New Jersey

Officiant blows off couple 3 weeks before wedding...

I found an officiant 6 months ago on theknot.com .. Jessie Ferriera jessieweddings.com ... I was very pleased with the price, her very quick response to our inquiry and just her apperance and background in general. We were so excited to get to meet her and go over our wedding ceremony but it seemed once I paid her the 100 dollar deposit she disappeared.
 
I sent her an email asking if she received my first 2 emails inquiring about when we could meet.. finally she gets back to us saying her email was on the fritz and she can meet us Tuesday.. now mind you, we are 3 weeks from the wedding,..  I email her on Tuesday to confirm which thankfully I did because she canceled on us. We rescheduled for Saturday, exactly 3 weeks before our wedding.

I tell her we are home all day what time works for her she says noon, we agree. I make plans for 1:30 in the afternoon since we have many other wedding plans to attend to thinking we will be finished with her by then. I do not hear from her and at 12:40 I check my email and get an email from her saying she is running late. It's 40 minutes later and she couldn't even pick up the phone to call us and notify us, she sends an email?  I am not the most computer savvy person so I don't check my email constantly so thank god I did or I wouldn't have even known.  

I still felt this was very unprofessional, we set a time for her to be there and here it is 40 minutes later and still not there and no phone call so I I send her an email explaining how we have other plans besides her to do today and this is unprofessional behavior after canceling on us once and then emailing to say she'll be late but not picking up the phone and being almost an HOUR late as it was.

She in turns write back and says she will no longer perform our ceremony because this made her uncomfortable and that I told her we'd be home all day. Well I didn't realize I needed to explain to her that picking a time meant we would make other plans around her. That said, 3 weeks before our wedding and we have no officiant now and we are out $100.   I did get an email from her saying she will refund the money so I will give her the benefit of the doubt for now although her track record so far is not a very good one.

If you want an officiant who actually cares about your wedding and marriage and sticks to appointments  then I would highly advise avoiding this woman. This is NOT what a bride wants to be dealing with 3 weeks before her wedding esp. when this was something we took care of and locked in SIX months ago.

Re: Officiant blows off couple 3 weeks before wedding...

  • HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
    5000 Comments Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2011
    That's so awful. Have you found another officiant?   I highly recommend calling April Beer.
     
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  • bereasonable2bereasonable2 member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    Wow.  $150 more for a bilingual ceremony.  She using that money to pay for language lessons or something?
  • bereasonable2bereasonable2 member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    Talk about nickel and diming - $30 for a moment of silence!??!?!  A moment of slience now cost money?  She has effectively set the market rate for a moment of slience.  LOL
  • cindy9178cindy9178 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I would definitely keep on her about refunding your money.. I don't give anybody the benefit of the doubt, especially in a situation like this.
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  • edited December 2011
    my fiancee also commented on the charging for a moment of silence.. to be honest, i really don't think im going to get my money back..  she is also hocking favors etc on her website so it's obviously not about marrying people .. it's about making money...  and she already made $100 off of us ... it was so easy.. we do have a contract but to have to start a legal battle over $100 will only cost us more in the end...   thanks for your comments.. we are meeting with someone weds. so hopefully we will find someone who actually cares about marrying us AND she'll actually be on time for our  meeting! :)
  • maddie7maddie7 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Wow! Go with the recommended people from this site and you will do ok. Hope it works out. 
  • edited December 2011
    i actually found her on theknot.com believe it or not!  that's the scary part..  i hope none of my other vendors flake... i've only used vendors from the knot. 
  • HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
    5000 Comments Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2011
    From the looks of her website she is quite shady.  She's selling favors and wedding planning services is very unusual for a so called "wedding officient".  That would have been a red flag to me from the start.  Good luck.
     
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  • edited December 2011
    Wow, I hope my officiant can also provide dance lessons! Lol. That moment of silence charge is unreal.
  • goaliegirlgoaliegirl member
    Eighth Anniversary 1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_officiant-blows-off-couple-3-weeks-before-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:5a8f88c2-cdc7-4466-951c-8e0eacbaa07fPost:c545215b-62cb-40df-826d-d6304850477e">Re: Officiant blows off couple 3 weeks before wedding...</a>:
    [QUOTE]i actually found her on theknot.com believe it or not!  that's the scary part..  i hope none of my other vendors flake... i've only used vendors from the knot. 
    Posted by mattandtobytaylor[/QUOTE]

    Sorry to hear this happened to you, hope you can find somebody at this point.

    Keep in mind that just because a vendor is listed on theknot.com means nothing....vendors pay for advertising on here.   So, always ask on the boards and check around for reviews, and check the Better Business Bureau before booking a vendor.  I would never just look on theknot website and assume somebody is a reliable/good vendor.

    Also, anybody these days can become and officiant. There are websites that train/certify someone to do wedding ceremonies in NJ, so I don't see the big deal if somebody is doing other wedding related services in addition to being an officiant.
  • edited December 2011
    thanks for the tips. i thought the knot venders were vetted... like i said, not the most computer savvy person and not really a big bride magazine reader etc.  this was my "go-to" source.. oh well, live and learn! :)
  • edited December 2011
    Jessie Ferriera never sent back our deposit after she said she would when she backed out on us.   This woman is a scam artist.
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