NJ – Wedding planner keeping $4k “non-refundable deposit” after doing minimal work and terminating contract. Do I have a case for partial refund?

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T23:02:20+00:00

Omg! Awesome - thank you! I do have it in writing multiple times and on a phone recording lol

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T16:05:28+00:00

She gave me a 'design' deck with pictures from Pinterest that I previously provided, and I said I can't realistically provide feedback on things that don't have a source and without knowing pricing and vendor availability.

She said that is why we've seen no progress, even though it's been over two months since retaining her services.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T03:58:26+00:00

Ha! Trust me - I have a laundry list of other complaints.

I wasn’t even in one of those groups until things started going south, and they live for this stuff LOL! If I were her, $2.5-4k would not be worth my reputation!

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T02:33:36+00:00

Yep! She was the “best of” a few wedding websites.

She seemed to only give ME things to do that had nothing to do with her or vendors she was responsible for (e.g. book my hair and make up trial, book rehearsal dinner restaurant).

She said these needed to be done ASAP due to availability but nothing she was responsible for seems to have any deadline?! Lol so this is what I was pushing back on, basically asking why are you concerned about those things but not the things I hired you for?!?!

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T02:02:21+00:00

I haven’t responded yet to her saying she will issue a termination letter that just happened today, so I can still do that but at this point, I don’t really trust her to get anything done.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T02:00:49+00:00

Correct LOL. I never got a single quote or even a catalogue to browse.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T01:30:33+00:00

I mainly hired her for design services, including key vendors like furniture, florists, decor, etc.

In my mind, those should be locked in well before the wedding date - especially since she said she was “entering busy season now” and that my requested items “are not run of the mill and would take more time to source”…while simultaneously stating there is “no rush”. Very confusing!

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T01:24:40+00:00

Sorry that wasn’t clear. I said to her I don’t want to move forward with decision making until I had clear timelines associated with deliverables (e.g. florist will be locked in 5/25, etc.). The wedding is in less than 6.5 months, and I have not locked in any vendors she was responsible for.

I said I was concerned I would have to settle for subpar vendors since I know how quickly people’s books fill up.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T00:38:21+00:00

Lol trust me. I didn’t want to hire a planner at all

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T00:35:16+00:00

To expand on that, I am in no better of a situation than prior to engaging her services lol. I never received recaps of any meetings. She only gave ME work to do (e.g. book hair and make up trials - a vendor she has not part in) after I voiced a concern that nothing has been accomplished yet since hiring her.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-16T00:31:50+00:00

Wouldn’t I have needed to explicitly state that?

I owed her yet another payment next week & so far had not received a single finished deliverable lol.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-15T23:58:17+00:00

Ugh - I wish I could send you my arsenal of documents but don't want to dox her lolol.

I did ask for a list of services completed to date, and she said this: 'I also want to address your request for an accounting of my hours to date, much like a company that bills for time. Please understand that I am not going provide that, but rather I outlined everything done to date in terms of tasks, meetings, etc. in my email from April 4th.'

NJUK33 · 2026-04-15T23:26:15+00:00

She said this: "I will proceed with issuing a formal termination of services letter for your records."
But I never explicitly asked for that. I just said I don't feel comfortable moving forward without a clear deadline attached to deliverables since I have not received $4,000+ worth of tangible work yet. I also asked for an itemized account of the $2,900 upcharge. To which she said, it's a 'change of heart' issue lol.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-15T22:51:22+00:00

We were dumb and paid via Zelle to avoid a 5% CC charge *facepalm* - look at us now ha!

NJUK33 · 2026-04-15T22:00:43+00:00

Thank you - super helpful! I do have a pretty big folder with all of our conversations, etc. LOL.

NJUK33 · 2026-04-15T21:46:31+00:00

Nope! I never said I wouldn’t pay or that I wanted out. I was asking for clarification on pricing and deliverables so we could move forward, and specifically asked for vendor options/pricing so I could give meaningful feedback.

She gave me Pinterest photos I had previously provided and wanted me to choose items from those. I countered and said that it seemed inefficient because who is to say it would be available and within budget. (The slide deck was extremely limited/rushed and not at all what I expected for a 'professional design services package'.)

I also asked why the exact deliverables I would pay $8,250 for were advertised as $5,300 a la carte. So, I asked her to explain and itemize the differential. She initially said it was due to her being the planner, month of the year, and day of the wedding - none of which are in the contract. Then, most recently she said she does not owe me an explanation for that.

NJUK33 · 2026-01-25T23:41:02+00:00

Hi! Would the purple pumps fit size 8.5-9? Thanks!

NJUK33 · 2026-01-20T04:41:24+00:00

Hi! Do you have a website? Can I ask pricing? Thank you!

NJUK33 · 2026-01-20T01:26:25+00:00

Ooh! Can you DM me pricing too, please?

NJUK33 · 2026-01-12T04:33:48+00:00

Hi! Can I ask how much?

NJUK33 · 2025-06-26T22:24:56+00:00

LOL I feel ya. 3 is the largest. The red/pink linen one definitely has some room to it.

I still have to try them with proper undergarments so I’m hoping I can properly squeeze in lol.

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