ATLANTA — A newlywed couple says their wedding decorator allegedly stole over $10,000 in donations at their wedding reception last year.
They told Channel 2’s Tom Regan that they still haven’t gotten their money back.
“To end on such a negative note, it broke everyone’s heart. It didn’t just affect my husband and I, it affected the entire family,” said Sherida McCallum.
She and her husband, Paul, got married in September 2024 after dating for several years. Although they live in McDonough, they decided to hold their wedding reception at an event facility in midtown Atlanta.
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Sherida McCallum hired wedding decorator Kendarries Powell after hearing glowing recommendations.
“When you’re planning a wedding, you want word of mouth, someone you can depend on,” said Sherida McCallum.
The couple planned carefully for the wedding and reception. They placed a honeymoon fund donation box out for family, friends and other guests.
The reception went smoothly until Paul McCallum said he began hearing complaints about the decorator.
“He’s by the bar, and he’s not acting professionally. He’s drinking all the alcohol. He’s intoxicated. I want him to leave,” said Paul McCallum.
He says he allowed Powell to stay at the reception. The next day, the couple realized the donation box was gone.
McCallum went back to the event hall a day later and reviewed security camera video. He says it shows the decorator bringing a tablecloth into the facility, and walking back out with a the honeymoon donation box partially wrapped inside.
“And when I saw the camera spot that box, the hair on my skin went up. You can tell when someone is suspicious. He looked around very quickly to see what was going on,” said Paul McCallum.
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The couple filed a criminal complaint with the Atlanta Police Department about the wedding decorator. McCallum says he tried to convince him to meet up at the local police precinct.
“I spoke to him and said ‘Hey, be a man. Let’s meet at the station and talk about it.’ He refused. He never showed up,” said Paul McCallum.
The couple eventually went on their honeymoon. The $10,000 in stolen donations are still gone, and the wedding decorator has disappeared.
But the couple is looking on the bright side.
“We want to focus on the good memory of our wedding. We don’t want this to take away from the hard work we put in,” said Paul McCallum.
Atlanta police told Channel 2 Action News that Powell was arrested on Nov. 19, 2024 and released a few days later on a $2,500 bond.
When the McCallums spoke with Regan, they told him they were never informed that Powell had been arrested.
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