Linda from My Sister's Affair came recommended to me by the venue I booked with. This story ends with me having a breakdown 30 min before walking down the aisle. Let me tell you what happened, so you can be warned.
After letting Linda know a month before the wedding the final count on the number of entrees and appetizers I would need, she sent me an invoice. What I should have done was to calculate out each item, and what she charged me for, but I just saw the total price at bottom, saw it was less than what I expected, and just wrote the check for that amount. We had a phone call the Monday before the wedding where we confirmed the number of guests and entrees I would need, as well as what services she would provide. I told her I would NOT need her cake cutting services.
Fast forward to the NIGHT BEFORE MY WEDDING. While I am at my rehearsal dinner, I get a text message from Linda saying she is so sorry, but she messed up on my invoice, and needs $1300 more dollars, and to let her know I received her text. A little taken aback, I text her back that I'm at my rehearsal dinner, and will look at it when I get home. I sit down with my fiance once home, and we go item by item down the invoice, (which I admit, I should have done in the first place. I just saw the final total, and thought 'hey, looks good, no need'). That was an hour and a half wasted the night before my wedding trying to figure out the invoice mess.
After looking through the original invoice, it's obvious she miscalculated the cost of the beef section. Her mistake. The exact words in the email I had previously told her were "152 adults, 8 of which will be vegetarian... 11 children." Next to the "beef tenderloin" line, she has qty: 152. For "vegan and children" she has qty: 11. So, now I am being overcharged. My wedding coordinator advised me to agree to nothing right away, and discuss it tomorrow.
So, the day of my wedding, while I'm getting ready, my coordinator comes in and says she will talk with the caterer. I show her our email correspondence, and how the number for beef/chicken meals is over by 8, but how she did mess up the math when multiplying for the beef.
My coordinator comes back and tells me that after arguing my case that as a business owner, if you make a mistake like that, you have to be prepared to eat the cost, and how you don't contact a bride the night before her wedding asking for more money. Linda responded with, "So, we should just pack up then??"
Excuse me?! Even after pointing out how she charged for 152 BEEF meals, instead of 152 adult meals, 8 of which were vegetarian, she responded with, "well, she should have told me about that sooner. I bought beef for 152 people." As I mentioned earlier, I didn't originally examine the invoice after seeing the bottom line cost.
Then, after reluctantly agreeing to write another check, (I'm in tears at this point) my coordinator comes in and tells me there is confusion over who is cutting the cake. Apparently, Linda added a $125 cake-cutting fee, after I told her she would not cut the cake.
Long story short, the food was good, but I was in tears 30 minutes before walking down the aisle because of all the chaos that resulted from her inability to do math and read emails, and her refusal to be a decent business owner and NOT bother the bride the night before her wedding asking for $1300 more for HER mistake. I had no choice but to pay her, because she said she would pack up.
Not recommended. read more
