Celebrations Banquet Facility

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I have read your statement as submitted to the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC and Eastern PennsylvaniaI think we can both agree that the “facts” you presented in that statement are highly skewedThis ceremony was definitely not as pleasant as you perceive it to have beenAs you can see from the list of deficiencies by Celebrations Wedding Facility I did not receive the beautiful, stress-free day I envisioned and was promisedInstead, it was one mistake or embarrassment after anotherI rightfully believe I should be compensated for the various defects in performance by CelebrationsI would like seek other avenues of recourse through the Revdex.com at this time Thanks so much for your help in this matter and I look forward to hearing back from you Regards,** [redacted]

From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC Date: Wed, Jul 23, at 10:AMSubject: Fwd: Complaint [redacted] To: [redacted] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: [redacted] < [redacted] > Date: Tue, Jul 22, at 8:PM Subject: Complaint [redacted] To: "[email protected]" Hello I filed a complaint throught the Revdex.com and I recently received a message that notified me that the complaint was closed but that the complaint would be posted online I did a search on Revdex.com's website and did not see my complaint posted I would like to know if the Revdex.com is planning on posting my complaint as indicated by the communication emailed to me Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing back from.--------------------------------------------------------- [redacted] [redacted] [redacted]

21, June Dear [redacted] ***,At this point I feel there is no further need to argue with [redacted] It is becoming a matter of here say and speculation when indeed he and his bride received a beautiful ceremony and reception here at CelebrationsI already responded to each one of his claims individually and Celebrations has compensated him (more than generously) for the one error that we did honestly admit toI believe his demand for $3,is unreasonable and unjustifiedIn his 2nd reply letter the only issue that is revisited is the orchestration of his ceremony, [redacted] continues to claim lack of organization and directionI can only rebut by letting you know we are in possession of the raw video footage from this wedding and can clearly show the bridal party being lined up and I personally handling the processional from start to finish, Furthermore the timing was perfect and spaced properlyI do not wish to create animosity with a past client but I cannot simply give in to demands for an unjustified refundOnce again, I wish them both all the happiness in the world and CongratulationsRespectfulJames S***

May 29, Dear *** ***,Thank you for contacting me in regards to *** ***His wedding and reception did take place at my venue on May 18, I would like to address each of his concerns one at a time as I did with *** *** during a phone conversation on May 20,
Please note I have also made several requests to meet in person with *** and his bride *** all of which have been deniedI have hosted two meetings with the staff and managers that orchestrated this event here at Celebrations to make sure I am 100% clear about exactly what took place.*** claims that no one orchestrated his ceremonyI do not need to meet with any members of my staff to address this because I myself handled his ceremony with flawless executionPrior to the wedding date I took a detailed processional sheet in which I work from and use it to line up the bridal party as well as space & time their walk down the aisle one by oneThis is the same process for all weddings hosted hereThe ceremony sheet was filled out by *** and ***; this is where I took my orders fromI can provide a copy of this sheet if you would like to see it.There was never a direction given for chairs to be placed at the front of the ceremony space for the bridal party to be seatedIf this was a given direction of course I would have provided the chairs without hesitationBridal parties always stand to witness the couple be marriedYou can see photos of many ceremonies that have taken place on our website: www.CelebrationsWeddings.comThe cocktail hour bar not serving alcoholic beverages was an honest error on my partThe banquet worksheet stated non-alcoholic because the wedding toast was ordered as nonalcoholic and written in mistakenly as the barOnce this error was brought to my managers attention (Derek Calista) we went above and beyond to right our errorThis error lasted for hour of their event.These are the steps we took immediately to over compensate for our mistake:*** contract was never intended for TOPSHELF brands, it was meant to be standard wellbrands only.Once the bar issue was corrected we opened it up to ALL top shelf liquors, The guests were welcome to brands like *** ***, *** ***, ***, *** and so many more that were not included in this contractAlso, please take into consideration that red & white wines were placed in full carafes on each guest tableFurthermore, our staff was directed to take drink orders and make runs to the bar for the guestsThese services are wedding enhancements which all cost extra! We also had their DJ make an announcement to create awareness of these upgrades so they would fully be taken advantage of They were all given free of charge as compensation for an honest error and the wedding guests certainly appreciated the enhancements.The cake topper was present and never lostI advised *** the week prior to his wedding that his particular cake topper was used here at Celebrations previously and it is quite heavyIt was a thick engraved glass heart that in our experience has sunk into the wedding cake at previous weddingsWe wait until the last possible minute to place this at the top of the cake for photos in order to save the cake from being damagedThis did not take "minutes” but merely minutes to place at the top for the photographerIt is a very simple task.Chicken Tikka Masala served family style on every table was a gift given to *** & *** from the owner of Celebrations in order to add some cultural flair to their special day at no additional chargeThere was never a discussion to provide rice with this added entrée or again it would have been given graciouslyWith the main entrée already including a potato as the starch we didn't feel it was necessary to also add a second starch to the mealAt the reception *** told management he wished to have rice and it was accommodated as fast as it was possible to cook! Once again this was free of chargeWe have operated two events simultaneously here at Celebrations for over years without an issue of music or noise bleeding from one event to another.Finally, Following a ceremony the bridal party should not be directed indoors for the reception though they do proceed directly to the formal gardens for photographsThey will join the remaining cocktail hour once the photographer has completed his workI hope I have cleared up any concerns *** *** has regarding his wedding, overall I believe it was a beautiful event and all of the guests seemed to have left extremely happy with their time spent hereI am sorry for any frustration *** has but I do not see where a demand for $3,refund is constituted.Celebrations went above and beyond to correct the mistake with the barPlease take into consideration if a wedding contract was to be completely non-alcoholic it is only a financial difference of $per person*** & *** were given compensation worth much greater than this in order to rectify the cocktail hour error.I wish *** & *** all the best with many years of happiness and thank them once again for their business here at Celebrations*** made a stunning bride and it was mesmerizing to see *** arrive on a white horse!Feel free to contact me with additional questions at any time.James S*** Celebrations Wedding Facility ###-###-####
[email protected]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  I have read your statement as submitted to the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC and Eastern Pennsylvania. I think we can both agree that the “facts” you presented in that statement are highly skewed. This ceremony was definitely not as pleasant as you perceive it to have been.
As you can see from the list of deficiencies by Celebrations Wedding Facility I did not receive the beautiful, stress-free day I envisioned and was promised. Instead, it was one mistake or embarrassment after another. I rightfully believe I should be compensated for the various defects in performance by Celebrations.
I would like seek other avenues of recourse through the Revdex.com at this time.  Thanks so much for your help in this matter and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards,**. [redacted]

