Just one!
7/7/07, a calendar anomaly, was expected to be a windfall for the wedding industry. In Las Vegas, three 7’s could only mean great luck for a wedding day, and future anniversaries.
As is said in the Hertz commercials, “not exactly.”
For one Las Vegas wedding chapel, Las Vegas Garden of Love, the events and publicity of 7/7/07 could not have been much worse. In simple terms, they were overbooked. Were they overzealous in booking? Were they overbooked for their staffing level? Were they overbooked for their experience in the logistics of handling so many simultaneous weddings?
The answer probably lies somewhere in a combination of responses to those questions.
The end result could best be described with words like fiasco or train wreck. Many wedding couples and their entourages, had in many cases, great distances at great expense, and were sorely disappointed by the cattle call crush at Las Vegas Garden of Love. In order to get ceremonies in, under the wire, at midnight, couples were lined up against a brick wall. All that was missing was the firing squad.
To make matters worse, the proceedings made the 11pm, Sunday night news in Las Vegas. It wouldn’t surprise me if it made national news distribution on CNN or other cable news channels.
The news coverage showed interviews with brides and grooms, complaining in the most vehement way; some, threatening to sue Las Vegas Garden of Love. The chapel owner (or manager) was interviewed, trying her best to do damage control.
Let’s face it: We all make mistakes; however, when such an error makes the local television and/or print news, and runs the risk of national distribution, the public relations aftermath, and its effect on referral business is likely to large and long lasting.
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One Ping to “How many wedding chapels does it take to create a herd of Bridezillas?”
3 Responses to “How many wedding chapels does it take to create a herd of Bridezillas?”
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1. Jodi Harris Says:
July 9th, 2007 at 1:34 pmGreedy! Greedy! Greedy!
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2. Sympathetic Vendor Says:
July 9th, 2007 at 2:04 pmI have worked for many companies that thought they had the logistics of a busy “holiday” worked out only to find out that in reality they had a ZOO on their hands. Best wishes to the wedding chapel for recovering from the nightmare. If they do a good job on a regular basis and give a heartfelt attempt at making amends with the disapointed couples they should have no problems rebounding.
Fo those who put 100% on the businesses just trying to keep up with the requests. I want to remind you of how many times that phone rings with someone begging to be squeezed in with some sob story or another of how they didn’t plan in time. As businesses we can only do the best we can and try to be realistic with the outcome.
My guess is if many of these couples had been told in advance it was going to be cattle call weddings many of them still would have booked!
And a quick word to the newly weds. It is only the begining you control how the future goes. I am certain with a little imagination it will be a good story for you and your grandchildren to laugh about in years to come! Many blessings for you all.
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3. Susan Horn/Flowers by Susan Says:
July 10th, 2007 at 7:28 amI am well aware of how much work I and my team can produce on any given weekend… I took my usual limit, stuck to it, produced beautiful florals
for both our 777 brides, and at the end of the day, I was very proud of the work we provided. My intent is not to just rake in the final check(s), but to anticipate referrals from each job we put out there- focusing on our “big picture.” This has worked for me for many years, and continue to maintain that policy, no matter how much hype the
media or industry
revs (sp?) up a time slot. Yours truly, a very proud florist in Simi Valley, Ca.,
Susan/Flowers by Susan
January 15th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
[...] July 9th, I blogged about the fiasco of 7/7/07 weddings, perpetrated by the Las Vegas Garden of Love Wedding Chapel. At the end of August, there was an [...]