Vendors Beware

A note to fellow Event Industry Vendors:

In the past 2 weeks, Merry Me has been targeted by two different email scam attempts and we would like to share some of the details to help avoid any of our fellow vendors falling victim to such attempts.

The two emails we received were from Jessica Farrell and Gregory Davis, both requesting our services to plan their upcoming weddings….both of which are only just a few short weeks away and are being planned from overseas.

Jessica Farrell’s first email reads:

From: Jessica Farrell

Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2009 05:16:29 -0700 (PDT)

Subject: We need you for our day !

Hello, How are you doing? Thriving!!!

My name is Jessica Farrell , from Enfield in middlesex UK (England ).. We will be coming to IL after my shopping trip with my Husband David Rodin who's French by nature to start his new work with the Coca-cola Co. in Chicago . And just before then we will be getting married on the 27th of June , 2009. We need a good wedding planner to take care of our wedding both reception and ceremony. We require the best for the best memories for we & our children in future and as a matter of fact we have budgeted 25000$ for this special event.

Also, the ceremony and reception event will be taking place in a location and we are expecting at most 50 guests on the day of our occassion because most of our families in Europe and in the United Kingdom will be present for the occassion.

Also, we would like you to know the reception and ceremony will be taking place @ 1 location which the ceremony event would be in a garden location or outdoor while the reception takes place indoors, we are still about to make reservation though but we are making progress with that.

Please let us know if you're able to help.

Sincerely, Jess & David

We responded with several questions to this first email, and started dialog with Jessica. She responded to most of our questions, and in detail…..this was starting to look like a very promising opportunity for another event on our calendar for the year. After being prompted to learn more about her and her future husband, she had offered a fabulous story of how they had met when she was tending to her sick grandmother and other very creative details. However, we were very skeptical through out the entire email correspondence. It wasn’t until Cher decided to Google Jessica Farrell’s name was it realized that she has hit several vendors through out the entire United States, and not just in the wedding industry. Abruptly, we put a stop to the correspondence and thankfully did not ever take this as far as receiving any funds or deposits.

The second email we received was from Gregory Davis, his first email read:

From: Gregory Davis gregdaveis7@gmail.com

Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:50:23 +0800

Subject: WEDDING

Hello,My Name is Mr Gregory Davis i need an experienced wedding planner whowill handle my wedding and arrange the reception dinner for a group ofpeople who will be attending the wedding ceremony.The wedding is expected to hold on the 11th of July 2009 and 50 to 70guests are expected to attend. As i do not know what the guests mightchoose for their meals and drinks, i will make a prepayment as initialdeposit for this booking via credit card once availability isconfirmed by you.All checks and balances will be made with you on 15thof June which is the final day of the booking, You are to arrange fora a venue for the wedding a place for the reception ,Videography,Music Entertainment,Photography,cake and flowers.If there is any these items that is beyond your capability, you let usknow so that another company can handle it. Get back to me with yourresponse as we don't have much time with us so that we can process ouraccommodation within the region more convenient for you and us.


At this point, we were a bit more sensitive to this type of email, and assumed immediately that it was yet another scam. Googling once again the senders name, the results came back with “scam” written all over it. Again we abruptly responded to the sender with threats of turning them into the authorities.

How do these scams work?

As with most email scams, the potential client/contact is located outside of the states and is requesting services (planning, photography, ect..). With very little dialog, the potential client offers to send a very sizeable deposit to retain the services you provide. When you receive the deposit it is usually even larger then agreed upon. From this point, the hope is you deposit their check. Once the check is deposited the next request is for you to send the additional funds they had sent you to another vendor, usually in another country and most likely Canada. During this time, the funds are deposited and available in your account….but the funds they had sent you were fraudulent, either a stolen or counterfeit check, money order or even treasury check. It will take up to 21 days or more for the bank to realize that the funds are unavailable or even fraudulent….and when they do, they will withdraw it back out of your account. In the meantime, you have already sent a sizeable amount of funds to another vendor requested by the scammer (and in the end, IS the scammer). You are out money, they are rolling in the money…and essentially, you unknowingly laundered a fraudulent check.

