This is a review for Trumpet Vine's service, because you can't be in the service industry and treat your clients like they "owe" you or speak to them like they are trash. We pay for a service, you deliver it. It should be simple. I am not paying thousands of dollars to flatter you, I am paying in exchange for professionalism and catering services. Trumpet Vine is accustomed to a clientele that does not blink when handing over their credit cards and it shows in the offense they take when their pricing is questioned or when their contract and policies are scrutinized. They have no sympathy for brides who are on a budget and are trying to have a beautiful, but still affordable, wedding.
I had initially contacted them a year before my wedding date and they had taken some time to get back to me. We took a while to get a menu solidified, and drove up for a tasting a couple months later. I loved Gayle, who was my primary contact and who welcomed us. The food was delicious. The spread was wonderful. We were very happy, HOWEVER, when we started to talk about the details of the contract, that's when things got awkward. I had a list of questions from my coordinator of what I should ask, and asked Gayle to make some adjustments to the contract. Mostly just details of what we spoke about. Jennie, the head chef, poked her head in and said that they had worked at our venue hundreds of times and that I didn't need to worry and that they knew what they were doing. I politely insisted that I would still like things on paper. She then brusquely reminded us that we had a deposit to pay and that we had to pay it before we left. That was so unpleasant for me because we had just enjoyed a beautiful meal and the chef comes in to berate us for the check? Gayle was very sweet and tried to cover up the rudeness of her colleague but by then the damage had been done.
After I paid the $1000 deposit, it was ghost town. The correspondences I had tried to start up with TVC were futile. No one was responding to me, and when they did respond, it was weeks later. Also, I don't understand why TVC handles rentals. They must have a deal with All About Events because it just made the entire process confusing, complicated, and a major headache. I received a rentals quote from Gayle, but I had no idea which item was for what reason. The numbers were all over the place and so haphazard. My coordinator and I spent so much time in the labyrinth that was the rentals invoice trying to figure out WHY and FOR WHAT? I wanted to know exactly what I was paying for -- this is normal. What is not normal is the hassle it took to figure that out!
Finally, a month before my wedding, no one had reached out to confirm with me the final menu or the timeline for the day. I was sending emails to Gayle, but for some reason, Jennie was responding. What had happened to Gayle? I took the initiative to reach out to them, and after I had sent in the final payment, there was another invoice sent to my coordinator 3 days before my wedding, even though I was the one handling payments and menu since the beginning! So disorganized! When I voiced that I had sent a FINAL payment for a FINAL invoice and refused to pay extra for their oversight, Jennie threw a FIT and threatened to send collections to collect their money, sent me emails insulting me and my coordinator, and pretty much treated me like I was dirt. She made the claim that they were the only reason my wedding was a success and we were ungrateful and unappreciative. This brought me to tears because it's not true, and I've been a catering server before so I know how hard it is. Every person that we passed that was a part of TVC on the day of our wedding, we said "thank you." We are appreciative, and we are also in the food industry, so we know how difficult it can be, however ...
I can't believe that they would speak to a paying client the way that they did, and even though we were very happy with the catering and the service the day of the wedding, I cannot stand behind the way they treated us afterward. The way you leave a person is the most lasting impression that they will have of you. I would not recommend TVC to any bride. read more