Two Michigan brides have filed complaints against their caterer, claiming their wedding days were ruined in a situation one bride said left her feeling “taken advantage of,” according to a report.
Stacey Rackham says her caterer, David Parker, who runs James Parker, or JP, Hospitality, signed a contract agreeing to provide catered food from a private chef, help with setup and coordination, and provide a bar team.
Rackham paid Parker in full for his services before her wedding on August 31 in Detroit. Yet, on the day of the event, it was just Parker working the wedding, the bride told WXYZ.
The new bride claims she didn’t receive the late-night food she paid for, and was given the wrong wedding cake, which put a damper on her special day.
“I feel taken advantage of…and it’s not how we treat people,” Rackham said.
Rackham filed an official complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division just days after her wedding on September 2. In the complaint, she notes the lack of staffing and how the food was not prepared as written in the contract, causing “significant disruption to my event and financial loss.”
“It’s people I haven’t seen in a long time and just so happy to see them, so it really kind of pulled us back into that moment where I was like, this is what I have to focus on,” Rackham told the outlet while choking up. She later requested a partial refund, which she still has not received.
In emails to Rackham, Parker allegedly told her “there were no significant issues” at the event, the heartbroken bride told the news station.
Feeling helpless, Rackham took to social media to warn other brides against using Parker’s services.
Parker then allegedly notified her that “for every day social media posts are up and visible, we will be seeking $10,000 per day in damages” and that he hopes “this karma should never impact you personally or your business.”
“He responded back just really dismissively and defensively, challenging my character,” Rackham said.
Rackham isn’t the only bride with complaints about the services she received from Parker.
Another bride, Taylor Caradonna, filed a lawsuit in Sixth Circuit Court accusing Parker of breach of contract, emotional distress and more.
In her complaint, Caradonna claims that Parker “Utterly failed to deliver – both in substance and in basic professional decency.”
“I spent months and months planning what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives, and it was just taken from us,” Caradonna told the news station.
In the lawsuit, Caradonna said Parker failed to provide catering for 80 guests and “materially breached this agreement through nonperformance and substandard service.”
“We were just kind of in shock. I think it was, we were more so just embarrassed. Like, it’s just an embarrassing thing,” she said.
The lawsuit claims that the newlyweds ended up buying pizzas with their own money to feed their hungry guests. It claims that when they confronted Parker during the event, he acknowledged the deficiencies and said they would be receiving a refund – which the lawsuit claims never came.
In response to the allegations, Parker told the outlet, “Over the past 15 years, I have managed more than 2,000 successful events without a single client dispute. The only time my professionalism has been questioned has been within the last year — specifically by a small, interconnected group of individuals associated with lower-budget events.”
The news station also found that Parker had received a cease and desist order from the Oakland County Health Division for “conducting an unlicensed food service” at a real estate agency that he advertised as “an event space with food.”
Both brides are trying to move forward, with or without their refund.
“I don’t wish ill towards him. We’re all human, we make mistakes, but I just hope that he learns from this,” said Caradonna.
