Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/13/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ****** events held our wedding on 5/25/25. We were told in the contract that security would be there for the duration of the event, which included security patrol of the parking lot. No guests report seeing security. There was a car accident in the parking lot during our contract time, but there was in fact no security around to aid with the accident. *************** were called. The business claims they did have security there, but there is no evidence of that. We were charged for security that we believe was not there. There is a $270 fee in the contract specifically saying there would be security monitoring the parking lot. Please see Page 3 of the contract (attached) under "Other."

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/16/2025

  A Divine Event did provide security for this event. Attached is the paid invoice for the security officer. Additionally, our COO was onsite for this event and spoke directly with the security officer on duty for this event. 

  It is unfortunate that both ***** and ***** (same client who have voiced these complaints) have proactively and aggressively engaged in these defamatory claims, through no factual assessment. The parking lot is over an acre in size and wraps around the property. Had anyone informed the Event Manager, Wedding Director, Security Officer, or any staff member for that matter, that in the back of the lot there had been a minor accident during the last hour of the event, we would have assisted in calling the police, and rendering aid if needed, but there's not much more we can do. The driver of the vehicle is ultimately responsible for driving safely and there was not an influx/outflux of traffic at that time to warrant an issue with traffic patterns.  ******** police responded quickly and would have been called by our security officer had the issue been discovered or communicated, although outcome would have been the same.

  Interesting note, ***** did warn us about the mental health of his wife and we did our best to work with them both. Their demands were frequent, rude in nature, and condescending.  We do provide a venue coordinator, not event planner.  This client had an Out of House Event Planner as well as our Venue Coordinator, so she had plenty of support. Her Out of House planner has since reached out to us to bring us another client at the same location with the same team, so clearly her perception of the sales and planning process, as well as execution day with us was much more satisfactory and in line with all the other 5 star reviews we have received. We recommend clients check us out on The Knot, ****, Wedding Wire or ****** to assess our customer satisfaction levels.

  The reality is, ***** and ***** got everything they paid for and more. They simply spent more than they wanted to after changing venues to one double in size on a holiday weekend and are now trying to recoup those costs. Their attempt at extortion is shameful and unfortunate. Even still, we wish them the best and hope they can move forward remembering the beautiful wedding day they had. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/22/2025

   
  Complaint: 23466482
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The writer from Divine Events just doesn't "get it."  She implies that my wife's "mental illness" has something to do with our experience.  The fact is, Autism is not a mental illness but rather a developmental disorder.  And our experience was created by Divine Event's poor communication and lack of willingness to meet with us early in the planning process. Indeed, our original event coordinator was let go after a probationary period; emails back and forth just are not efficient methods of communication. We had to make several requests and phone directly to have an actual verbal conversation about menu alterations. It was this atmosphere of poor coordinator-client communication that "set off" the frustration that would follow.
  

  
  My wife and her Autism are not to blame, and it is shameful for Divine to imply such. It is offensive, unprofessional, and sad.

  
  The facility provided their invoice from the security company.  Though this shows that Divine paid the invoice, it does not prove security was there; we have no evidence of such.  It may behoove ****** to ensure the security company followed through on its own contract.  The police were called to the parking lot that security was supposedly patrolling, and no security guard came over. But since Divine did provide a document- whether it reflects real security presence or not - we will withdraw that request for reimbursement of the security fee.  We have always wanted to ensure we got what we paid for; the facility accuses us of "extortion" which is unfortunate and foments more needless drama.

