Bianca Weddings & Events

My fiancé proposed October 13,2015 and our original dream was a decadent celebration with all of the people we love in San Diego. A friend referred us to Bianca Weddings and Events to plan the special event, and so we contacted her October 28,2015 with the hope of a fall wedding in 2016. Bianca’s contract outlined a $ 6,300 retainer, as well as the hourly rate, which Bianca kindly reduced by 10 percent, from $ 80 per hour to $ 72 per hour thanks to our friendly referral. The fine print did not include any information about required non-​refundable deposits, a cancellation fee, nor did it state that the retainer was non-​refundable, which would be unusual anyway as traditionally retainers intend to secure payment for future services performed, not penalize clients for declining services in a timely manner.
After much deliberation, my fiancé and I realized that we wanted a different wedding than our original dream, and therefore no longer needed Bianca’s services. We notified her on 12÷21÷15, 11 months before our set wedding date. To our knowledge, Bianca had only sent a few emails to our venue of interest by that time, so we requested a refund of our retainer. Bianca responded days later explaining that her company policy is that she has to return our money no later than 1÷15÷16. Our contract did not specify any waiting period in refunding the retainer, so we found this news rather frustrating as it further delayed our wedding plans given that our wedding funds still lie in Bianca’s possession.
We sent her an email on 1÷8÷16 to confirm the 1÷15÷16 date for the retainer refund. We received a response from Bianca’s email account written by her assistant Laura saying Bianca had surgery and would return my money by 2÷15÷16. Laura included an invoice that outlined a $ 2,000 non-​refundable deposit, as well as 10 hours worked at a rate of $ 100 per hour. We responded stating that the delayed refund was absolutely unacceptable, and that furthermore, the invoice was incorrect, and should she fail to resolve this issue in a timely manner, my fiancé and I would have no choice but to take her to court and report her to the Better Business Bureau. Bianca herself immediately responded by both email and text message, and agreed to return $ 6,000 in payments of $ 2,000 on 1÷11÷16, 1÷18÷16 and 1÷25÷16. She failed to make the payment on 1÷11÷16, and instead, my fiancé and I received rude text messages and emails from her, stating that we were «disgusting» and that «all we care about is money.» This was by far the worst experience we have ever gone through. We work very hard for our money and do not deserve ridicule, harassment, or any sort of negative judgment for demanding a refund when we changed our decision about hiring a wedding planner for our very special day. Not only has Bianca refused to give us our money back, but she has made the first steps in planning our wedding a painful experience. We have filed suit against Bianca Weddings and Events and have reported her to the Better Business Bureau. Please take caution before contacting this business.

My fiancé and I were going to plan our wedding in San Diego with Bianca Silvia Porrino W. and decided not to 11 months in advance because we were moving out of state. I paid Bianca Silvia Porrino W. a $ 6300 retainer. Our contracted rate was $ 80/​hour, but she agreed to a 10% discount because of our friend who referred us to Bianca Silvia Porrino W., lowering the rate to $ 72/​hour. The only work performed by Bianca Silvia Porrino W. were a few emails to the venue we intended to host the wedding and reception. I requested the refund for the minimal time she worked. I told her to keep 3 hours of compensation to be generous on 12/​21/​2015. Bianca Silvia Porrino W. responded 2 days later saying that company policy is that she will return my money by 1÷15÷2016, which made no sense because this was not disclosed anywhere in the retainer agreement. I sent her an email on 1÷8÷16 confirming she was going to return the retainer by 1÷15÷2016. I received an email from Bianca’s email account saying she was her so called assistant Laura saying Bianca had surgery and would return my money by 2÷15÷16. Laura included an invoice in the email on Jan 8 with a $ 2000 non-​refundable deposit plus 10 hours worked at $ 100/​hr. I informed her this is unacceptable and incorrect. All of a sudden Bianca (herself) replied and agreed she would return my $ 6000 to me via text and email. She said she would make payments of $ 2000 on 1÷11÷16, 1÷18÷16, and 1÷25÷16. She failed to make the payment on 1÷11÷16. She also sent me and my fiancé a rude text as well calling us disgusting and all we care about is money. She also stated we are beneath her as well. I would never recommend using her. She has stolen $ 6300 from us flat out. This is how she funds her lifestyle thinking she can get away with robbing people. The post on here 10÷29÷15 by Kristin P. is almost identical to our experience. I really wish we would of hired someone else. Please don’t make the same mistake hiring Bianca as we did. I wish I could give 0 stars for the lies and theft from Bianca.

Our organization reached out to Bianca Weddings to plan our annual charity gala and initially saw great reviews of her work on various internet sites. Unfortunately, the experience we actually had with Bianca was unprofessional (she made numerous remarks about «not feeling loved»), unreliable (she traveled out of the country and had a really busy schedule which prohibited us from moving froward), and she also did not follow instructions. The decision to work with Bianca cost us losing our deposit, falling behind in event planning, losing time, and now having to redirect attention to moving forward with legal action.

I absolutely love Bianca and her team! I have worked with her on several events and she has knocked it out of the park. Her attention to detail, her optimism, and her energy are infectious. She is a must if you are planning an event or wedding. 5 stars and Bravo!