From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC <[email protected]>Date: Wed, Jul 23, 2014 at 10:55 AMSubject: Fwd: Complaint [redacted]To: [redacted] <v[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted] <[redacted]>
Date: Tue, Jul 22, 2014 at 8:25 PM
Subject: Complaint [redacted]
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Hello I filed a complaint throught the Revdex.com and I recently received a message that notified me that the complaint was closed but that the complaint would be posted online.  I did a search on Revdex.com's website and did not see my complaint posted.  I would like to know if the Revdex.com is planning on posting my complaint as indicated by the communication emailed to me.  Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing back from.---------------------------------------------------------
[redacted] 
[redacted]

21, June 2014
Dear [redacted],At this point I feel there is no further need to argue with [redacted]. It is becoming a matter of here say and speculation when indeed he and his bride received a beautiful ceremony and reception here at Celebrations. I already responded to each one of his claims individually and Celebrations has compensated him (more than generously) for the one error that we did honestly admit to. I believe his demand for $3,000. is unreasonable and unjustified. In his 2nd reply letter the only issue that is revisited is the orchestration of his ceremony, [redacted] continues to claim lack of organization and direction. I can only rebut by letting you know we are in possession of the raw video footage from this wedding and can clearly show the bridal party being lined up and I personally handling the processional from start to finish, Furthermore the timing was perfect and spaced properly. I do not wish to create animosity with a past client but I cannot simply give in to demands for an unjustified refund. ... Once again, I wish them both all the happiness in the world and Congratulations. RespectfulJames S[redacted]

