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June 2012 Weddings
CvilleClaire
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David Tutera sued by couples
The Today Show is doing a story about two clients suing him for not showing up in the Dominican Republic for their wedding and they would up scrambling to pull vendors together. The budget was $15,000 (seems cheap, but perhaps that's great for a DR wedding?) and costs tripled.
There's clearly more to the story...the segment was only about two minutes long.
Another couple sued him last year and he settled with them. Who knew?
There's clearly more to the story...the segment was only about two minutes long.
Another couple sued him last year and he settled with them. Who knew?
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Re: David Tutera sued by couples
Why are they suing him? Because he said he would show up and he didn't. Why couldn't they just follow through on their plans and not hope someone would show? I don't really know how these things work. haha
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[QUOTE]If the planner who supposedly hired all the vendors isn't there, no one is going to get those vendors to execute their contracts. When you hire a full planner, they do it all...you just show up. I imagine they showed up...to nothing.
Posted by CvilleClaire[/QUOTE]
That is horrible! :( I would sue him too.
[QUOTE]I saw that article in the NY Daily News. Apparently he didn't show up the day of the wedding and told the couple he was flying back for a relative in the hospital but it was really for his show. Their budget was $10,000 and ended up being $30,000 when he was done. The cake never showed up and I think there was something else in the article I can't remember right now.
Posted by Melissa603[/QUOTE]
Even if he had to leave for an emergency, he should have left someone in charge..... so horrible!
Kind of interesting, overall. Really makes me wonder. The article makes a big deal that he was "two-timing them" and also taping his show when he was "supposed" to be working on his wedding...don't most wedding planners work on more than one project at a time? Not to mention, a lot of wedding planners - and even DOCs - charge an arm and a leg, and they expected someone as well-known, experienced, and generally famous as David Tutera to plan them a $10,000 wedding?
Not that I'm trying to defend him, if he's guilty he really should be paying for this. Not to mention you'd think the guy would have assistants in case of emergency or something. I just feel like we're missing a lot of the story - and we'll probably never get it.
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: David Tutera sued by couples : Even if he had to leave for an emergency, he should have left someone in charge..... so horrible!
Posted by doeie04[/QUOTE]
This. Emergencies happen (although I don't consider a show to be an emergency), so ANY vendor needs to be prepared for the off-chance that something happens that physically keeps them from fulfilling their duties. A person's wedding day is important, so to leave them hanging like that, isn't just unprofessional, it's just plain MEAN.
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[QUOTE]If I were him I wouldn't take a wedding for only $10,000. He's too talented for that like he's more known for luxury weddings
Posted by Zimsgirl[/QUOTE]
<div>It doesn't matter if he should or should not accept smaller budget weddings. If he did agree to do it, then he should follow-through on his contracts.</div>
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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: David Tutera sued by couples : It doesn't matter if he should or should not accept smaller budget weddings. If he did agree to do it, then he should follow-through on his contracts.
Posted by julbgordo[/QUOTE]
The couple should've known their vendors and had contact info
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[QUOTE]I knew there was more to it than they could fit in the segment.<strong> I personally find his style a bit gaudy.</strong>..it fits that he is based where I grew up! I also think he's a bit too attention grabbing. I saw the wedding video of a couple who used him (a real clients, not people who were on the show) and <strong>he was just as loud and on camera as on the show</strong>! I'm paying the planner to execute behind the scenes, not to be in the spotlight!
Posted by CvilleClaire[/QUOTE]
I agree that the weddings are pretty over-the-top and crazy, but I've seen pictures of other weddings that are similar these days; sadly, it seems to be a trend (probably just another one pushed by the Wedding Machine).
As for the second comment...you generally don't get to be famous for being modest and reserved. Even without the reality show he was making a huge name for himself, and that name wouldn't be terribly memorable if he was not over-the-top in both design and personality.
