This FB post was shared a while ago by my coordinator and makeup artist. Original post was from a Merjerie Lanzadera.
Hi, call me "the groom". Recently, I have experienced something I never thought would happen to me but it did and i feel I must share. My new wife and I got engaged early last year and have made a decision to get married back home (Philippines) as most of our friends and family are still there. As a man, I felt I must do everything I can to make sure that my "bride to be" gets her dream wedding plus everything she deserves so regardless of how late I stay at work and how many extra hours i put in, my goal is to give her the best wedding. Given that we are both based abroad, we have made a decision to hire a coordinator who will assist us in our wedding. One of my wife's friend recommended, a girl named Karen Favis Carlos. We looked at her previous worked and reviews and have decided to obtained her assistance to make sure that my wife gets everything she wants. Last year we met her and her family (with her kids) and she met our family when she showed us the venue. we sat down and spoke about how my wife wants her wedding and put everything in final order. We have made necessary downpayments to book services and met the people that will provide services to our wedding.. So to cut the long story short, everything was in order until the day of the wedding..
July 18. The morning of the wedding came.. we are booked at a hotel in separate room of course and my mom called me to say that she cannot get a hold of the coordinator, Karen Favis Carlos. it was 9am.. the wedding is not until 2pm, so i told my mom "its okay, shes probably on her way"... although i felt the need to worry, i disregarded my worries because its our wedding day and i was texting my bride at that time making sure that shes happy. Around 10:30 Karen's assistants came, we asked where Karen is and she said "Di po namin macontact but she should be on her way".. Around 11, is when I started to get really worried, the stylist hasnt come, the only person thats at the hotel is the makeup artist and karen's assistant.. My heart is slowly strating to hurt as I want to make sure that my bride gets everything she ever deserved. So I told my sister to make sure that the bride knows nothing about Karen being missing in action... Its now 12pm, two hours before the wedding and the only additional people that came was the stylist and the photographers. I knew in my heart something was wrong. Karen is officially missing in action, Her assistants doesnt know where she is, there are no flowers at the hotel.. Flowers!!! I shouted deep inside... My bride to be's mini dream is to have her wedding flowers done by Teddy Manuel. A family friend who contacted Teddy Manuel, was told that there was no contract between us and him. My heart sank!! I started crying deep inside, I pulled out all our contracts and receipts and there it is Teddy Manuel contract- fully paid two months before our wedding day. I said to myself, this cannot be happening. I again told everyone not to say anything to my bride to be. I do not wish for her to experience the pain I was feeling then. I started calling Karen, her phone was off and facebook deactivated. I knew right then and there that Karen Favis Carlos is a scam!!!!!!!!!! The wedding must go on. ;( Our entourage did not have any flowers, there were no flowers at church, my bride has a bouquet bought at a store, it was devastating.. My bride's limo was a scam as well.. I looked at all receipts she has given me. Don Roberts Limo- fully paid months ago.. and again, the limo was never booked.. My pain somehow lightened when i saw her walked down that aisle, she was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.. My bride still has nooo idea about Karen stealing all that hard earned money..... After church is when she statyed asking questions and thats when I told her what was going on, I didnt tell her everything I know, As i didnt want her to worry, I reassured her that everything is fine.
We then went from the fernbrook chapel to the fernbrook ballroom. Walking into the ballroom, we saw that although it was a beautiful setup, it was not what we paid for, we paid for the most expensive package they have, and we were only given the basics. the flowers were old. The dj is different, the emcee is different. But the party still went on.. At the end of the night is when we "the newly weds" were told the most devastating news a newly wed could ever get, the catering service was not paid for!!! almost half a million peso that we have paid in full months ago and has receipt for, we were told that Karen Favis Carlos faked all the receipts and the catering company is now after us to pay for the service. We could not help it anymore, the night of our wedding day at the corner of Frenbrook me and my wife started crying... We were then told that none of the services was paid at all.. All those overtime shifts that me and my bride worked to be able to pay for the wedding of our dreams, everything Karen Favis Carlos stole!!!!!!
We didnt know what to say or do. I can go on to tell you what happen that night and the day after, the tears, the pain.. but It is not the purpose of this letter. I wrote this letter to reach out to other engaged couple, to be careful who you trust, Karen Favis Carlos looked decent and trusting but she is the most heartless person we have ever met. She stole millions of money. I reached out to other wedding services as well, our contract with Teddy Manuel had the company's letterhead, as well as his signature (which Karen forged) and we even met this lady that was suppose to be Teddy's assistant. and Teddy Manuel knows nothing about this. Karen Favis Carlos is using other company's name,creates a fake contract and forge signature. Our contract with Don Roberts limo was fake as well as our receipt with the catering service.
Lastly I wrote this letter to reach out to whoever knows Karen Favis Carlos. For Karen- we did nothing bad towards other people for you to do this to us. We trusted you. The money you stole from us we can always work for again, but that moment, that moment that me and my wife are suppose to look back and be happy, you stole that from us. I has been weeks and still we cannot look at any of our wedding pictures because even though there were people that helped us make it happen, we still cannot forget that moment we were told that you ran away with our money. you stole our dream wedding me and my wife both worked sooooo hard for. You stole that moment that Me and my wife were suppose to be happy, the moment that was suppose to be memorable... You stole that from us.. Everytime we look at our wedding pictures, we feel traumatized, instead of remniscing the happy moments, we feel nothing but pain and disappointment.
For every life that me and my wife save by profession, I wish nothing but one thing in return....... I wish nothing but for you, Karen Favis Carlos, to experience the same amount of pain you have given not only to me and my wife but to our entire family.
--- grabe, no words can express my nega feeling about this story.