SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - Her wedding is something just about every woman dreams of her entire life. But for at least 20 brides from different towns in the Southern Cape and elsewhere in the country, their perfect day lay in tatters after a wedding planner from Mossel Bay allegedly used their money for his own purposes.
After various brides contacted George Herald and Mossel Bay Advertiser it seems that Werner Gilroy, the owner of Blue Lilies Wedding and Events, allegedly defrauded unsuspecting brides from across the country of thousands of rand amounting to a total of about R1-million, during the last year.
The money would allegedly be deposited into Gilroy's bank account after which he would continue to plan the wedding, only for the couples to find later that most of the service providers, if any, had not been paid in full.
One such bride is Bibi Bieldt from Pretoria.
"We paid him R95 000 last year to organise our wedding at a venue in Great Brak River that is supposed to take place this coming Sunday, 21 March. We invited 88 guests who all live in Pretoria. Their plane tickets and transport arrangements were all confirmed. A week before the wedding I contacted him to tie up some loose ends, but he was nowhere to be found. His phone went straight to voicemail and his mailbox was full; he also didn't answer WhatsApps or SMSes. That's when I started to worry.
I started phoning the service providers and quickly learnt that Werner was in fact in hospital. After phoning all the other providers - the venue, the guests' accommodation, the caterer, the people who were responsible for the flowers etc. - it dawned on me that none of them had been paid and if I didn't make a plan quickly my wedding wouldn't take place," a distraught Bieldt said.
Photo: Pexels
By this morning, Thursday 18 March, Bieldt's wedding was back on track - but not without huge extra costs.
“All the providers were willing to help where they could, but we still ended up having to pay an extra R85 000 which we had to borrow," Bieldt said.
After speaking to Bieldt, George Herald made numerous attempts to contact Gilroy for comment, but his phone went straight to his voicemail.
Local businessman and owner of Eden Office Pro in Mossel Bay, Etienne Roos, says he also lost a substantial amount of money in his dealings with Gilroy.
"In August 2020 we went to see him and paid R54 000 to arrange our wedding of 66 guests, taking place in April this year. According to him [Gilroy] the quote included everything except the dress, suites, wedding rings and make-up. We even visited the venue with him. We arranged a payment plan and made our last payment on Monday 8 March," said Roos.
Roos said the last time he spoke to Gilroy was last Thursday. After that they could not reach him.
Photo: Unsplash
On Monday Roos' fiancée, Lindi Kruger, tried to contact Gilroy regarding the guest list.
"We sent him a WhatsApp message, but he didn't respond. After sending another one we received a message saying he is in hospital and can't talk to anyone. I started phoning the service providers and it soon became clear that he hadn't paid any of them. That's when I saw posts on Facebook suggesting that he owes other couples money as well and the hornet's nest exploded," he said.
Petroné Bouwer and her fiancé from Knysna are scheduled to get married on 26 June after they acquired Gilroy’s services in November last year. They have already paid him a deposit of R40 000 and now fear that they won’t see their money or a wedding.
“The last time we had contact with him was at the beginning of March. We phoned several times, after which we heard that he was in hospital. We started phoning the service providers and realised that he hadn’t paid anyone. We were also told that he had no money and that his business was bankrupt,” she said.
‘We just want our money back’
After speaking to a number of other brides who claim to have also lost huge amounts of money, it seems that Gilroy may have booked some service providers for weddings without paying them. Since Tuesday afternoon, George Herald has been inundated with WhatsApp messages and phone calls from angry brides, all wanting to tell their story.
At the end of the day they all want the same thing - they want their money back and that no other bride will have the same horrific experience about a day that is supposed to be the most wonderful day of their lives.
Photo: Pexels
Facebook statement
In a statement Gilroy placed on the Blue Lilies Wedding & Events Facebook page on Wednesday morning, 17 March, he blames the Covid-19 pandemic for the mess.
"With the events of the past year and the devastating effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on companies in the events and social gatherings industry, I have tried to best keep Blue Lilies Wedding & Events / C&W Weddings financially operational and viable. It has unfortunately taken a tremendous strain on my financial and psychological well-being. After much consideration and emotional toll to myself, I have no alternative but to inform you that Blue Lilies Wedding & Events / C&W Weddings will cease operations with immediate effect," Gilroy said in the statement.
According to the statement, no suppliers received upfront payments for services other than minimal deposits, and it is yet to be determined what happened to the rest of the funds these couples allegedly paid to Gilroy.
"I would also like to make it clear that none of my immediate or extended family members are shareholders in Blue Lilies Wedding & Events / C&W Weddings or had input in its management or financial planning," he said.
However, it is believed that other couples also had a run-in with Gilroy before the President announced the countrywide lockdown on 23 March 2020.
One of these, a couple from George, said that they already obtained Gilroy's services in 2019.
"We appointed Gilroy in 2019 to arrange our wedding on 21 March 2020. A week before our wedding he informed us that due to Covid-19 he will not be doing our wedding anymore. When I started phoning around I learnt that he had not paid any of the service providers," the groom, who wishes to remain anonymous, told George Herald.
According to him it was only after he threatened Gilroy with legal action that he paid back a part of what he owed them. "Since then we haven't received any more payments," the groom said.
Photo: Unsplash
Gilroy’s attorney responds
In response to a media enquiry Gilroy’s attorney, Dawie Bezuidenhout of DP Bezuidenhout Attorneys, said they have not yet had sufficient time to scrutinise the allegations, comments and threats made against his client on social media.
He said that although they have not seen relevant financial documentation, Gilroy confirmed that there are agreements in place between the various bridal couples and his company where the relevant deposits had been paid to the company.
“However, we can confirm that no more assets or any amounts of money are owned or held by the company and confirm that our client, as sole director, is considering the possibility of liquidating the company. The reason that led to the company's downfall is due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the rules that were enforced by the government as a result.
The company did not receive any financial assistance from the government or other institutions during the lockdown and therefore had to settle persistent costs and expenses from the company's capital. The various alleged deposits were therefore part of the fees from which expenses were settled,” Bezuidenhout said.
He said that Gilroy is extremely remorseful about what happened and wants to make it clear that he is not running away or hiding anywhere and has therefore agreed to respond to the media.
“Realising the company's position, Mr Gilroy suffered a medical setback and was admitted to hospital for treatment last week. We were therefore unable to consult with him before today, but are considering all options should there be any way the brides can be compensated. We hereby request that any correspondence or contact regarding our client be sent to our office, after which the contents will be discussed with him.”
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