Confeti News NEW WEDDING OFFICE FOR MARBELLA
T
he popularity of Marbella as a wedding destination is such that the Ayuntamiento has opened a dedicated Wedding Office at the Tourist Office on the Paseo Maritimo in Marbella to help couples who want to celebrate their wedding in the city. Miguel Moon, the Head of Tourism, announced the new initiative in April, saying that the council hoped it would “increase the influx of visitors” to Marbella.
The new office will help to promote four and five star hotels in the municipality that can accommodate larger wedding parties of up to 500 guests, and are also planning a special event for wedding planners to showcase their businesses. As Miguel Moon also pointed out at the announcement, wedding parties bring high spending guests with them who boost Marbella’s economy.
A WORD OF
A
Therefore, if we hear of anything that could derail your wedding we feel obliged to mention it, whatever it is. This time we have heard some disturbing things about a wedding planner who uses a variety of names: Joy Gunning, Joy Gurner, Joy Gee, Wedding Events, Purple Turtle and Love Weddings are some of the monikers and companies which
weddingoffice@marbella.es
have been made known to us. We believe that Joy also worked at Tikitano’s for a number of years as a wedding planner. Unfortunately Joy has gained something of a reputation for not passing on money to the various companies who have been providers of goods and services to weddings for which she has been responsible. This has resulted in a great deal of hardship for many of these businesses, who work extremely hard to provide the best quality experience for brides who have chosen to hold their ceremony on the Costa del Sol. Wedding planners frequently act as a conduit for the whole experience, meaning that you will be expected to pay them on the understanding that they will disburse payments to the companies involved.
“A few years ago, after catering an after wedding barbecue event in Cancelada, Joy Gunning failed to pay the remaining 50 per cent upon completion of the job. As we left the lovely bride’s family home they were telling us the food had been better than the actual wedding day and the waiters had received their tips, so we knew they were very happy. Joy then told me the client hadn’t paid her and became angry and aggressive when I telephoned her. I happened to bump into the client the following year and asked them why they hadn’t paid the outstanding balance. To say they were shocked was an understatement – they had paid in full, and said also the florist hadn’t been paid either. I find this behaviour utterly disgusting and am glad of this opportunity to voice my opinion. I have had the pleasure of working with a wide range of wonderful and talented suppliers, so someone like this makes a mockery out of our hard work and passion for the wedding industry.”
Hair stylist Jonathan Yeadon of Reflections says, “She is an appalling payer who is almost impossible to contact after the event.” The popular team at Golden Tarts stated: “We had a terrible experience with Love Weddings and will not be available for bookings through them.” Further information about Joy and her modus operandi can be found at the following links: nofoolnomore.wordpress.com hotelbandolero.blogspot.com. es/2009/04/ivan-and-i-feel-prettynaive-after.html There are a number of entirely trustworthy wedding planners operating on the Coast and in Gibraltar, of whom 99 per cent offer an excellent service and
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raises the profile of Marbella as one of the most beautiful places in Europe to tie the knot.
Antonia Foran of Sana Catering recalls the moment that she realised that Joy Gunning (as she was known at the time) had failed to honour her part of a contract:
TO BRIDES-TO-BE
fter seven years of reporting on our readers’ fabulous weddings and bringing you all the latest news of trends, traditions and tomorrow’s hottest wedding gowns, we know how important your big day is to you. It marks the moment that you finally come together with your families and friends to take vows that bind you together forever. It should be a day to remember – for all the right reasons.
This is an exciting new development and Confeti heartily supports the concept. We look forward to collaborating with the Marbella Wedding Office and sincerely hope it successfully
really do put themselves out to make sure that their clients’ ceremonies and receptions run like clockwork, so when we hear about someone who is breaking the rules we have no choice to pass it on to you. The Costa del Sol and Gibraltar both have what it takes to make your destination wedding wonderful – all you need is information about which individuals and companies to trust and these you can find within the pages of CONFETI.