  
  The facilitys blame the client mentality (including for a mental illness that does not exist) could substantially undermine its legitimacy in the future, and concrete steps should be taken to improve client relations and communication from the start. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/23/2025

  *****,

  We have intentionally never mentioned your wife's diagnosis in our responses, only the fact that you provided the insight on her "tendencies" and how it could impact the planning process, which we noted and made accommodations because of.  We are appalled and further offended at your assumptions that she was treated differently because of her diagnosis. How unfortunate and once again, incorrect.  Similar to how you made comments that one time we responded to your email faster than your wife's because you were a man, also again, incorrect. (We are a woman owned and led business...BTW)  The reality is we have had experience working with autistic clients and even have employees with autistic family members. Whether related to the diagnosis or not, it is indeed a fact that we have never experienced the numerous misunderstandings and assumptions with our clients that we experienced with you and *****. And certainly, never with the level of rudeness and accusations we unfortunately grew accustomed to in working with you.

  Our packages are clear with the number of meetings included and at what time frames.  You also had an Out Of House Wedding Planner to assist you if additional meetings were needed, although there were times we were told to solely work through her and others to work through *****, which certainly did not help the communication process. However, we did make concessions throughout the process and scheduled calls weekly, once again, to accommodate your wishes.  The result of your planning process: a fantastic wedding day experience, which is the ultimate goal of our contractual relationship. *******, your venue coordinator for the majority of the planning process, provided excellent service and communication, which you alluded to both during and after the wedding day. While we did have a staff transition during your brief planning period, we managed it to where it should have affected you minimally and was resolved quickly, with management support and attention. 

  While you may believe the paid invoice doesn't "prove" that security was onsite, I would argue that neither does the statement that your wedding guests did not report seeing one onsite.  My Chief Operating Officer was onsite and spoke with the officer at multiple times, who by the way, has worked this property for over 3 years. Wedding security is not there to be a forceful presence, and should blend in. Again, the situation with ******** ** was handled quickly and during that time frame had anyone alerted any level of staff or management, we would have easily resolved the inquiry, although not much else could have been done at that point. This was not at a time when there was a heavy volume of traffic coming in or out of the property, although, the burden of operating a car safely  is ultimately the driver's responsibility. This does not minimize our dissatisfaction that it happened at all as we understand it caused you both stress hearing about it after the event. Thankfully, there were no injuries as this was a fender ****** so to speak. We have taken steps with our security provider, including an additional onsite training session, to ensure they are prepared for situations like this, although again, first time in 27 years that I am aware of. Had the communications between us been more professional and courteous, we might have had a different response. We appreciate you removing the complaint and request for reimbursement as it is indeed unfounded. The numerous posts online culminating in the BBB request for reimbursement does fall in line with the definition of extortion. The definition of extortion: the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. It involves creating fear, often including threats of violence, damage to property, or reputational damage. 

  We hope you are able to move forward, as we have, remembering the fantastic wedding day experience you both received.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/30/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  - We needed to read every version of the updated menu/invoice because they change the prices without warning. The price of our dessert was $9 until one day it was $9.50. They charged us $150 for early arrival offset by $150 credit . One day that credit had changed from $150 to $2, increasing our bill by $148. Another time, ***** from the design studio accidentally increased the price of some tablecloths by $5 each. She also increased the design cost for various elements with no explanation. When I asked, she said, we changed the recipe.- Their contracts sometimes expire after two days, and they said we needed to sign before getting answers to our questions. This happened with two versions of a contract addendum. When we asked questions, ******* did not address them but told us Any specific detail changes to this contract will be handled in the extended planning sessions. I prefer to get my questions answered BEFORE signing. - We got different answers from different people. We had one event coordinator give us specific approval - in writing - only to have someone else tell us that was not allowed. - If we didnt get it in writing, they often denied it. With the issue mentioned above, they insisted we never discussed it, and they only agreed to do it because we found written confirmation. - We paid more than 80% of the adult rate for children aged 4-9. Children starting at age 10 are charged full price. The menu says "reduced rate" for children, but the details of the reduced rate aren't mentioned until later. They get a 20% discount on the base price for the buffet, but they are full price for everything else including drinks, dessert, and add-ons. Two months before our wedding, The CEO allowed us to switch from the Atrium to ********** because it was a better space for our needs. We had to pay $3,500 in additional fees, but we needed to do it, so we cut costs elsewhere to offset the fee. I want a refund of $1500 of that money

