No bookings for wedding venue
Symons Valley Ranch owner says planner left two couples in the lurch
Two couples who paid a wedding planner to secure a northwest Calgary venue for their nuptials were disappointed to learn the place hadn’t actually been booked or paid for, according to the owners of the facility.
Ken Aylesworth, who owns and operates Symons Valley Ranch with his wife Tracy, said he never received the necessary deposits or paperwork from the wedding planner, and is warning other betrothed Calgarians to confirm they actually have bookings and payments with the ranch to avoid similar heartbreak.
“Our biggest concern, quite frankly, is how many other brides out there have had their deposits taken? And have we been implicated in any future event that we know nothing about?” Aylesworth said Friday.
Earlier this summer, Aylesworth said he was contacted by a woman inquiring about the status of her wedding reservation after being unable to reach her planner.
“That was the first we’d heard of it,” Aylesworth said, adding the facility was able to make the event work, lining up catering and special event services, and even offering the venue free of charge. “We wanted to make sure she had the best day possible.”
In the latest case, a family member of a bride-to-be posted on Facebook on Wednesday complaining the ranch had cancelled the couple’s Oct. 3rd wedding event with only 10 days’ notice, Aylesworth said. But when he checked, he found no booking confirmed.
“It completely blindsided us,” he said. “There was no signed con- tract, no paperwork for that event.”
Aylesworth said the wedding planner, who he said does not work for Symons Valley Ranch, had given him a list for upcoming events she was planning at the ranch. But he said he never received payments or paperwork for the two weddings, so he worked under the premise that they weren’t going ahead.
After seeing Wednesday’s Facebook post, he got in touch with the couple to see if there was anything he could do. But the couple had found another venue for their wedding, he said.
Aylesworth said he has filed complaints with police. A spokeswoman with the Calgary Police Service confirmed they are investigating.
Jodi D.M. Fraser, the lawyer representing the wedding planner, Annise Toleikis, said Toleikis had to find a new venue for the couple involved in the most recent case after a “breakdown in the professional relationship” between the planner and the ranch.
“Symons Valley Ranch was advised of the need for the October 3, 2015 date; however, due to a breakdown in the professional relationship between the Ranch and our client, as well as the Ranch’s delay in providing certain contractual information to our client in a timely manner, our client reached a solution with the bride and groom to move the wedding to a separate and suitable location to ensure no further issues would arise that would ruin their day,” Fraser said in a statement.
“Our client maintains a positive relationship with the majority of her clients, despite the continuous attempts to ruin both her personal and business reputations, and has successfully planned and given many other couples their special day. It is unfortunate that these matters continue to be brought up but our client is prepared to respond and protect her interests.”
Aylesworth said he just wants to get the word out and encourages Calgarians to call the ranch directly at 403-874-3572 to confirm the venue has been secured for the date they want.