Wedding day scam turned into blessings

By: Ivy N. McQuain, NDG Contributing Writer

No bride ever dreams about having her wedding day stolen from her. Instead she dreams of walking down into the arms of her truelove and being the center of attention before all of her guests. She dreams of the first dance she and her husband will have, and eating the first slice of wedding cake, and leaving for a blissful honeymoon. Those are the things that a bride dreams about on her wedding day. Unfortunately for Latoya Sims the dreams of her wedding day were stolen from her just one week before her wedding.

Her wedding venue, Glamour Hall also known as Glam For You, was allegedly closed abruptly due to bankruptcy and nonpayment of rent by owners Dolores McCaskill and her alleged husband Stanley Iwouha. Just like that and without notice to Sims and her groom to be, Nathaniel Jones was out in the cold with their wedding plan only eight days away.

The weekend of Nov. 1 was one of the most heartbreaking experiences the couple had to endure. They had worked and sacrificed everything to get married on Nov. 8. Sims even took a second job to pay for her dream wedding and when they wrote the final check payment, totaling $4,350, they knew they were on their way to wedding bliss.

“No one slept that whole weekend. All my fiancée, mother and I could do was cry… we were utterly devastated,” said Sims.

Fortunately, her mother was determined to get justice her daughter so she reached out to FOX 4 News and what happened next was nothing short of amazing. When she told her story to one of the producers a fire was lit in Dallas and by the time her story aired at all broadcasting times, the phone lines at the station were ringing off the hook. Business owners throughout Dallas were eager to make it right for this couple, the first two being the West End Event Center – Downtown Dallas and Celias Floral. Sims felt that a sigh of relief but soon she began to feel discouraged because she had no additional money to get the things that were promised in her rental agreement with Glamour Hall.

The Miracle of Social Media

There have been so many success stories that have come from social media sites. Those stories include families being reunited, the lost being found, crimes being reported and justice being accomplished for victims. Sims was used to seeing stories of hope in her timeline but was surprised when her friend Will Duckett contacted her with excitement that she was a trending topic and that there were more than 10 business owners who were rallying together to help her have a wedding. And Cassandra “Cass” Butler owner of The Butler Enterprises spearheaded all of it. Butler recalled that she was watching the news story and was deeply saddened and touched by the young couple’s sacrifice, so she did what she does best, take care of business. Butler took to Facebook and posted a request to her business friends asking for any donations of service to help this couple keep their wedding date of Nov. 9, 2013.

“When I saw the story I immediately felt connected to the couple,” Butler said. “I don’t know why but I believe God allowed her soul to touch my soul and that’s why I felt so compelled to reach out to her.”

Butler was so determined to find Jones that she began using all of her resources which led her to being contacted by FOX 4 reporter Neeha. Soon Butler was calling Sims to discuss the details of the event and preparing for the biggest short notice charity event for Butler Enterprises. Through Facebook alone, Butler was able to assembly more than 10 businesses ranging from cake decorators to photographers to party favor vendors and everyone in between. Business owners, majority women and Black owned, stepped up and joined together for a greater cause.

Making it Happen

Sims immediately called her fiancée and through tears thanked God for the blessing of Butler and her friends. Butler assured Sims and her family that they could stop worrying, relaxes, because she was going to take care of everything. For Sims it was all she needed to hear and she knew that Butler would genuinely take care of her special day. From Tues., Nov. 5 to their wedding day Butler called, texted and emailed her continuously just to keep her in the loop, something McCaskill failed to do after she received their final payment.

Butler worked tirelessly coordinating vendors from all over the Metroplex. Initially, most of the vendors committed to do only a shared service for the wedding or reception but after seeing her dedication to a complete stranger; majority of the vendors stepped up and committed to offering their full services. The best part is that not one vendor requested payment and helped turn Sims’ $4,350 loss into a wedding that cost more than $15,000.

The businesses that supported the wedding included:

· LaShanda Willins of Marshall Arts and Entertainment provided bar staff and wait staff

· Monica Alanis Hill of Delightfully Yours Catering

· Tamyra Eddy of The Stiletto Chef Catering

· DaPhne Lott and Angela Jones of So Savvy Events provided the décor tables, centerpieces, chairs and linens

· Lakisha Wells of Renee’s Eventi’ provided the bouquets

· Porsha Kimble of Your Cake Diva provided the pastries and cake pops

· Lauren Rodgers of Sweet Thangs provided cupcakes and pastries

· Angel Wings Austin of Simply Angelic Photography Studios provided photography services for the reception

· Travis Montgomery of Sandy Bottoms Photography provided photography services for the entire wedding but originally agreed to do only the pre-ceremony photos including formal wedding photos that the couple did not have

· Chris Harris of Parkside Works Media provided video services

· DJ Smooth B provided the reception music

· Cassandra Eldridge, who recently quit her job to start Ladee’s Gourmet Nuts provided gourmet pecan favors for the entire wedding after only agreeing to providing favors for the wedding party only

· Ta’Shana Garrett of Faces by Shana provided makeup services for the bride

· Kendra Shavonne of K.Shavonne Beauty Solutions provided makeup for the bridesmaids

· Patricia Sanders coordinated the volunteers

“All I did was used my resources and contacts,” said Butler. “I didn’t ask these vendors to give no more than what they could and I was shocked that they all wanted to step up and give more to help this bride and groom.”

Since the wedding and its airing on FOX 4 News each vendor has received an abundance of overflow in their businesses. Eldridge has reported that since she walked away from her job to pursue what she believes is a calling from God she has received orders of her specialty coated pecans for the holidays. Butler reported that she signs at least 3-4 new contracts per week. Kimble reported that people are requesting that she writes a cookbook. Other businesses have reported their increase in business from their act of kindness as well. It is evident that Sims and her groom weren’t the only one who received a blessing, these vendors gave their time and services for free because they answered the call for help.

Sims and Jones were married in a lavish wedding with all the trimmings and the joy that miracles do happen for those who believe. Sims cautions any bride and groom to research and review any vendor before making a final decision and to ask questions. They are truly happy for the outpour of help they received but they are especially thankful for Butler who organized everything in a moment’s notice.

The newlyweds issued this heartfelt thank you:

“We are so grateful for all that you have done. Words cannot express our deepest gratitude. To see so many people volunteer their time and not mumble one disgruntling word lets us know there are still kindhearted people within this cruel world. Our story could have been overlooked or simply watched with the thought of keeping us in prayer. But, as Fox News graciously aired the story, Mrs. Butler, was quick to do something that we are so thankful for. We thank the photographers, make-up artist, video crew, bartenders, servers, bakers, DJs, those that provided the party favors, the decorators, the venue, the florists, those that provided the food and dishes – everything… thank you. You all went above and beyond the call of duty, doing an exceptional job making us feel as if there was never a moment of mishap. You are all saints, incredible individuals, and if my husband and I could start the entire process over from day one, it would be each of you we would choose to do the whole day over with again and again.”

The reality of it all is that the Jones’ were not the only couple involved in the wedding venue scam. Other couples lost out on their deposits because they signed the nonrefundable contract. McCaskill and Iwouha are professional con artists who rent venue spaces; host lavish events which earned the couple estimated profits of $60,000-$80,000. McCaskill lied several times about her whereabouts and the readiness of the venue, including having a family emergency and filing bankruptcy. To date there have been no formal charges filed against McCaskill and Iwouha.