Soon after Mr. Jasmine and I were engaged, I realized that planning our Los Angeles wedding from Chicago would be no easy feat. Both of us have jobs that keep us fairly busy and my parents (who live in Los Angeles) are wedding planning novices who had no idea where to start. We decided our best bet would be to hire a wedding planner.
I emailed and called a slew of planners in Los Angeles– trying to find the best balance of personal chemistry, passion for weddings, creativity, and organizational skill. It was particularly important to me to find someone who was very well-versed in the specific cultural components of a South Asian wedding. After having my parents interview my favorite planners, we decided on Planner X. She was South Asian and thus had personal knowledge of what goes into an Indian wedding. I felt very confident that Planner X would be able to help us craft something really wonderful.
I gave Planner X a list of several venues in Los Angeles that I loved. We had already chosen a wedding date, so I asked her if she would please check the availability of those venues and any others that she thought might be a good fit. Several weeks passed with minimal, brusque contact from Planner X. I was starting to feel slightly blown off when she announced that she had a list of three venues available on my date. She scheduled meetings for my parents at all three. I wasn’t terribly fond of the three venues she had chosen, so I asked her what happened with the venues on my list. She informed me that none of those venues were available on my date. I was very surprised since it was only April at that point, over a year from my actual wedding date. But I took her word for it and felt a little crestfallen that my favorite venues were all booked.
I started to feel slightly suspicious for reasons I cannot pin down– always trust your instincts, girls! I decided to do a little innocent sleuthing. I chose one venue on my list and called their catering department, not identifying myself as a client of Planner X. I asked the catering manager if the venue was available on my wedding date. He stated that it was! Wondering if it was an innocent mix-up, I called two more venues on my list. To my disbelief, they were both available on my wedding date as well!
I was floored. What was going on here? Was Planner X lying to me about the availability? Or was she simply careless? More to come in Part Two…
This is good - don’t make the wait till Part II too long!
I have a suspicion I know where this is going… Does Planner X get commission from the venues she referred you to?
She’s probably referring you to places that A) she’s comfortable working with or B) getting a little $$$ from…either way, you should fire her because do you really want to be trusting someone who blatantly lied to your face?
OH I can’t wait for the next installment.
du du duuuuuuhhhhhhh
(that was supposed to sound all murder mystery like)
Does she call herself a “Wedding Planner”? For some reason I’m always suspicious of people who name their profession after a movie (The Wedding Planner) when people in the industry use Coordinator or Consultant.
I’m so sorry you ran into this. It’s especially hard to put your trust in someone so far away. But kudos to your instincts and sleuthing!
There are better ones out there!
Wow! I can understand a planner saying “I’m just not comfortable working with that venue” and it being awkward between the two of you but knowing she lied to you is…wow. I don’t think I could stand for that at all.
That’s horrible. There’s no way she would have forgot about all three venues. I think you should change planners!
Rude! She must have been getting a kickback from the three places she wanted you to check out - there’s no other explanation for that.
that’s horrible! sorry you had to go through this…but it sure makes for an exciting story on weddingbee! 
oooh….don’t keep us hanging too long!
I’m dying to read part II!
thank you for sharing this story! i’m considering wedding planners for my own destination wedding, so this is totally top of mind for me.
Oh my… I am sorry that such a wedding planner exists. It gives people like me a bad name! I am a wedding planner myself & I’m cringing at your story! Yes, you’re totally right to go with your instincts. They’ll never let you down. I’m thinking that she did so due to either (a.) she’s more familiar with the other venues (b.) she receives an incentive for booking at those specific venues (c.) all of the above! Always check with all your vendors yourself with the details as much as possible, even if you hire your own wedding planner/coordinator. Good luck to you!
[...] Quoted from: Miss Jasmine on http://www.weddingbee.com [...]
[...] Part One [...]
Ooohhh, Miss Jasmine! I’m intrigued!
get your money back! and get someone on the list of the venue that you select on your own. that way you know she is familiar with your site and you get a clean slate with someone recommended from your catering mananger. I’m sorry that happened! that’s horrible! but do tell part two…
[...] Part One Part Two [...]
[...] A Tale Of Two Planners - Part One [...]
[...] wedding coordinator Angel Swanson of Events of Love and Splendor. Angel was hired after our original wedding coordinator deeply disappointed me and I was feeling a little disillusioned about wedding [...]
Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 24, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 20, 2007
Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles
About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
Oh this is better than an episode of Murder She Wrote! Hurry and post the rest I need know what happens!