Disappointing experience
I initially hired Maddy because I loved her personality and her laid back, go-with-the-flow attitude. She also had great reviews on The Knot and Wedding Wire. I hired Maddy as a partial planner. I live in California, but I was planning a wedding in Pittsburgh, PA so I felt that I needed extra help since I wasn't there to oversee everything. In the end, Maddy's carefree attitude ended up biting me in the butt, and here's why:
Maddy created a profile for me on the site Aisle Planner. She created a blank template of a timeline that remained blank until I started inputting the information myself. I ended up completing the entire timeline (with complete detail!) with no help from Maddy. My photographer commented on how well the timeline was organized and I scoffed at the thought that she thought Maddy put it together!
The two weeks leading up to the wedding, she was absent in responding to my emails and texts. She couldn’t even respond to my texts after asking if she received my final Venmo payment. It took her several days to respond to questions that I had regarding the timeline, linens, and greenery. My wedding was on October 16th, and during the time between October 1st - 8th she was unresponsive to my multiple texts and emails. During this time, this is when I should’ve had most of her attention, and that wasn’t the case at all.
On the day of the rehearsal she showed up late. It may have only been 15-20 minutes or so, but regardless, she was the person who was supposed to be coordinating the entire rehearsal. It’s simply unprofessional. Once we began rehearsal, I felt like she had a lackadaisical attitude, and my bridal party also felt the same way. I know she has a very carefree and go-with-the-flow attitude (which I can often appreciate), but this was an instance that was chaotic and needed clear direction. I felt like I was the one leading the rehearsal, and this should’ve been her job. After we ran through the rehearsal once, she seemed preoccupied like she had somewhere else to be. She then admitted that she had another wedding to go help with so she “had to jet.” It was very obvious to my husband and I that our wedding was not something she seemed interested in, and that she was likely focused on other weddings. We certainly did not feel like we were her priority.
On our wedding day, there were many things I noticed that she didn’t do the way we had originally discussed. Maddy knew that I wasn't going to have flowers for my wedding - the venue itself was beautiful, so I just wanted an ambiance of greenery (eucalyptus) and candles (floating in a glass cylinder and also votive candles). For one, the guest book table was completely bare; no greens and no candles. When I first arrived and saw it, I just assumed that she must have run out of votives and cylinders to use. However, this wasn’t the case. I have a box of 72 unopened, unused votives and also a box of 22 cylinders that hadn’t been used. This is really disappointing to me because I feel like she didn’t bring my vision to life. Also, it’s disappointing that I wasted time and money trying to find these votives and candles and then they never got used. Sadly, I am unable to return them, so it’s just money lost. The bar and the high top tables for cocktail hour were also bare. Maddy and I had discussed putting candles on these areas too. Again, she knew that we weren’t going to have flowers, and that the ambiance was going to be focused on candles and greenery. Knowing that we had so many leftover candles, I’m wondering why they weren’t used.
The cake was also not decorated. I asked her specifically if she could dress up the cake with some of the loose silk flowers (left over from my bouquet) and/or greenery (since the cake in self was rather plain), and she said of course. This was not done, and again, I’m left wondering why.
One of the things that really stuck out to me were the table numbers. The table numbers that were used were not the table numbers we had agreed upon. Months in advance, Maddy offered to let me borrow her table numbers which were gold with acrylic/glass. On the Monday prior to the wedding, she confirmed that she would bring them. I assume she forgot to bring them because the table numbers that were used were a makeshift plastic black and white table number with a long metal stand (like the kind you would take to your table at a restaurant). Quite frankly, they were hideous. They looked super tacky and threw off the whole look that we were trying to achieve on each table. Again, Maddy did not follow through on her promise.
I also noticed that the place cards were not set in their holders once guests started to arrive. Guests noticed that she was still setting up during the ceremony, and I feel that this should’ve all been completed ahead of time. If she did not have enough time to complete this on the day of the wedding, she had the option to go in on Friday (or really any day during the week) to begin set up. I know she did not opt for this, but again, this just makes us feel that we were not her priority. She waited until last minute, and it showed. She knew that guests would be passing by the reception area in order to get to the ceremony, so it would just seem logical and professional to ensure that everything is set for the reception before guests arrive. Clearly this wasn’t the case, and due to this, guests likely didn’t have that “wow” factor that we were hoping for upon their arrival since things weren’t completely set up.
Lastly, I noticed that the graphic on the screens was not the same graphic that she originally showed me. This makes me think that she may have dropped the ball on this and either lost the original one that I approved, or just threw this together last minute to send to the AV people. Regardless, this wasn’t the graphic I had agreed on, and once again, I’m wondering why.
I know at this point, her services are a lost cause. She has already been paid in full (and mistakenly tipped!), and I know that’s wasted money for my husband and I. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to voice my concerns and hopefully get save some future brides the hassle of every hiring Maddy.
To be fair, I sent an email to Maddy voicing these same concerns to give her an opportunity to explain herself. I sent the email to her 3 days ago and still have not received a response, which isn't surprising.
