I've waited two years to write this review because I hoped my feelings would have changed. They…read morehave not. I'm still upset about how Sondra handled my wedding.
I hired Sondra to help me plan my wedding because she was a family friend and helped out with my twin sister's memorial. I purchased full planning from her because my wedding expertise at the time was novel and I wanted a pro to help me. Full planning included vendor selection, budget advice and construction, vendor contract and negotiations, guidance with menu selection, creation of a floor plan and timeline, confirming arrangements with the venue manager, attendance at the wedding rehearsal, direct liaison with vendors, final bill review, and hotel accommodations.
She only completed three of these services. She joined me in vendor meetings via zoom, ran the rehearsal, and coordinated the wedding day. Every other part of the wedding planning process was done by me or the other vendors. She did not create a budget, timeline, or layout, and when there were venue and vendor issues because of COVID, my mom and I handled everything. She did not help with design at all and the worst part is she didn't set out our dinner menus, ceremony programs, or toasting glasses. These are things that any experienced planner would have asked for the night before so she could have set them out the day of the wedding. The reason I know this is because I am an event planner and over the past two years I have done almost 150 weddings.
Our photo booth also caused me a ton of stress. She should have been liaising with this vendor but didn't. They canceled at the last minute and instead of problem-solving or handling this as she was supposed to have done, per our contract, she just decided not to tell me. The thing that I'm most upset about is that I made a fun venue scavenger hunt and a crossword puzzle on the programs so our guests would have something to do during cocktail hour. The wedding was at a historical mansion that had tons of amazing features like an underground tavern, hand-carved statues, and incredible stained glass windows. The goal of the scavenger hunt was to allow guests to explore the beautiful mansion but because Sondra did not have the foresight to ask for these things before the wedding day, my guests never got to do the scavenger hunt and they had no idea that they were allowed to explore the grounds. Sondra had no relevant information about the venue because I liaised with them and the other vendors. She also did not set out our party favors or custom toasting glasses which were a gift from my mom. All of these items were with the other decor, and she never once thought to ask me or the decorators about them. I had 1000 other things to do on that day, including handling the hair and makeup timeline, making sure the flowers were delivered, meeting the other vendors (another two things Sondra should have done), ensuring that everyone had lunch, and getting myself ready for the day, etc. I hired a planner to think of and handle these small details so I wouldn't have to.
When I told her I was upset about these things that didn't get done, she said she didn't read minds and she couldn't have possibly known about them. This is untrue. I had sent her a text with photos of the menus and programs literally days before the wedding. The favors and toasting glasses were right next to the menus and programs with the rest of the decor. All she had to do was ask me or the decorators about them, instead, she blamed the decorators for not setting those items out. No! Setting out personal items is the job of the day of coordinator, any experienced planner knows this. Even if setting these items out was delegated to the decorators, Sondra as the event coordinator should have double-checked the tasks were done. Her job was to make sure the setup was complete. She didn't do this.
Sondra is a very nice person and I've seen her other work. It's phenomenal. I'm just still upset, even after two years, that when it came to my special day, so many things were missed. I received no help managing the vendors during the planning process nor on the day of the wedding, this is especially frustrating since everything was done during COVID and while I was battling a severe illness. I needed her to do her job, and whatever coordination she did do on the day was not confirmed with me. I saw her lounging for hours by the fire pit with my husband's family when she should have been coordinating vendor meals, speeches, cake-cutting, and parent dances. She took zero responsibility for her actions or lack thereof and even though I had a wonderful time, I often think about how things would have been way less stressful and disappointing if I had just hired a planner with more wedding experience or someone with more time. I know she had a lot on her plate during my wedding, but that does not excuse the fact that I didn't receive the planning services I expected, paid for, and needed.
