HOUSTON – When Cassandra Murrell said "I do" it was the happiest moment of her life. But the joyous occasion did not go off without a hitch.
"It wasn't everything I had hoped it would be," Murrell said.
Her biggest regret was the $350 she spent on "The Perfect Affair," a local wedding coordination service. Murrell says she found the deal online and claims once she signed the contract it took an act of Congress just to reach her coordinator.
"I would send her emails, text messages. I would try to call her. I would leave messages. I would never get phone calls back," she told Local 2.
She says it was bad enough the coordinator was a no-show at the rehearsal, but it was nothing compared to the huge bombshell she dropped on her wedding day.
"At 7:30 in the morning she texts me she's not going to be there that she's in the hospital having her appendix taken out," Murrell said.
So instead of doing what brides-to-be usually do on their wedding day -- being pampered, getting her hair, nails and make up done -- Murrell was frantically setting up the reception at the Crystal Springs wedding venue in Magnolia. Everything from the tables to the decor; she did all the heavy lifting.
"I had to get into my wedding dress smelling like sweat, sticky and nasty because I had to go out there and do all the work," said Murrell.
Murrell filed a complaint with the Houston Better Business Bureau and claims she received a full refund only after she threatened to take the owner to court. The company has a B-minus rating with the BBB.
"Make sure you are really comfortable and certain this is the person you want to select because you could be putting down a lot of money," said Leah Napoliello with the Houston BBB.
It was a lesson Murrell says she learned the hard way.
"It was a blast. We really had a good time, but I missed half the reception because I ended up having a panic attack," Murrell said.
The coordinator declined to comment on the specific claims, saying only that the situation with Murrell had been settled.