Anyone have a review of The Wedding Holiday?

[baker 29]

Hi

I own a wedding shop in Brampton (The Wedding Emporium) - and I send all my "Destination Brides" to Lorraine at The Wedding Holiday because of the fantastic job she did on my own daughter's wedding last November. I discovered her on line and we could not have been happier with the service provided from start to fininsh - and I have heard from several other brides who were also thrilled with The Wedding Holiday. We spent a glorious week at the Azul Sensatori - the food, the resort  & the service were fabulous and the planning experience was perfect from start to finish. Responses and suggestions from Lorraine and her staff were fast & very helpful & our guests were very  impressed with the ease of booking their trip as well as with the resort.

I'm not sure where all the negative reviews are coming from - but if any Brides want to contact me personally, I will be more than happy to verify that this is an honest review and that I have personal experience with The Wedding Holiday and highly recommend them. (I have LOTS of photos I share with anyone who will spend the time !) 

Regards

Vicki

[Stardust19852]

Like Janices, I am having the most terrible experience with them. Pretty much everything you said there is happening to me, plus more. They told us (after we booked and put a deposit down on a specific week) that they were no longer able to get a wedding date within that week. Uh....should they not have at least CHECKED that a WEDDING DATE was available at SOME POINT during that week before they pressured us into putting a deposit down?!!! We were very specific and said we will only book if we can have an afternoon wedding/evening reception on the resort's rooftop patio overlooking the ocean. They said no problem, we put money down, now apparently we must either do a EARLY MORNING wedding, or we cannot get married during that week at all because the patio is all booked-up otherwise. Then now they are making us to be unreasonable raging bridezilla/groomzilla when we asked if our deposit could be moved to a different week that might have an afternoon wedding slot available. HOW IS THAT OUR FAULT?!??!?! Honestly ladies, I don't even know if there is a remedy for this and I'm dreading my own wedding because I'm sure it will be NOTHING like I envisioned, given that venue/timing was of number one importance to both me and my future hubby. I'm just trying to stay positive and keep in mind that everyone I love will be there, and we will have a great week together no matter what happens. But the wedding day itself......uh! I want to CRY just thinking about it I'm so mad. And since between the time we attended the initial consultation and now (approx. 5 months) NUMEROUS staffing changes have occurred and everyone we WERE working with is now gone. They have also refused to do any wedding planning (which was suppose to be FREE) for us unless we pay $2000 for the upgraded "Premium planning" package, and we got dissed when we said "it's not that complicated a wedding, we just need flowers, a cake and the perfect backdrop/venue! so I don't think we are the premium planning type...." Also, their prices are more expensive than if you just called an airline and booked a group DIRECTLY with them. I don't think I've ever hated a company so much in my life!

 

[JNL2011]

HI Brides and Groom,

 

Just returned from my wedding and had a amazing time. My planning on the other hand was painful and full of trouble and this is all because of the wedding holiday. In the Year that i dealt with them I had 4 different girls deal with my account each one unaware of the my wedding details. Once the even completely confused me with another bride and groom after speaking for 10 minutes and then said oops sorry my mistake. Had a guest who wanted to stay two weeks and the just forgot to send the request in and then the resort was fully book and he had to pay extra and stay at another neighbouring  resort. If I called them and heard them say one more time "Bare with me" cause they couldn't find my account or didn't know how to navigate a computer i thought i was going to scream. It took them also a month to charge my credit card and they finally only did it when i blew up and told them that i couldn't understand why it is taking so long and unprofessional they were being and all of a sudden they were able to do it with me on the phone. ( why could do it when i requested it the first time )

 

They did nothing but take my deposit and make me call and confirm details that they should have dealt with. I even had a conversation with the owner Lorriane once about flight arrangements and when she got it wrong her response was "I was merely guessing at the flight times and I should leave it up to the professionals" very confusing as i thought she was the professional and this was her company.

 

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM THE WEDDING HOLIDAY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. this was the most painful part of my planning experience.

[bride19]

Please remember that if they do not proceed with what you requested of them and you gave a deposit, you can contact you credit card company to get your money refunded. DO NOT feel like you don't have any other options. They are a terrible agency and hopefully the word will spread to prevent other brides from falling victim to their sales pitch.

[Sean]

DON'T USE THEM...... they are a bunch of crooks. I am planning a destination wedding in Negril Jamaica in Jan 2012, and the so called owner/founder of the company Lorriane Simpson is a complete con-artist. My fience and I went to see her in Jan 2011... and we gave a deposit of $200 to show our commitment.... and never herd from them for a month, and then when I asked her for a refund due to the lack of communication. She agreed to give me a refund in writing, however it's now June 2011 3 months later and still no refund. Her word means nothing, once they have your money, they word their contracts in such a manner that you're stuck with your back to the wall. The company needs every penny they can get, so the contract is worded in that manner. I would suggest to plan it yourself, and you'll be 10 times happier. Any resort you go to, will have a planner and everythin else you need for your special day. Don't waste your time with these people, they will only cause you more stress as they did to us and over only $200. That's sad if you ask me.