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2025

  I've already filed a complaint about the wedding planning process, but now I have a specific complaint about the $270 we paid for security that was not present. I was suspicious when none of my guests reported seeing anyone. Even the outside wedding planner and photographer, who were walking around during the event, didn't see anyone. When my husband asked ******* about it, she said she needed to check with the security company. That's a bad sign if noone on their staff could confirm it. When I followed up via email, she said "We did have security on-site that evening. While they dont come into the venue itself, they are stationed outside to monitor the parking lot and are available to assist if needed." That's great, but the evening was a different event. (We had to be done at 3 because of a later event.) We paid for security until 3pm, not for the evening. This morning my coworker told me that she and another guest had a fender ****** in the parking lot. No security guard came to assist them. A car accident in the parking lot seems like it would be in the purview of the security guard. Then I asked her if she had seen anyone in the parking lot earlier. She reported that someone was directing traffic when she arrived, but it was a "regular staff person" and not someone with a security uniform. (We also have concerns that some of our envelopes with gifts were taken, but I can't prove that. I just know that half of my guests didn't bring or send gifts.) Unless they can prove that there was a security guard there during OUR event, we should get back our $270.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/11/2025

  How unfortunate and shameful that this client is choosing to leave these falsehoods and half-truths.  The reality is, our team went above and beyond to service this client, who had severe and unique misunderstandings that we have only experienced with her and her husband. I spoke with the client during her planning process and she admitted that most of her misunderstandings regarding pricing and inclusions were her own assumptions, not the result of our team misleading or providing false info. Each time this client reached out, and sometimes this is 3-4 times per day, her concerns changed, each more egregious then the last. I have spiteful and rude emails documenting her treatment of this team, even myself when I stepped in to assist.  Each time, she was met with patience and additional support to help guide her. In fact, our team set up weekly calls on top of the numerous emails and in person meetings to ensure she felt cared for and her unique misunderstandings were alleviated in real time.  We deliver top notch events and in fact, this client went on several platforms to indicate that her wedding day was, and I quote, GREAT! She simply went overbudget and wants to recoup those overages, through no fault of our own. I am happy to review this client's invoice/contract, our paid security invoice, or any other document, with anyone at BBB to encourage this review be removed as it is indeed false and client was not overcharged and received more than she actually paid for. We have been in business for over 37 years, have numerous 5 star reviews on multiple and reputable platforms and a flawless BBB rating. It is our hope that both the BBB and discerning clients can read between the lines here, that this is extortion.

  Below is the response posted on several platforms:

  *****, Glad to hear your wedding day experience was Fantastic! Ultimately, this is what we work so hard for - a successful wedding day experience! Unfortunately, there were many misunderstandings on your behalf regarding pricing and add-ons during the contract and planning process, and as such, it clearly tainted your experience of the venue coordination process. As a gesture of goodwill, we offered concessions and accommodations throughout the process due to these misunderstandings, which were limited to our experience with you. It is unfortunate that after those gestures, and your own admission that many concerns were simply misunderstandings on your part, that you have chosen to pen this review. Once again, you have many wrong characterizations and assumptions here, which was a theme throughout the process. We did appreciate the warning regarding your tendencies but between the numerous and consistent misunderstandings, unnecessary and unprofessional rants and tantrums and lack of courtesy and basic respect demonstrated in correspondence, the process took a toll on the team as well. It is unfortunate your perception has colored us so poorly, especially in spite of a fantastic event in your own words, but I am confident our our discerning clients can read between the lines here. For our part, we are moving forward, focusing on producing wonderful events for our clients each and every weekend! While we are saddened this will be a memory of your beautiful wedding day, we are glad that we were able to produce a fantastic wedding day for you, in spite of the challenges we experienced in doing so. We wish you and ***** only the best as you begin this next chapter together!