Engaged couple says caterer canceled a month before wedding day without refund

FLOWOOD, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - An engaged couple in Mississippi said their wedding caterer canceled their order just a month away from their big day and have no refund to show for it.

The wedding bells will soon be chiming for engaged couple Scott Welch and Laurie Farris. The two got engaged in January.

“And then, of course, my girlfriend, she’s a big planner,” Welch said. “So, we started putting everything together. And first thing you got to do is get a caterer.”

They selected The Hungry Goat in Flowood to be their caterer. The company signed a contract with the couple to provide food for just over 100 people on their wedding day next month.

“We reached out to them, we got a price, it was a fair price. And we ended up having to add more people as invitations got accepted,” Welch said. “So, it grew. But they go, ‘No problem.”

However, at the end of April, the plans with the caterer came crashing down.

“We got the first email and it stated that they were canceling our event for personal reasons, we’d get a full refund. ‘That’s no problem. That sounds great. Thank you for letting us know, ahead of time,’” Welch said. “And then, by then, so we asked, ‘Well, how do we get our money?’ Then that’s when we were told we got to contact their lawyer and accountant.”

According to documentation, the couple paid close to $3,800 for their services.

The couple said they sent their last email on May 2 and haven’t received a response on when or how their money will be refunded.

Welch said others have had similar experiences.

“We’ve had one guy reach out, he had an event for, I think, rehearsal dinner for his son, and I think it was about $1,500,” Welch said. “We had another lady, she was a teacher, and they had an event, I think they were using them as a fundraiser. They actually ran her credit card on Monday. And they canceled everything on Tuesday.”

Welch said they have been able to find a new caterer since the original cancellation, but they did not expect to add the extra cost to their big day.

“It’s going to be double what we get initially budgeted,” Welch said. “So, that’s tough for anybody. So, that’s pretty, pretty low down. And that’s bad business, in my opinion.”

Welch and Farris said they are filing a small claims suit against The Hungry Goat, in hopes they will get a refund back.

WLBT reached out to both the attorney and owners of the business, but said they have not been provided with a response yet.

Copyright 2023 WLBT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.