 

Anyway, wish you all the best for your wedding. Hope I wasn't too late.

 

Thanks.

[meghan]

Hey everyone,

I have to say I am shocked to hear some of these reviews.  My husband and I got married at Azul Sensatori last July, used The Wedding Holiday, and had the wedding of our dreams.

Right from the beginning, my whole family found The Wedding Holiday very welcoming, warm, and inviting. We had no idea where we wanted to go, and they quickly narrowed places down for us based on our interests and concerns.  They got us a very good quote, much better than other travel agents.  They made save the date invites for us (free), and were extremely accommodating when we asked for changes to be made to suit us better.  I was never under the impression that they are "wedding planners".  My understanding is that they are travel agents who have much more knowledge on resorts that specialize in weddings than a regular TA, and are in contact with the wedding planners at the resorts, so they are able to give more and better advice than other TA's.  We found that they were very quick to email us or return calls.  We would often drop in unannounced, and they always made themselves readily available.

We experienced a few bumps along the road, and if we didn't have the Wedding Holiday, I'm not sure they would have been resolved to our satisfaction.

 

We had our wedding booked for July 2nd a year in advance.  About 2.5 months before our wedding, our airline went bankrupt which meant we had to change our flight date, which meant we had to change our wedding date.  This was very upsetting to me, and created problems for my guests who had planned their vacation around leaving on a certain day.  Lorraine did everything she could to resolve this problem.  Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about getting a flight on the day we wanted, however, The Wedding Holiday, out of their own pocket, refunded all of our 45 guests $300, moved my husband and I to first class, offered to order us brand new invitations (not save the dates) because I was upset that our invitations that we purchased had the old wedding date, and upgraded our suite at the hotel.

 

We had an issue with the resort going back on a photographer policy as well.  We had booked a photographer outside of their venue, and then they changed their policy saying the photographer had to be with their venue.  I went to Lorraine with this problem and she was on the phone so fast with whoever was in charge at the resort demanding that we use the photographer we requested, and it ended up working out.

 

It was much easier having The Wedding Holiday communicate with the resort on our behalf rather than us having to try and get a hold of them and deal with it.

 

Once we got to the resort, it was amazing.  Lorraine was in contact with me through email and phone to make sure everything was ok.  The Wedding Holiday even surprised us with a cocktail party they ordered at the resort, which we were not expecting.

 

I would definitely recommend using The Wedding Holiday.  They have way more knowledge than any other regular TA.  Please email me with any questions.

[email protected]

[Sean]

DO NOT USE THE WEDDING HOLIDAY. THEY ARE THE BIGGEST CON-ARTIST IN TORONTO.

 

My fiance and I are planning our wedding in 2012. We met the owner "Lorraine Simpson" at the Convention Center at the Bridal Show. She was all dolled up and had exactly what you and I would want to see as individuals who are looking to get married. She has all the right answers and know exactly what to say. There were no specifics discussed, just what they stand for.... which let me tell you, is a bunch of you know what. We met with this so called owner, and she promised us that she will look into our request, and will get back to us. All we need to do to show her that we are serious is to leave a deposit of $200 with her, so that she can get to work. This was in Jan 2011. We never heard from her for over a month. At this point it was a waste of our time, and everything she had stated was nothing but smoke clouds, and a good sales & marketing techniques. It took till March for us to understand the type of business she runs. They are hurting for business. BADLY!!! They are a bunch of travel agents in an office claiming to be wedding planners. No one has an idea what they are doing in that office, for they change their employees more than you and I change our underwear. When I received the first email from Lorraine Simpson, regarding quotes...(in March) it was for the wrong resort, and also for a different time period. When I responded to her stating that this is not what we requested. She stated in her email (I have this in writing) that she was too busy, and also has no connection with the resort of our choice. Now wouldn't you know that as a business owner when we made the initial request??? apparently she decided to ignore our request and see if she could impose her vendors on us, all to get a kick back. How sad is that? At this point I requested a refund of our deposit, for it is already March and we have a wedding to plan. She even stated in her email, that this is fare and will return the deposit right-a-way. It is now July 11 2011. I have made several attempts to contact her, and there's always a reason or excuse for her not to come to the phone and speak with me, knowing that I am on the line. She has ignored me since March with a conscious effort. On July 9 2011 this is the email she sends me...
 

 

"As Stated on your receipt your deposit was a commitment deposit. 

