Wedding reception ruined: couple initially trusted wedding organiser Marwah despite food tasting and dress fitting

JAKARTA — A newlywed couple from Bekasi, West Java, Aldi, 32, and Feny, 32, said they had no suspicions towards Marwah, a wedding organiser from Cakung, East Jakarta, who scammed them and ruined their wedding reception.

Feny explained she first discovered Marwah through Instagram and requested a price list for the wedding package.

She said she trusted the organiser because many staff were present during the food tasting.

“After returning, Marwah’s admin contacted me for further details. Then there was a fitting at JGC, their office. I did two fittings, followed by installment payments until full settlement,” Feny said.

She fully paid the package in early April 2026, then made additional payments for extra guests on 11 May 2026, totalling Rp85 million.

She also attended a virtual technical meeting with the organiser’s team, but she found it brief and lacking technical details.

“I thought the technical meeting was unclear and not detailed. All I got was the number of guests for catering, how many for the gazebo per item, and which session the guests were for. Very vague,” she said.

“I always asked about the direction, where I should enter. Every time I asked, they replied, ‘We’ll contact you the day before.’ Normally, the technical meeting involves visiting the venue, seeing it, and being guided. That’s when I became suspicious,” she added.

Her suspicions grew after hearing about other victims who had used Marwah’s services.

“In early 2026, I heard about another case from sister Diana, a previous victim. I thought, ‘the event still went ahead but was lacking’ — like missing gazebos, ordering four but only three arriving. Catering was late; it should have been served by 11am but was only ready by 12.30pm,” she said.

On 13 May 2026, the Islamic Centre contacted Feny to demand payment of an outstanding Rp17.5 million for the venue that Marwah had not settled.