Wedding Scenes review: We lost our dream Hawaii wedding – Our experience with a planner and formal complaint filed with Hawaii DCCA

We hired Wedding Scenes Inc., a wedding planner who promotes 20+ years of experience in Hawaii, Japan, and Paris. In December 2024, we signed a $4,500 full-service wedding planning contract for an oceanfront wedding in Hawaii and paid a $2,000 deposit.

From the beginning, we clearly stated our total budget of $30,000–$35,000, and the planner said it was “doable.” Based on that, we trusted her professional judgment and signed the contract.

Unfortunately, what we received was far below expectations:

Only one official quote, which was close to $50,000

The quote included a basic cost breakdown, but no vendor names, package options, or detailed comparisons — just general categories and a high total

Only two Zoom meetings during the entire process, both arranged after multiple follow-ups

Weeks of no response, even though she was consistently active on Instagram

Venue suggestions that did not reflect our preferences

Later, she told us that due to inflation, a Hawaii wedding might be too expensive and suggested Japan instead (my partner is from Japan).
Though it was heartbreaking, we agreed to change our destination to Osaka or Tokyo and hoped to continue planning positively.

We had clear and simple requests:

A venue near Tokyo or Osaka airports for accessibility (most of our guests were flying in from the U.S.)

A city or ocean view location

Instead, she recommended:

An indoor restaurant affiliated with her

A few rural venues 2–3 hours away, completely unrelated to our vision

When we raised these concerns, she went completely unresponsive for weeks.

We then found a Japanese venue on our own that came with a full-service wedding planning package.
Since she offers a Half Service plan, we kindly requested a contract adjustment. (Our contract even states that the terms must be changed if the destination changes.)

She refused, saying she still had "a lot of work to do" and insisted on charging the full $4,500.
After our trust was fully broken, we asked to cancel the contract and requested a refund. She only offered $500, citing time spent on "research."

We have since filed a formal complaint with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). All records and communications have been submitted.

This was not just frustrating—it was emotionally exhausting.
We entered this agreement in good faith and were met with silence, inflexibility, and disregard.

If you're planning a destination wedding and are looking for a planner who is professional, communicative, and truly listens,
we cannot recommend Wedding Scenes Inc. based on our experience.