JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Brides are continuing to come forward with new allegations against a Jacksonville wedding planner accused of collecting thousands of dollars from couples, then failing to deliver on her promises.

In a previous Ask Anthony story, we told you about Alyssa Yates and her wife Rachel. The couple paid more than $3,500 to Brittney McColgan, who ran a local business called The Anti Bride. They also made a separate $1,300 deposit for a DJ. But with only a few months until their wedding, the only vendor booked was a photographer.

They asked for a refund in September and never received it.

However, that changed after Anthony Austin contacted McColgan directly. She met Yates at a Jacksonville bank and handed over a full refund.

“She walked in, handed me an envelope, didn’t say anything to me. I said thank you. She went, ‘mhm,’ and then walked out,” Yates said.

After nearly eight months of waiting, Yates and her wife say they’re relieved. But the story doesn’t end there.

Since our initial report, multiple brides have contacted the Ask Anthony team claiming similar experiences with McColgan from incomplete weddings to missing refunds.

Sydney Robertson says she paid McColgan nearly $7,000. She says her April wedding was littered with broken promises, from fake candles that died before the reception ended to cheap, printed seating charts. 

“I think the first red flag is when she sent me someone else’s invoice because she had the same first name as me, with all of her personal information on it,” Robertson said.

McColgan allegedly agreed to refund $2,500. Robertson says she received a payment, but the funds later disappeared from her bank account and didn’t clear. She is now pursuing a chargeback.

“I was honest with her: ‘Let’s just make this easy. I have proof of you admitting you owe me the money. I have all the photos of things that didn’t match up to what you promised me,'” Robertson added.

Bailie Taulbee shared a similar story. She says she spent nearly $17,000 with McColgan for a June wedding inspired by the Netflix series Bridgerton.

“Lots and lots of flowers just didn’t show up. They were never there,” Taulbee explained.

Taulbee said McColgan rarely communicated and failed to book key vendors, leaving the bride to manage much of the planning herself.

“Most of my vendors, I actually ended up doing myself because she never contacted them, so I feel like I was my own planner,” she said. “Hiring her was insanely pointless.”

According to Taulbee, McColgan gave her a partial refund of $682.

“I confronted her about all of this, and she just said, you know, ‘we used your entire budget on your flowers, blah blah blah,’” Taulbee said. “And I’m like, no, you didn’t, because you actually never purchased any of those flowers.”

Brittany McColgan said in an email to Anthony Austin: 

“I do want to note that in the many years of operation, we had a lot of happy, successful events-and positive reviews.  I will take responsibility for the faults we had along the way, and will continue working with any former clients on the resolution, privately. A 14-year long chapter of my life has come to a close, and I look forward to what’s to come.  The Anti Bride is no longer.”

Before you sign a wedding contract, here are three key takeaways:

• Don’t fall for the five-star trap — Some vendors inflate ratings using fake reviews. Do your research.

• Put it in writing — Verbal promises don’t hold up. Always get a signed contract outlining deliverables and deadlines.

• Read the fine print — Carefully check refund policies, rescheduling terms, and hidden fees.