NOTE:  Scroll down for an update to this post and a list of names!  (Original post written on 2/23/2010 – updated on 3/22/2010)

You know the saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?”  Now that I have received this e-mail again and see that these leeches are still out there scamming, I’m quite ready for retribution.  I hope you will review this information carefully and share it with your fellow professionals.

I received this e-mail request for proposal today and immediately recognized it as a scam.  How did I know?  Well…, keep reading…

Please do not mistake me for a really smart person.  The reason I knew the e-mail I received today is a scam is that unfortunately, I fell for an eerily similar e-mail on June 9th, 2009:

“Mr. Woodgate” and I corresponded via e-mail from 6/9/2009 through 6/22/2009.  Our e-mails centered around the issue of payment more than any other topic.  I frequently expressed concern that his fiancé “Daisy” did not care which date in October we chose for the wedding, as well as the fact that he never inquired about specific locations in Atlanta.  From my very first response to him, I requested that we speak by phone and even offered to call him in “London”, but he was always conveniently unavailable.  He insisted that deposits be made via Credit Card, yet he refused to use PayPal.  At this point, I replied that we would need to speak prior to moving forward and despite my many polite attempts to follow up, I never heard from him again.

From doing a little research on this scam, I learned that they forward you credit card details to pay for initial deposits (to yourself and other vendors as well), then ask you to process payments to a specific vendor (of their choosing) or to a “logistics agent” that is unable to accept credit cards.  Initially, it seems that the credit card has been processed, and that money has been deposited to your account, but later, the credit card is identified as stolen and you are on the line for the money.  

It also seems that Mr. Woodgate has many aliases such as:  Engr or Mr. Randy Wrye, Dr. Gibson Whyte, Dr. Mike Ashley, Owen Fletcher, Paul Atkinson, Frank Anderson, David Walter, Leonard B. Frank, David Roy and the list goes on and on. 

The scammers have expanded their operation to include requests for proposals to dance studios, restaurants, and even scamming women on dating sites.   There are over 200 entries on this site alone:  Topix – Wedding Scam. 

A fellow planner shares her story and some great recommendations on her blog here:  Perfect Memories Events.

It seems that they are refining their game as they go.  They are targeting vendors that are new to the industry.  They are providing more and more details regarding the wedding, and in some cases are now even providing phone numbers (that someone seemingly legitimate answers) and mailing addresses. 

I was very excited to help Mr. Woodgate and Daisy with their wedding.  I have a lot of home town pride and was thrilled that they wanted to be married in Atlanta.  Admittedly, there was that element of international intrigue.  I always have that feeling I call “new client crush” when I am approached by a potential client – it’s an honor to be a part of making someone’s dream come true.  I was excited to take their business to vendors that have been so kind to refer me over the years.  I fell for this hook, line and sinker, and would have proceeded if not for the red flags with the financial arrangements. 

I hope this information helps you avoid wasting time or money on scammers.  Please feel free to pass this post along to others, and contact me if you have any questions at all.  Has this happened to anyone else?  Feel free to share your experience here.

UPDATE:  I received the e-mail below on 3/17/2010

I replied as follows:

Amazingly, I received a reply that “he” would call.  Simultaneous to speaking with me, the scammers were also corresponding with my sweet friend, Teras at T Evenire Atlanta Invitations & Event Planning, also in Atlanta.  The very next day, I received another request for proposal from him.  When I pointed out that we had corresponded, he replied that we had not.  I forwarded him our series of e-mails and that is the last I heard from him.  I entered an update today on the Topix.com Forum dedicated to the scammers.  I suggest that anyone receiving one of these scam e-mails comment below to add to the list of names below.  We will likely never see the scammers brought to justice, but we can work together and share info to keep our wedding and event planner friends from getting involved with them.

The Wedding Scammers:

Engr or Mr. Randy Wrye

Dr. Gibson Whyte

Dr. Mike Ashley

Owen Fletcher

Paul Atkinson

Frank Anderson

David Walter

Leonard B. Frank

David Roy

Peter Woodgate – woodgatepeter03@gmail.com

Kenneth Smith – m.smith231@yahoo.com

Floyd Hilbert – floydhilbert@gmail.com

Have you had a run in with The Wedding Scammers?  Tell us your experience here.

