost her some business and you've talked about her on theknot and that she'd better work fast to fix her reputation, and find another WC.
  • Hi Diana,

    I also think you should drop her, but I can imagine that you're reluctant to do so for many reason - including all the time you've invested in conveying your image to her - and what it would entail to bring someone else up-to-speed.

    One option to consider, if you don't want to jump ship completely, would be to see if your 'day of' person can take over as your primary point of contact.  You've mentioned that you really like her and her enthusiasm, and it sounds like what you really need is someone who is going to be supportive in all of this.

    Rachel
  • Thank you ALL for the support! I'll have to talk it over with my FI, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up dropping her. Rachel, I did like your idea about using my day-of coordinator instead! I'm surprised you remember that, but it sounds like a great idea.... I think I'm going to definitely try to talk about the situation with my WC and let her know how I'm unhappy (this situation isn't the only one! For those of you who remember, she put a hold on Olowalu before even mentioning anything to me, thus cornering me into hiring her in order to have our wedding there on the date we want). Hopefully I can try to recover some if not all of my deposit since for the most part, I'm the one who has booked the majority of the vendors...she barely has to lift a finger. But I think being happy and stress free far outweighs how much we will lose on our deposit... Thanks, again, and I'll of course keep you all posted!
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  • OMG, now I want cafe lights!
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_wc-frustrations-previous-post-diasppeared?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:75f1c79d-8b18-4c7b-8f51-ed27d8198e6aPost:9ea5b42f-2aff-4dcb-988a-bea69e607fb5">Re: WC Frustrations (My Previous Post Diasppeared!)</a>:
    [QUOTE]Thank you ALL for the support! I'll have to talk it over with my FI, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up dropping her. Rachel, I did like your idea about using my day-of coordinator instead! I'm surprised you remember that, but it sounds like a great idea.... I think I'm going to definitely try to talk about the situation with my WC and let her know how I'm unhappy (this situation isn't the only one! For those of you who remember,<strong> she put a hold on Olowalu before even mentioning anything to me, thus cornering me into hiring her in order to have our wedding there on the date we want).</strong> Hopefully I can try to recover some if not all of my deposit since for the most part, I'm the one who has booked the majority of the vendors...she barely has to lift a finger. But I think being happy and stress free far outweighs how much we will lose on our deposit... Thanks, again, and I'll of course keep you all posted!
    Posted by dianalynm[/QUOTE]

    A wedding coordinator that i was talking with before I ended up hiring my current WC put a hold on olowalu for the date that I wanted.  Thus I had two options, since each hold can only done for a limited time if there is no deposit I could wait for that hold to expire or just ask the WC to pull the hold that she has so my actual WC can place the hold for me.  But I imagine that since you're date is much more in high demand that you were going to have to hire to ensure you have your date.  I hope that you find a resolution to your issue.  In the end its your wedding, the one day that you want it to be what you pictured.  If cafe lights is what you want.  Go for it.
  • I love cafe lights, if you want them - you should have them!!  I think your WC is making a bad choice in conducting her business like that, and if she loses business she deserves it!  She should be all about giving you what you want, not trying to force her idea of a wedding upon you. 
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  • Oh I really feel for you Diana, you're in a tough spot! 

    Back when we were picking our WC, I interviewed yours too, but decided to go with Cherise as we thought she had a warmer, friendlier non pushy vibe about her. I remember your WC and another one trying to push us to place a hold on Olowalu with them before we felt ready to do so. Their pushiness to comit to a date with them was a big turn off for us.

    Before you drop your WC, you should have a good long conversation with her, maybe she'll change her attitude if you highlight your concerns. But if she's unwilling to change, I definitely agree with you that its worth losing the deposit for a happier/less stressful experience.

    Keep us posted, good luck!
    Lees

    Ps Love the lights!
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  • Lees - 1 week and 5 days?!?!?  Wow!!  When did that happen?  :)  Your wedding is going to be amazing and you will not regret using Cherise, she is so sweet, calm, and just all around great!
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  • dianalynmdianalynm member
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    edited January 2012
    Just spoke with Cherise and she was so sweet.

    Now, I just have to get over the hurdle of speaking with my current planner. My stomach is doing flips!!! The concern is that since Olowalu is contracted with my current planner and us, she may just be mean and take away the venue from me :( So I'm trying to figure out how to be as professional and cordial as possible as to not lose my beloved venue! Please cross your fingers...

    I'll keep you all posted!
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  • Good Luck Diana, hope you get to have your dream venue.
    ps, we're with Cherise too and I couldn't imagine a better WC.....she is so supportive through every little decision.
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  • Aw man, I hope it all works out. Let us know how the dumping goes! FWIW, I LOVE both the cafe lights and uplights! Honestly, I think lighting brings WAY more for decor and ambiance than flowers do. We uplit the trees at Olowalu, and that added SO much to it.
  • Kaesha, I agree! I think uplighting photographs so beautifully and definitely adds a nice ambiance to any space... :)

    I love the look of this especially:


    So pretty! :)
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  • We are getting cafe lights added to our wedding decor (for the dance floor) at the request of our photographer (Nick Pugay - yay Nick!) in order to have better night shots so that there is something to bounce the light off of.  Our WC (D'Lish Catering)  immediately accomodated our request and even sent our pictures of what she thought would help us all out.  I would definitely ditch the WC, from the sounds of it, she's not really taking any of your suggestions into considerating.. just dismissing them.  Poo on her!
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