Hello to My Readers,
So one thing I am is HONEST and transparent to a fault.
I did not want to go about things this way, but I feel other couples, brides etc should know how my story unfolded.
So I was in a bind and most wedding planners were well out of our budget after the couture gowns I had commission etc.
Also I had a very very clear vision for my wedding, had sketched it out and bought our decor straight up, no rentals.
So I did most of the planning so really only needed a month of and day of planner.
The venue offered a planner but due to issues within my family at the time that caused financial stress she got booked up and could no longer hold my date. Boy do I wish I’d of rethought that.
The Venue actually also would have allowed me to send my items there prior to the wedding. I was an out of town Bride. I live in Atlanta and wedding was in Miami.
At any rate, on to what happened.
I gave the benefit of the doubt on lots of things, my venue even wondered if it was best to go with the planner I went with.
Now looking back there were some warning signs so to speak.
I understand in today’s economy most of us have more than one hustle, I get it 100 percent. I think I have now learned though that when hiring a wedding planner, they probably should be a full time wedding planner or at least one with a less rigid “other job” work schedule.
So to make things make better sense for you all, if you read either of my blogs you know the theme of our wedding was very distinct. It was the Twilight Zone ( Vintage version)
I can go through all my orders, emails and texts to prove EVERY word of what I am about to share.
Even down to the sketches etc.
So where to start…..
Due to knowing I would not be able to fit my items into the car to travel back to ATL because we were already over run with gowns and luggage I made plans for a storage unit in MIAMI. At no point until the morning after my wedding was I told that my planner had to work her job the next day or that my venue coordinator HARRY would not hold the items past a certain time, which my planner could not meet. She called me the morning after my wedding to ask me to go to venue to get those things when I fully expected her and the venue to have coordinated that and for that to be part of her job.
As a matter of fact lets back track to my reception. Lots of our guests did not show up. So my planner either was not able to handle the room flip herself or she let Harry the event coordinator of the venue overtake her and what I asked for. ( I have stated this before) I bought way more decor items than was used. I mean lots of it and my ETSY and AMAZON history reflects it, along with E favormart for anyone with doubts I can go right back to it as proof.
So even though the amount of tables had to be downsized , they could have still not done the same decor on each table and could have still alternated as I requested which was NOT done.
Many of the items I paid for were CUSTOM , expensive creations. Especially the backdrop. One would expect their planner to handle these issues. If you have a wedding to do , you probably should ask for the next day off to ensure that you can finish up any loose ends with your couple.
Not to mention it was a formal wedding and my planner ( her reasoning was it was Mother’s Day) knew my wedding was on Mother’s day for MONTHS and still planned a mothers day brunch etc. I have seen through her social media how she dressed for other weddings and for mine she and her assistant showed up in beyond casual clothing with sneakers. I was upset but didn’t mention it.
We are not even going to get into two other events, well yes we are.
Weeks before my wedding my birthday was a month before my Wedding and she asked me for my address to send me something.
NO GIFT ARRIVED, but a crazy meant to break me and my Hubby up gift arrived from 1800flowers. The only person who had asked me my address weeks before my wedding and stated they were sending something was in fact her. They wrote it in Ebonics to try to throw us off but I know who I provided my address to. Everyone else got my address as apartment A , she is literally the only person I gave it to as Apartment 1.
I cannot prove she sent the sick gift but honestly even prior to my wedding, I told my family I thought she did.
I think she was upset that I was pushing on certain things I wanted done. Her and the event coordinator. AGAIN I CANNOT PROVE IT BUT IT IS THE ONLY VERSION OF EVENTS THAT MAKES SENSE.
Also on my wedding night, a lot of money on our sweetheart table ended up missing and with all that staff NO ONE not one person could tell us what happened to it.
I GOT WHAT I PAID FOR I SUPPOSE , I needed affordable and boy did it match the level of service I got.
I will thank her for STORING MY THINGS , although there was never supposed to be storage with her, had she of made the correct arrangements you expect your planner to make, I’d of gotten my things before I left and been able to put in storage or I would have been able to pay her and have her put them in storage!
We then agreed I would get my things when I came to Miami again with ended up being Nov 2023.
I reached out and she could not meet me . MY GROOM AND I THEN ON ATTEMPT ONE( THERE WERE THREE TOTAL) ATTEMPTED TO WORK OUT A WAY TO GET OUR THINGS SHIPPED TO US OR TO PAY HER FOR STORAGE.
I simply as a business woman asked for a written contract and photos I KEPT ASKING and she never replied so we did not pay.
For all I know you can take my money and throw away my items so I definitely wanted it in writing.
Fast forward to like FEB 2024, I reached out again , ( also in Jan I reached out) I AGAIN asked for the photos.
She informed me she was moving in JULY 2024. I then at start of March got a message saying to contact her ASAP because she was moving in April instead of JULY. I again asked for photos back on MARCH 2! It took her till 3/28/2024 to send them to me and her explanation was she is busy!
I am busy too but never to the point where I cannot answer.
She states she was doing all this for free. WELL ONLY BECAUSE SHE NEVER wrote up a contract I could sign to protect my items and my money . I was not sending money after how things had gone without an agreement in writing. I think that is fair and professional.
My opinion, shes good at weddings that are small, or that are elopements or that do not require room flips. Beyond that maybe not so much and the professionalism is definitely lacking.
If you can afford it, go with a wedding planner whos MAIN focus and job is as a wedding planner.
I tried more than once to coordinate getting my items and each time it was her who couldn’t or wouldn’t meet what was being asked.
This is my true review of Iliany Brugueras of Iliyany Events located in Miami Florida
Tel: +1 (786) 901-0891
WhatsApp: +1 (786) 901-0891
Email: Info@IlianyEvents.com
I do not lie and I save all communication just for moments like this!
Be careful out there!