SHAH ALAM - Just hours before he was due to solemnise his marriage, a groom-to-be made a desperate midnight call after allegedly being cheated by a wedding hall rental company, leaving his big day hanging by a thread.
Wedding consultant Sophie Nadia Hassan, 45, said she received the frantic call around midnight from an unknown number.
“At first, I hesitated to answer because I didn’t recognise the number. But I thought it might be something urgent,” she said.
On the other end was a distraught man.
“He sounded panicked and heartbroken. He asked, ‘Is this the hall management? My wedding at the Shah Alam hall can’t go on,’” she wrote in a Threads post on Sunday.
The groom claimed the company managing the hall he had booked had deceived him, leaving him without a venue less than 12 hours before the ceremony.
The couple’s reception had been scheduled for Saturday morning, with some 500 guests expected to attend.
Refusing to let the wedding collapse overnight, Sophie sprang into action.
She immediately contacted two hall owners to check for last-minute availability and reached out to catering providers to see if food preparations could still be arranged within hours.
“One hall owner and caterer couldn’t manage it. But a hall owner in Sungai Buloh agreed and instructed their team and cooks to start preparations immediately,” she said.
Fortunately, raw ingredients prepared for a Sunday event could be redirected.
"Alhamdulillah, the cooks informed us that the raw ingredients meant for Sunday’s event could still be used. So the couple could proceed with the ceremony as planned at 11am," she said.
Booking arrangements and payment were finalised at about 3am.
By 8am, the bride had arrived for her make-up session, while family members from both sides turned up early to ensure everything ran smoothly.
The couple lodged a police report that same night over the alleged scam.
Despite the overnight scramble, Sophie said the ceremony showed no signs of chaos.
“The wedding looked as if it had been carefully planned. It did not appear rushed at all. Their families remained calm and gave their full cooperation,” she said.