Review: Hello,

I am extremely upset that Celebrations did not fulfill their promise to me that everything would be perfect for my wedding. My night of many disappointments by the unprofessional nature of what took place began with our ceremony. They told me that there would be somebody to show us where to go, stand, sit, etc... This was witnessed by both my fiance' and mother in law. There was nobody! We had to wing our entire ceremony because of this. I was the usher at times when I motioned for people to do things. This is ridiculous. You told us a rehearsal could not take place and that it was not needed because your staff would be there to guide our guests and show us where to go. I did not know where to stand neither did our groomsmen or bridesmaids. The only thing James did was make sure we were in the proper order during the processional. The groomsmen stood the entire 1 hour of wedding, there were no seats set up for them. The bridesmaid had to sit on the concrete step. There was NO ONE to usher us per your agreement with me. This made us look like we just put our wedding together at the last minute and it looked disordered, disorganized, and not what I paid for and below my expectations. Additionally, per our contract, there was to be alcohol served during cocktail hour and many of our guests approached me disappointed. I couldn't understand the confusion and I asked Derrick about this at the end of our cocktail hour when our pictures were completed. As you know we were outside taking pictures during the cocktail hour and nobody brought this to my attention. When I approached Derrick about this he had no idea that there was alcohol to be served. And he produced paperwork that said no alcohol. Per James' conversation with me today he expressed his apology for this mistake. I do not believe it was his fault instead I believe it was your fault as the manager/owner and your lack of communication with your staff. Derrick said he had to check the office and could not find documentation of the alcohol service. It seemed like we were the bad guys to our guests because we told our guests there would be a full service open bar. You can imagine how embarrassing this was to myself as well as [redacted]. This was a breach of contract. Derricks attempt to provide top shelf service well over two hours in did not make up for the fact that we lost the time of our cocktail hour. The name of the hour speaks for itself "COCKTAIL HOUR." There were no cocktails served during this hour. The alcohol service did not begin until dinner which was at 8pm after our entrance and first dance. Further failures, included no Cake topper until we asked the staff where our cake topper was. This was at 830 pm. I specifically asked Patricia about the cake topper when I brought my things in at the drop off on Thursday and she said it would be "no problem, we have used this cake topper many times and it just needs to be backed with a multicolored tea light for stability." She said she would make sure she put a multicolored LED tealight to support it from falling over. This was not done and the cake topper was left off the cake. After I expressed the issue to the captain that night she found it after 20 minutes and put an ugly yellow tea light behind it. My photographer had to go back and take other pictures of the cake because he already took pictures once. This meant I lost pictures that could have been taken in another way during the time he wasted retaking the cake pictures. Also the chicken tikka masala was served without any rice. You told me you would make sure there was rice with the dish because you can't eat chicken tikka masala without rice. The rice came out after everyone was done eating including myself. You promised me we would not be able to hear the music next door. During our dinner blessing the music was so loud and distracting that everyone was looking around at each other. I told the captain to have them turn down the music and it did not get turned down. It happened again during our speeches. This was not what you gauranteed me in both our verbal and written conversations which I have documented in emails. As you know this was a major concern of mine from reading the poor reviews given to your facility in regards to this. Again and again you guaranteed this would not occur. I can guarantee you if you watch our wedding video there will be obnoxious noise in the background during these critical times. Also, nobody told our bridal party where to go after the ceremony. They were left to wander around the cocktail room until we entered the building after taking pictures. It seemed like there was absolutely zero direction for the staff in terms of coordination. The culmination of all of these problems was not what I paid for with a $12,000 plus in expenditures at your venue. I believe other venues would not have let these problems occur on my special day. I am seeking reimbursement of three thousand dollars for the lack of organization during the ceremony, loss of alcohol during the cocktail hour, loud music from next door during the blessing and speeches, loss of the cake topper until right before the cake cutting, disorganization of your staff with a general lack of direction, and no rice for our chicken tikka masala. I believe that this reimbursement would at least compensate for the multiple problems we had during our wedding and my displeasure. Thank you for your help in this matter and I look forward to hearing back from you.Desired Settlement: I am seeking reimbursement of three thousand dollars for the lack of organization during the ceremony, loss of alcohol during the cocktail hour, loud music from next door during the blessing and speeches, loss of the cake topper until right before the cake cutting, disorganization of your staff with a general lack of direction, and no rice for our chicken tikka masala.

Business

Response:

May 29, 2014Dear [redacted],Thank you for contacting me in regards to [redacted]. His wedding and reception did take place at my venue on May 18, 2014. I would like to address each of his concerns one at a time as I did with [redacted] during a phone conversation on May 20, 2014. Please note I have also made several requests to meet in person with [redacted] and his bride [redacted] all of which have been denied. I have hosted two meetings with the staff and managers that orchestrated this event here at Celebrations to make sure I am 100% clear about exactly what took place.[redacted] claims that no one orchestrated his ceremony. I do not need to meet with any members of my staff to address this because I myself handled his ceremony with flawless execution. Prior to the wedding date I took a detailed processional sheet in which I work from and use it to line up the bridal party as well as space & time their walk down the aisle one by one. This is the same process for all weddings hosted here. The ceremony sheet was filled out by [redacted] and [redacted]; this is where I took my orders from. I can provide a copy of this sheet if you would like to see it.There was never a direction given for chairs to be placed at the front of the ceremony space for the bridal party to be seated. If this was a given direction of course I would have provided the chairs without hesitationBridal parties always stand to witness the couple be married. You can see photos of many ceremonies that have taken place on our website: www.CelebrationsWeddings.comThe cocktail hour bar not serving alcoholic beverages was an honest error on my part. The banquet worksheet stated non-alcoholic because the wedding toast was ordered as nonalcoholic and written in mistakenly as the bar. Once this error was brought to my managers attention (Derek Calista) we went above and beyond to right our error.This error lasted for 1 hour of their event.These are the steps we took immediately to over compensate for our mistake:[redacted] contract was never intended for TOPSHELF brands, it was meant to be standard wellbrands only.Once the bar issue was corrected we opened it up to ALL top shelf liquors, The guests were welcome to brands like [redacted], [redacted], [redacted], [redacted] and so many more that were not included in this contract.Also, please take into consideration that red & white wines were placed in full carafes on each guest table. Furthermore, our staff was directed to take drink orders and make runs to the bar for the guests.These services are wedding enhancements which all cost extra! We also had their DJ make an announcement to create awareness of these upgrades so they would fully be taken advantage of. They were all given free of charge as compensation for an honest error and the wedding guests certainly appreciated the enhancements.The cake topper was present and never lost. I advised [redacted] the week prior to his wedding that his particular cake topper was used here at Celebrations previously and it is quite heavy. It was a thick engraved glass heart that in our experience has sunk into the wedding cake at previous weddings. We wait until the last possible minute to place this at the top of the cake for photos in order to save the cake from being damaged. This did not take "20 minutes” but merely 2 minutes to place at the top for the photographer. It is a very simple task.Chicken Tikka Masala served family style on every table was a gift given to [redacted] & [redacted] from the owner of Celebrations in order to add some cultural flair to their special day at no additional charge. There was never a discussion to provide rice with this added entrée or again it would have been given graciously. With the main entrée already including a potato as the starch we didn't feel it was necessary to also add a second starch to the meal. At the reception [redacted] told management he wished to have rice and it was accommodated as fast as it was possible to cook! Once again this was free of charge.We have operated two events simultaneously here at Celebrations for over 25 years without an issue of music or noise bleeding from one event to another.Finally, Following a ceremony the bridal party should not be directed indoors for the reception though they do proceed directly to the formal gardens for photographs. They will join the remaining cocktail hour once the photographer has completed his work.I hope I have cleared up any concerns [redacted] has regarding his wedding, overall I believe it was a beautiful event and all of the guests seemed to have left extremely happy with their time spent here. I am sorry for any frustration [redacted] has but I do not see where a demand for $3,000. refund is constituted.Celebrations went above and beyond to correct the mistake with the bar. Please take into consideration if a wedding contract was to be completely non-alcoholic it is only a financial difference of $5. per person. [redacted] & [redacted] were given compensation worth much greater than this in order to rectify the cocktail hour error.I wish [redacted] & [redacted] all the best with many years of happiness and thank them once again for their business here at Celebrations. [redacted] made a stunning bride and it was mesmerizing to see [redacted] arrive on a white horse!Feel free to contact me with additional questions at any time.James S[redacted] Celebrations Wedding Facility ###-###-####[email protected]

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I have read your statement as submitted to the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC and Eastern Pennsylvania. I think we can both agree that the “facts” you presented in that statement are highly skewed. This ceremony was definitely not as pleasant as you perceive it to have been.As you can see from the list of deficiencies by Celebrations Wedding Facility I did not receive the beautiful, stress-free day I envisioned and was promised. Instead, it was one mistake or embarrassment after another. I rightfully believe I should be compensated for the various defects in performance by Celebrations.I would like seek other avenues of recourse through the Revdex.com at this time. Thanks so much for your help in this matter and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Regards,

**. [redacted]

Business

Response:

21, June 2014 Dear [redacted],At this point I feel there is no further need to argue with [redacted]. It is becoming a matter of here say and speculation when indeed he and his bride received a beautiful ceremony and reception here at Celebrations. I already responded to each one of his claims individually and Celebrations has compensated him (more than generously) for the one error that we did honestly admit to. I believe his demand for $3,000. is unreasonable and unjustified. In his 2nd reply letter the only issue that is revisited is the orchestration of his ceremony, [redacted] continues to claim lack of organization and direction. I can only rebut by letting you know we are in possession of the raw video footage from this wedding and can clearly show the bridal party being lined up and I personally handling the processional from start to finish, Furthermore the timing was perfect and spaced properly. I do not wish to create animosity with a past client but I cannot simply give in to demands for an unjustified refund. ... Once again, I wish them both all the happiness in the world and Congratulations. RespectfulJames S[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC <[email protected]>

Date: Wed, Jul 23, 2014 at 10:55 AM

Subject: Fwd: Complaint [redacted]

To: [redacted] <v[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Tue, Jul 22, 2014 at 8:25 PM

Subject: Complaint [redacted]

To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

Hello I filed a complaint throught the Revdex.com and I recently received a message that notified me that the complaint was closed but that the complaint would be posted online. I did a search on Revdex.com's website and did not see my complaint posted. I would like to know if the Revdex.com is planning on posting my complaint as indicated by the communication emailed to me. Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing back from.

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