You then decided to book with someone else after we did all the leg work.   We have been advised not to discuss this further with you and are quite prepared to defend this in court should you choose to do so. We have a copy of the receipt here along with our notes to prove the work we did and will not be taking any more calls regarding this issue"     This woman has taken advantage of several people. This is the kind of response you get when she has stated in writing that she will be giving me my deposit back. Now you tell me, honestly. Why would you want to deal with individuals that look out only for themselves, and what they get as a kick back from these resorts. Meanwhile you and I are the ones spending our hard earned money. Lorraine has stated to us that she stays in the presidential suit while she is attending her customers weddings, she even proceeds to take her family down on couple of occasions, for it's a cheap vacation for them... at your cost. The beauty of it is that she states all this as if it were a positive.   She is on of the most dishonest people I've ever met in my life. She knows the system and industry very well... well enough to know to ignore you for more than 75 days, so that you can't call VISA to get a refund. That's how much she knows. She is a major CON. If she put half that effort into her customers, she would have a decent business. People like this need to be made an example out off... and I am just that person to do that. I will not stop until I have buried this business, and let this individual know that you cannot take advantage of consumers in this manner owner or founder or whatever her title.  I have filed an official complaint with TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario), and also with The Ministry of Consumer Services. As well I am contacting my lawyers at Cassels Brock (Corporate lawyers), which is going to have a field day with this company in small claims court. I will advise any of you who have had any issues about services being rendered, to do the same. Once there are enough complaints against one organization, action will be taken by the appropriate governing body. There are more negative complaints regarding this company than positive comments. That should say something to everyone out there.  Let me ask you one question to all brides and grooms......   would you want a person who is capable of such destruction and stress to be involved in your wedding? They are supposed to help alleviate stress, not help make your day a disaster. I wouldn't trust this company at all.   As for the Bride (Megan) and Groom that is surprised at all the negative reviews. The Wedding Holiday are good at resolving problems... not planning weddings. You had a problem with a airlines going bankrupt, and they resolved it for you and your guests.... that's because they are a bunch of Travel Agents posing to be wedding planners. Why aren't they better at what they say they do for wedding couples? I am glad that you had a great wedding and things went according to plan for you and your husband... however you happen to be the exception. Sorry to say.   The best part of all this is...... Lorraine Simpson has created all this stress over $200 deposit. It will cost her way more than just this amount, once my lawyers are done with her.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[frenchy007]

BEWARE of the WEDDING HOLIDAY!!!!!!

 

I don't even know where to start,  I just returned from our wedding at the Azul Sensatori and the wedding holiday has been nothing but trouble ever since I placed my deposit with them.

They told us a certain reception location was available and we confirmed it, then 2 weeks after they received payment, they then said it was not available and we had to choose an alternate location.  They quoted us a discounted price for our room then 2 weeks before the wedding charged us an extra $400 after we had already paid in full saying we owed them more money because our rate was based on more guests than we had booked, even though I had only agreed to block out 5 rooms and we had far more than that book!

 

All of my guests have had issues and are still waiting for them to refund their overcharges.  I have had to dispute more than one incorrect charge due to their incompetence.  They are impossible to get a hold of, always in "a meeting" or out of the office and the staff is totally clueless, Lorraine is the only one who has any authority to do anything and she is dishonest, makes promises but then doesn't follow through.  I would have been much better to have just booked directly w/ Karisma and took out the middle man.  I eventually had to do that with the wedding planner since the Wedding holiday's planner Chanel never once contacted me about my detail sheet and I had to work directly with the Karisma planner.

 

If you want headaches, frustration, and extra charges than go ahead and book w/ them but my recomendation is to STAY AWAY!

[Roses are Red]

I understand some people have certain views of The Wedding Holiday and how they treat their customers, but when I booked with them I never saw any of the horrible things all of you are saying. I had a group of 40 people booked with The Wedding Holiday and they stuck by my side the whole time.

 

I get that there where a lot of staff changes going on and not gonna lie at times that made things crappy and it was frustrating waiting for a response from someone who was no longer there but people leave jobs all the time its about how the staff left in the company helped me for the rest of my planning time.

 

They provided exceptional customer service to us and made us feel more then comfortable to be booking with them. Yes of course their were times where our requests took a while but that is not under The Wedding Holiday's control, believe it or not but they are waiting just like you and I are.

 

I am 100 % sure that if you were to book online vs booking with The Wedding Holiday or any agency for that matter, you would not be able to achieve the same level of service or assistance that you require in planning your own destination wedding.

 

I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinions, however this is my opinion and it is not everyday you here good opinions on a blog.

 

Just remember if you want respect you need to give it. Good luck everyone in your wonderful wedding planning days ahead. If you decide to work with them or not my suggestion is make your own judgement call.

 

Sincerely

 

MRS. Roses are Red ;-)

 

 

[meBonidie2be]

wow... i bet u are glad you asked lol