It’s official.  My emergency kit has reached celebrity status.  Emma E-Kit (she likes to be called “Em”) was recently “discovered” by Atlanta Occasions Magazine  Publisher, Heather Vreeland, and featured on Page 18 of the current issue.  Heather wrote a great article about items that wedding planners include in their kits.  To supplement that information, I have included a detailed list below of the items I include, as well as a few funny stories from times when I have needed to access the e-kit items.  Enjoy!

 

For my wedding planning company, FAVOR Events, we use a large Caboodle Pro Cosmetics Case for our Emergency Kit. It retails for about $40. It is professional looking and easy to organize. We especially like that when opened, we can easily see all the contents.  We carry it with us everywhere on the wedding day, ultimately parking it in a nearby storage closet or behind the bar area at the reception.

We include the following items in our kit at all times:

· Scissors

· Bic candle lighters

· Trial size men’s deodorant

· Trial size ladies deodorant (clear)

· Floral tape in narrow and wide sizes

· Lint roller

· Trial size hair spray

· Hairbrush

· Mirror

· Kleenex

· Tums

· Shout wipes

· Deck of playing cards (for bored groomsmen)

· Baby wipes

· Mosquito Repellant Wipes

· Masking tape

· Ibuprofen

· Sudafed (good to give to people when they have been stung – can really decrease swelling if taken immediately after sting)

· Pepto Bismol

· Cough Drops

· Medical Tape

· Antibiotic ointment (used for burns, bug bites, small cuts and scrapes)

· Gauze

· Various size Band Aids

· Bobby pins

· Hair barrettes

· Emory Boards

· Dental Floss

· White chalk (can be used on bride’s dress to cover dirt and stains – test on underside of dress first!)

· Narrow black satin ribbon

· Floral pins in black and pearl

· Gum/Tic-Tacs

· Knitting needles and darning needles of various sizes (used when bride’s dress has satin buttons with loop closures)

· Rubber bands

· Safety Pins

· 2 Trial size sewing kits with black, navy, white and ivory thread

· Spool of thread to match bridesmaids dresses

· Stay put fashion tape

· Extra garter (for garter toss)

· Small Swiss army multi-tool that includes knife, bottle opener, corkscrew, Phillips head and flathead screwdriver

· Double AA batteries

· Sandpaper (for slippery new shoe bottoms)

· Earring Backs (both for earrings and to put on the pins used on guys boutonnieres’

· Fabric softener sheets (used for static cling)

· Small flask of whiskey (to calm the nerves of anxious grooms or Father-of-the-bride – NOTE: make sure they have recently had something to eat, and encourage them to only have a sip!  See funny stories below.)

· Panty liners and tampons

· Pens and pencils

· Black Sharpie markers

· Smelling salts

· Epi (epinephrine) pens in Adult and Junior strengths

Each wedding is different from the last, so we really try to evaluate if any additional items are needed for each client.

Funny stories:

I had a bride that was dead set against the garter toss. After she loosened up at the reception, however, her sorority sisters chided her into doing it after all after I said that I had an extra in my kit.  The photos of the toss were some of the best of all the photos because it was so out of character for the bride – everyone was laughing so much!  I was thrilled to be able to accommodate her last minute change of mind.

I had a groom once that was obviously completely in love with his bride to be. However, just before he was to take his place for the ceremony, I noticed he looked completely green. I pulled him aside, asked if he was alright, only to notice he was shaking like a leaf. He insisted that he was just nervous about being the center of attention in front of all the guests, and said he wished he would have had a drink earlier. At the time I didn’t keep a flask in my kit, but the ceremony and reception were taking place at an event facility, so I was able to get the bartender to fix him a quick drink. Soon after that incident, I added the flask to my kit. Low and behold a few weeks later, I had an anxious father of the bride and was able to offer him some “liquid courage”. He was very appreciative.

At another wedding, where the groomsmen wore only vests, a guy was bleeding under his vest from the floral pin on the boutonnière. He had been trying to withstand the pain because “he didn’t want to mess up the flowers”. I happened to think of the earring backs that I keep in my kit and we affixed one of those to the floral pin. Now, I frequently use these on boutonnieres’ and have used them on bouquets as well.

And my personal favorite…Once I was in a hallway near the restrooms, squatting down to pull something from my fully opened kit.  Along comes a lady with the cutest little boy who said, “Look, Mom! That lady is a CSI!!”

What funny stories can you share about your emergency kit?  Any really off the wall items you include that other planners should be aware of?  Please share your stories and tips with us!!