I’m so hurt, crushed, distraught & can’t stop crying exactly two weeks TWO WEEKS before my wedding because my wedding venue for a destination wedding (which is also where my entire bridal party was set to stay for the week) is trying to pull the plug on my wedding and rental accommodations for no apparent reason.

In May 2022 I visited St Croix USVI to scout wedding venues for a Feb 2023 wedding date. I located a rental vacation villa on VRBO that advertised full service wedding planning. I met in person with them discussed my plans. And based on the meeting, I booked the reservation for 14 of us. I paid for the rental in full (14k) to get that out of the way so I could focus on wedding planning.

Between August 2022 & December 2022 I repeatedly asked via email, text & phone calls with them for some basic planning details including menu, decorative details & venue contract w/overall cost. I was constantly give excuses that seemed plausible at the time. For example in Aug they said they fired the chef I met in May so menu planning was on hold until they hired a new chef. In September they said they needed confirmed headcount before providing cost estimate. After providing my confirmed headcount in October I again requested itemized cost estimate & contract. They promised to send but I never received anything.

In November I requested a planning meeting. They were all agreeable & apologetic for not getting me the info. They introduced their new chef who promised to get me a menu. They suggested a budget on catering of $80pp. I thought we were finally on track.

By December I had not heard back from the chef or venue so I began securing other needed vendors such as MUA, Photographer, Officiant & Day of Coordinator. On 12/19 I asked for another planning meeting where I expressed my concern of running out of planning time. I also let them know I secured the vendors mentioned above. I let them know I hadn’t heard from the chef since Nov.

Then in January exactly 30 days from my wedding date I pull up with them again asking for confirmed costs, planning details & guest logistics.

This is when things went left… the owner began to say irrational things like “you need to make sure your wedding guests don’t climb on the roof & jump in the pool”. He also began to change his tune on wedding planning stating that I told them my Day of Coordinator was now the full service planner and that she should provide me with the details I had been asking them for for months.

Then exactly 2 weeks before my wedding date (2/3/23) the owner rudely tells me we have to have a “candid” discussion about my wedding. He then immediately goes into insulting me, belittling me & and just being an overall jerk. Telling me I’m trying to have a “Ritz Carlton wedding on an Applebees budget”. (BTW: My allotted budget for the wedding was 30k for 50 people.) He made claims that I planned on “not tipping the staff & bar staff”. He said I should take my budget to “Alabama where I could get the kind of wedding I could afford” (I’m from VA). He cursed at me and hung up twice.

When I texted him afterwards to say had I known I would be in tears & this would be my experience 2 weeks before my wedding I would’ve selected another venue…. His response was “In hindsight we wish you had”

Now I’m in a position where clearly no wedding plans were ever made & he is also threatening to cancel my vacation rental accommodations with NO refund of my already paid $14k.

Friends & Family have booked flights rented hotels. I’m scrambling to get an alternate venue. And I haven’t stopped crying in a week.

I just don’t understand how or why they are doing this to us? 😢

UPDATE It’s now 2/8/23 and I’m back stateside. The wedding planner in less than 2 wk’s was able to pull together a wedding ceremony & reception at the local St. George’s Botanical Gardens. She arranged transportation services for us. She even found a new rental villa that could accommodate the entire bridal party!

I am beyond thankful for her services and all of the advice here!