Ashley Lopez told the Action News Troubleshooters that she hired Philadelphia wedding coordinator Traci R. Lawton, who operated under the company name Wedding Kiss Ballroom and referred to herself as the "Fairy Bride Mother."
"She called herself the fairy godmother, the fairy bride mother," Lopez said.
Lopez said she paid Lawton more than $6,000 in advance for discounted wedding services in Center City, including catering, decorations, music and officiating.
"She takes care of the catering, the wedding decorations, the DJ," Lopez said.
Lopez said problems began shortly before the ceremony.
According to Lopez, Lawton told her about an hour before the wedding that the caterer had been in a car accident and then left the venue, leaving Lopez to finish preparations herself.
"I walk into a venue and the first thing I get told is this has been a day from hell," Lopez said. "And I'm like, oh my God, what do you mean?"
Lopez also said a memorial table intended to honor deceased family members was never set up.
"There was supposed to be a memorial table to honor my husband's father who passed away and my grand-mama who passed the way," Lopez said. "And she, I sent her a picture, she was supposed print it out."
"There was nothing there," Lopez added.
She also alleged that the meal service was delayed, the food provided was not what she had paid for and there was not enough food for all guests.
"I think I was so angry with how she treated my day," Lopez said.
"Because you hear everyone talk about their wedding day. And it's like this beautiful thing again. Here I'm stressed," she added.
Lopez further said Lawton misplaced the marriage certificate that had been given to her to sign.
"So then I had to go back, file a duplicate. Harass her for a week to come back to my home to sign my marriage certificate so I can be legal, legally married," Lopez said.
According to Lopez, Lawton promised her a refund, but she never received any money back.
"Nothing, nothing, nothing. So that's why I sued her," Lopez said.
Lopez said she won the lawsuit after Lawton failed to appear in court, but said she still has not received any payment.
Lopez said she wants other brides to carefully research wedding vendors and seek recommendations and references before hiring them. She said she found Lawton through an online search and wishes she had investigated further beforehand.
Lawton told Action News that Lopez's wedding day was "a day from hell."
"I, too, was devastated. It was a day of mishaps. I have apologized a hundreds thousand times. I still intend to pay Ashley back. Hers was my last wedding and then I closed down my business," Lawton said.
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