'A day from hell:' Philadelphia bride says wedding ruined by coordinator

It is the season to tie the knot, but the Action News troubleshooters have a warning about a local wedding coordinator. Our Nydia Han spoke with one bride who wants everyone to know what she went through. A viewer named Ashley Lopez wants to warn others about her experience. She says a Philadelphia wedding coordinator turned what was supposed to be her dream day into a total nightmare. She's Christian-based. She calls herself the Fairy Godmother. She called herself the Fairy Bridemother. Ashley Lopez wished from the Fairy Bridemother the wedding of her dreams in Center City. She takes care of the catering, the wedding decorations, the DJ. And more. Even promising to marry the bride and groom. Lopez paid the wedding coordinator over $6,000 in advance to get a discounted rate. But does the so-called Fairy Bridemother fail to deliver on her promises? Lopez says an hour before the wedding, the Fairy Bridemother told her the caterer had been in a car accident. Then the coordinator left, leaving Lopez to finish setting up the venue. There was supposed to be a memorial table to honor my husband's father who passed away and my grandmother who passed away. I sent her pictures. She was supposed to print it out. There was nothing there. Plus, she says, the meal was delayed, the food was not what she paid for, and there wasn't even enough to feed all the guests. I think I was just so angry with how she treated my day. Because you hear, like, everyone talk about their wedding day. Lopez also says the coordinator misplaced the marriage certificate she'd given her to sign. So then I had to go back, file a duplicate, harass her for a week to come back to my home to sign my marriage certificate so I can be legally married. The Fairy Bridemother is Tracy R. Lawton. When Lopez hired Lawton, she was using the company name Wedding Kiss Ballroom. Lawton promised Lopez a refund, but Lopez says she never gave her any money back. Nothing, nothing, nothing. So that's why I sued her. Lopez won the lawsuit after Lawton failed to show up, but says she still hasn't seen a dime. Lopez wants to warn other brides. Lopez says her message to other brides is do your research and get recommendations and references. We did speak with Lawton, who agrees Lopez's wedding day was, quote, a day from hell. She tells us, quote, I, too, was devastated. It was a day of mishaps. I have apologized 100,000 times. I still intend to pay Ashley back. Hers was my last wedding, and then I closed down my business. We put a worksheet and tips to use when hiring a wedding coordinator or planner on 6abc.com. I'm Nydia Hahn, Channel 6, Action News.