MORE than 20 couples and wedding suppliers sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Central Visayas on Friday morning, June 7, 2024, after their wedding planner reportedly had not responded to calls and messages, leading to the cancellation of a wedding last June 5.
The wedding cancellation prompted the couples to troop to the NBI 7 office for fear that their weddings, which are scheduled from June 6 onwards, may also not push through since the wedding and events planning company could not be contacted.
Also, the office of the wedding planner reportedly closed down, while its official Facebook page is still live.
Data gathered by SunStar Cebu from the couples and suppliers showed that the initial amount paid to the wedding planner, whose whereabouts are unknown, reached P3.6 million.
The complainants also said that they learned that the wedding coordinator failed to reserve the required services for their impending nuptials.
Some of the complainants said that the wedding and events planning company showed them an unsigned document on Tuesday, June 4, promising “to pay” and “refund” them the full amount.
“We are afraid we won’t get a refund because of the June 5 cancelled wedding alone...They just sent a message that they would cancel,” said one of the couples in Cebuano.
Another couple said: “They didn’t reply before our event (pre-nuptial shoot). By May 5, we paid for the pre-nup, because that’s what they asked the photographer. We just keep following up; it’s been 10 to 15 days, they don’t reply, and they can’t be reached.”
But it’s not only the couples who have an issue with the wedding planner, food suppliers also lodged a complaint with the NBI 7 due to an unpaid balance from catering services in December 2023.
SunStar Cebu reached out to the wedding planner’s firm, but it has not responded as of this writing.
Meanwhile, NBI 7 Assistant Director Dominador Cimafranca said they have received related cases before, but this is the first time that they have received mass complaints on the issue.
Cimafranca said that these complaints are still subject to assessment and evaluation, though he stressed that they are willing to help and follow the due process. / CDF