Mason Jones (Reporter)
AN Irish couple are taking legal action after their Marbella wedding planner allegedly fled Spain without paying suppliers.
The unhappy couple are planning to sue Sue Danker, owner of Spanish Dream Weddings who ‘vanished’ a week before the nuptials last month.
Unable to contact Danker – who starred in Irish TV show The Great Escape- the couple were left to pay for the entire wedding again, understood to total over €15,000.
The bride later revealed: “This company left me high and dry on the day of my wedding.”
The couple, who have asked not to be named, only discovered they had a problem when Danker’s husband Howard phoned them with a ‘lame excuse’ that she was not well enough to attend the ceremony.
“I had only had a rehearsal the day before and she was fine,” said the bride. “I knew he was lying but was up to my neck in stress, I had no time for nonsense phone calls.
“Only 10 minutes later it came out that she hadn’t paid any of the money I sent her for deposits and I was left to foot the bills again,” she added.
Several days later, a message appeared on the company’s website stating the business had ‘ceased trading’ before the site was taken down completely.
The Olive Press can reveal that there are numerous other couples, as well as companies, who claim to be owed money by Spanish Dream Weddings.
Photographers, florists and DJ’s told the Olive Press that Danker has not paid them for their services.
“I have written off ever getting the money,” one Marbella-based DJ explained.
“There’s a long list of people who have not been paid, several couples and at least 15 suppliers,” added Jennifer McCloy from rival company Spanish Wedding Planner.
The organiser, who ironically has been attempting to set up a representative body to keep an eye on rogue planners, continued: “There’s a lot of speculation to how this happened and it is a very sensitive subject, which is bad news for the industry.”
Another planner, Kerry Vear-Smyth, has been in contact with Danker since her disappearance.
“She told me it is too much to explain why she has left, but it’s been very stressful for her family. She is not coming back any time soon.”
She continued: “I have actually agreed to process two of her weddings in Benalmadena even though I will not be paid and will be out of pocket.
“I have agreed because I don’t want any bride to end up with her wedding not legally recognised. Suppliers have also really gone overboard to try and help.”
The Olive Press has been unable to contact Danker. Emails were not being returned and her phone has been cut off.
Please make clear what company is, since there are many wedding planner on the Costa del Sool, if there is a thief not all have to pay for it.
Regards,
I am also a bride that Sue Danker did this to. Although we were not out of pocket as much as this bride was, we were still left high and dry and out of pocket too. I also recieved a phone call from howard the morning of my wedding to say Sue was unwell and only after the phone call it transpired that deposits had not been paid and after talking to suppliers we also found out she had over priced quite a few of them. I have not heard from anyone of the company despite my numerous phone calls and emails.
this company was called spanishdreamweddings.We also had a bad experience with Sue Danker.She gladly took our money to book our wedding and to our amazment nothing had been paid.Total con artist,I think everyone should be aware of what her and her husband Howard are all about!scum of the earth.
She’s on RTE Clubland this week – new name and new hair but recognisable. He got done for some driving offence. Total utter scum of the earth – did anyone ever get any of their money back off them???
Not that I know of, my case is still ongoing through the police which is why I want remain anomonus . I’m the bride the article above is about but sue cut all contact a week before the wedding and was never heard from again, not exactly as the article describes.