How to protect yourself?

1. Be aware of any out of town requests for your services.
2. Ask for a phone conversation prior to signing contracts.
3. Ask for SS# or NI# (National Insurance number, Europe’s version of SS#) and tell your potential client that you do a credit check on any clients outside of your immediate area.
Offer to have the potential client send the funds and a signed contract to your attorney’s office, where all of your contracts normally are sent to. (even though it may not, if you are suspicious, this is a quick way to see if they respond, most scammers really don’t want to deal with a lawyers office)
4. Google is your friend! There are many sites out there that offer information from other victims, or almost victims, from these scammer’s names and all of their aliases.
5. Check out: http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/



Thankfully, we were not a victim to this scam; however, too much of our valuable time was spent working with this potential client. Hopefully, our time and energy will save you a bit of time in return, and ultimately, keep you from being scammed.

Cheers!

Merry Me Staff

Marvelous Michilah and her first Events with Merry Me!

Recently, Merry Me began our official internship program and happily welcome Michilah Miller to our team. Michilah has worked two events with Merry Me and has done an exceptional job at every task assigned! We are so proud to have Michilah on our team, and look forward to keeping her around long after her internship is over!

Vasya’s 5th Birthday
The first event Michilah was involved with was Vasya’s 5 year birthday celebration, held in the grand ballroom at the South Bend Marriott- Downtown. The theme was a blend of Vasya’s love of extreme sports and High School Musical. With only 2 weeks notice, the Merry Me Team had just a short time to pull off this extreme event for forty energetic kids! Targeting every resource and using our preferred vendor connections, Merry Me was able to create and deliver invitations, collect and track RSVP’s, organize the venue and entertainment, and create an overall exceptional event. Michilah’s key role in this event was managing one of the extreme sport stations, and making sure each child had a safe and memorable time. Michilah and the rest of the Merry Me team is due endless kudos for pulling together and orchestrating this “extreme” event!

Hughes-Bulgrin Wedding - March 21, 2009

Michilah also was on board for her first Merry Me wedding and has become an expert at chair rosettes! The Hughes-Bulgrin wedding, on March 21, was the perfect blend of Celtic charm and simple elegance. The reception was painted on the perfect backdrop of the Palais Royal ballroom in downtown South Bend. Simple, but stunning, the floral centerpieces atop porcelain cake plate adorned each table and were magically lit with pin spot lighting from above. Romantic candlelight was spread through out the venue; in every window sill, and on every table, offering a warm ambiance mirroring the warm emotion of the friends and family attending in loving support for the new couple. In the upstairs balcony the bride and groom offered a quaint lounge area with furniture groupings and coordinating colors to match the wedding theme. A special touch was added at the guest book table, where wedding photos of the bride and grooms parents and grandparents were displayed, surrounded by candlelight and a magnificent floral piece to pull the entire theme together. Merry Me was involved in the entire planning of this event, as both bride and groom lived out of town. From planning, time line management and vendor coordination to décor, design and floral, the Merry Me team is grateful for the opportunity to be have been part of this couples special event.

Again, much thanks to the entire Merry Me Event Team, all of our venue event managers and staff at the Palais and Marriott for assisting in the incredible success of both of these events!

We love Harbor Country!

If you are unaware of exactly what Harbor Country is, let me explain this true treasure so close to home!

Quaint cottages, Cozy Bed and Breakfasts, Calming Beachs and Sprawling Vineyards are just a few of the incredible backdrops you can choose from for your event in Harbor Country. This gem of an area is situated on the south eastern shores of Lake Michigan, and a stones throw from the metropolitan draws of downtown Chicago, and encompasses such quaint towns and villages such as; New Buffalo, Sawyer, Union Pier, Three Oaks, Michiana and Grand Beach, to name just a few.

Harbor Country offers so many opportunities to create a unique, romantic and incredible atmosphere for a beautiful wedding or extravagant event! It is close to home, and offers an affordable option in lieu of a pricey destination wedding, but with all of the casual warmth of a beach in the Caribbean or the charm of the hills of Napa Valley.