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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: David Tutera sued by couples : The couple should've known their vendors and had contact info
Posted by Zimsgirl[/QUOTE]
<div>Maybe. But if you hire a WC to handle everything for you, especially one of his stature ... there's a certain amount of service that you expect and rightfully so.</div><div>
</div><div>My brother and SIL hired a WC for their wedding and her big thing was "I've worked with David Tutera." Their budget was by no means small ... and she couldn't even work within that. She was hired to do <strong>everything </strong>for the wedding. Was paid <strong>handsomely</strong> and <strong>failed </strong>big time. Unfortunately, my brother and SIL let people push them over. I would not have tolerated that.</div><div>
</div><div>If he was hired as a full-on WC and signed a contract with these couples, then he should be sued by them for not following through on the agreement.</div><div>
</div><div>It doesn't come down to who he is or what he does. It comes down to a legal document.</div>
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[QUOTE]If it was a family emergency then you can't fault him for that. If I was trusting someone with my wedding and money Id make sure I knew who was hired and had their information. Maybe that's because I'm a bit of a control freak but I wouldn't just let them run loose with my money and wedding.
Posted by Zimsgirl[/QUOTE]
Well it wasn't a family emergency based on what was posted.
And again, emergencies happen. He needs to be prepared for that and have backup plans in the event a real emergency does happen. I agree that I (also a control freak) woud need to know all the details, but some people really don't want to know or don't have time to know depending on their lives. He left them high and dry on their WEDDING DAY. And if it was truly that much of an emergency, he needed to give the contact numbers and whatnot to the bride (text them to her or call her) so she has them so SHE can make it all work. He basically left it that she was stranded. I don't care if the wedding was 10k or 100k. He stranded them on the biggest day of their lives.
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[QUOTE]In Response to Re: David Tutera sued by couples :<strong> Well it wasn't a family emergency based on what was posted</strong>. And again, emergencies happen. <strong>He needs to be prepared for that and have backup plans in the event a real emergency does happen.</strong> I agree that I (also a control freak) woud need to know all the details, but some people really don't want to know or don't have time to know depending on their lives. He left them high and dry on their WEDDING DAY. <strong>And if it was truly that much of an emergency, he needed to give the contact numbers and whatnot to the bride </strong>(text them to her or call her) so she has them so SHE can make it all work. He basically left it that she was stranded. I don't care if the wedding was 10k or 100k. He stranded them on the biggest day of their lives.
Posted by chelseamb11[/QUOTE]
His publicist has come out and said it was a family emergency.
And as to the rest of it...only if it's in the contract. We turned down a photographer with great work because her emergency back-up plan was to give us the name of one other photog, and if she wasn't available or we didn't like her, she refunded our money - even if it was the day before the wedding. If the couple did not ask for an emergency plan, and there wasn't one in the contract, Tutera may not (legally) be at fault. Morally, maybe; but not legally.
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Zim- I'm sure if you paid someone thousands of dollars to do something and they didn't, not to mention on one of the biggest days of your life, you would be piissed and want that money back.
Some people hire a WC because they don't have the desire or time to deal with all the details. That is the job of the WC. If he failed his job as a WC they should at least get the money they paid him back. (I am not saying either person is at fault in this article, I didn't read it. I am talking in a general sense.)
As for this occassion, I can't see where they would have spent the extra $20,000 on? I can't imagine a cake and some other important stuff costing that much. AT ALL. It sounds like he screwed them so they tried to screw him by spending a crap ton on stuff thinking they would get it back.
Edit: I should have read the article before commenting on the extra $20,000. I didn't realize David upped it. It was pretty stupid of them to up their budget 3 times what they were going to spend in the first place. Bad judgment on their part there.
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Taste levels are different, clearly. Some like classic elegance, some like shock and awe. That's fine.
Regardless, any vendor worth their salt as an iron clad emergency plan. If he didn't, he's the latest case of "the emperor's new clothes" to hit the wedding industry.
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[QUOTE]I personally think it's all an act. He obviously has a publicist that know how he needs to sell himself. He could care less about those brides.
Posted by kelsey+brandon[/QUOTE]
Agreed!
Also, I thought My Fair Wedding was kind of like those shows where they come and rescue you and pay for it all. Am I wrong?