Couple scammed by wedding organiser, lose Rp85.5m as wedding reception called off
Aldi (32) and Feny (32), a couple planning to marry, claim to have fallen victim to a suspected scam by a wedding organiser (WO) based in East Jakarta, resulting in a loss of Rp85.5m.
Feny stated in Jakarta on Monday, ‘Initially, I found the organiser through Instagram. After reviewing the price list and packages, I made a deposit. The total loss amounts to Rp85.5m.’
The vendor is alleged to have disappeared shortly before the event date, threatening to cancel the wedding reception.
Feny explained she engaged the services of WO Marwah after seeing promotional content on Instagram. She was attracted by the offered wedding packages and proceeded to pay a deposit.
Following the initial payment, the couple attended a food tasting session organised by the WO. During this event, Feny observed numerous staff members, including decoration vendors, makeup artists (MUAs), master of ceremonies (MCs), as well as samples of the wedding altar and buffet menu.
Subsequently, the couple underwent a fitting session for their wedding attire at the WO’s office in Jakarta Garden City (JGC), Cakung. Payments were made in instalments until fully settled in early April 2026.
They even increased the number of guests (pax) on 11 May 2026. However, suspicions arose during an online technical meeting (TM) deemed unprofessional and excessively brief.
‘The technical meeting lasted only about 10 minutes and was very vague. When I asked about the schedule, venue entry flow, guest session allocations, all were answered with “we’ll inform you one day before the event” (H-1),’ Feny said.
She noted this process differed from standard wedding preparations, which typically involve on-site coordination.
Concerns intensified after Feny learned of other victims who had previously complained about the WO’s services, including delayed catering and discrepancies in food quantities.
The situation reached a climax on 13 May 2026, approximately 10 days before the event, when the Islamic Center Bekasi venue contacted the couple to state that the WO had not settled the venue payment.