Merry Me! Is thrilled to announce that we have teamed up with Susan Fredman Design group out of Chicago, IL to offer full service destination event planning in Michigan’s fashionable Harbor Country.


http://www.susanfredman.com/event_planning/

Here are some events Merry Me! has participated in creating this past fall:

“When Times Get Tough... The Tough Get Educated” (The Special Event, San Diego, CA)

This was the idea behind this year's The Special Event in San Diego California, which Cher and part of the Merry Me Team were able to participate in, again, this year!
The Special Event is a great event that caters to the event industry offering educational sessions, décor and design ideas, and vendors from around the world; as well as interaction and feedback from many professional and celebrity planners and designers from the industry. Putting all of these resources at our fingertips and all in one location allows Cher and the Merry Me Team to give you the latest and greatest in trends, design, décor and overall event planning for your special occasion!

The big buzz words that seem to encompass our everyday lives are Economy, Green, Recycled and Budget; these too were hot topics that were spread around The Special Event educational seminars this year. With this in mind, Merry Me is passing this new found knowledge to you, our clients and customers. Offering budget reviews and recommendations, Up-Cycling inventory to reduce cost and create new looks, and new ways to look take your event to the next level while still staying TRUE to your budget.

Not only did we come home with a wealth of knowledge, but check out just some of the HOT décor ideas the Merry Me Team took home from the show this year:

Black and White All Over! – That’s right! The black and white theme is as hot as ever. It is classy and crisp, and can be customized with a pop of color like hot pink, bright blue and yellows.

Bring Your Event to Light!! - Lighting packages is increasingly becoming just as essential as floral when it comes to weddings and events. Creative lighting can transform a blank space into dramatic atmosphere, adding layers of depth and creating a memorable backdrop to your event.

Not So Matchy Matchy – This year, variety is the spice of life! Using the “up-cycle” ideal, it is all about creating space with similar themes and design, but adding depth with different tablescapes, and décor.

Merry Me will be showing of a tiny snapshot of these incredible ideas at the entrance of the WSBT Bridal Expo, February 28, 2009 at the Notre Dame JACC.

(photos provided by The Special Event and Barnett Photography)

It’s been awhile…. Let’s catch up!!

Yes, it has been awhile since our last blog post! In our brief hiatus we have experienced so many changes; a New Year, a new President, many brides are now wives, grooms now husbands…and Merry Me Events has a growing vision!

So let’s catch everyone up to speed!

In the next few blog entries we will cover some of the fabulous events Merry Me has helped create over the past few months, and share the latest news about the growth of Merry Me Events!

What started as a small dream of creating great events by Cher Goggins has grown into Merry Me Events. The demand for the dedicated and detailed visions of Cher and Merry Me event coordinators and design specialists has set our company up for a growth spurt!

Over the next few weeks we will be announcing changes and improvements to allow Merry Me Events to better serve our clients. Remaining true to our motto of “less is more because excellence matters”, Merry Me Events establishes only one team of design and details specialists per event, per weekend, allowing complete focus on your special event.

“From Fabulous ideas to flawless finishes, we create imaginative events with integrity and exceptional customer service.” (Mission Statement)

Company growth means our team is growing as well, and we will be updating our website soon with biographies and details on the people that make your event happen.

Meet your Merry Me Events Team



Please stay in touch and check back often for many EXCITING developments to be coming in the very near future!!!

Hilton Garden Inn

I've had the pleasure of working at the Hilton Garden Inn or "Gillespie Conference Center" many times this summer. Here are just a few of my highlights... it's great working with such a willing and helpful staff!
The glasstop canopy works beautifully in this ballroom...
Special effect lighting creates a tropical paradise for Lisa and Jose Munoz.
Large or small parties can easily be accommodated here.

Backyard Island Party

This party was great fun! My client chose to have a party celebrating the completion of her beautiful backyard renovation. We chose to do an Island Theme that suited the atmosphere perfectly!
The sounds of a steel drum band created a great background for the guests. The food was fantastic and presented in a unique style, just as I prefer!
The highlight of the evening was the entertainment of a team of fire dancers. At dusk, the performance capped off the affair.