Wedding business owner offers a vow
Former Wilton official says he'll make good on existing client deals
CLIFTON PARK -- A man who left engaged couples in the lurch when he went out of business is trying to make amends.
Ian McGaughey, a former Wilton Town Board member and onetime candidate for state Assembly, is the owner of WeddingCombo LLC, a business that sold package deals for DJ services, photographers and videographers to future brides and grooms.
McGaughey, who moved to Arizona in January 2009 and has been running the business from out of state, abruptly dropped out of touch recently. Neither clients nor freelancers hired to do jobs for WeddingCombo could reach him by phone or online. The State Police started an investigation.
Tuesday, McGaughey responded with a letter on his website. He apologized and wrote WeddingCombo was "forced to cease operations last week after a proposed sale of the business fell through."
He continued, "it was devastating to me personally primarily due to the devastating effect it has had on our trusting clients."
McGaughey promised to deliver photos and video to clients whose weddings have happened already and put the vendors in direct contact with clients who have not yet had their events.
There is no plan in place yet to repay clients who made deposits for services, McGaughey wrote. He explained the WeddingCombo website was taken down to "prevent clients from making payments on their accounts or booking new services."
State Police spokeswoman Maureen Tuffey said if every client is satisfied with what McGaughey does from now on, no arrests will be made, but the police still have questions.
Since McGaughey was running the business from out of state, police are looking into whether or not there was someone working locally to book clients, Tuffey said. Police are investigating how much responsibility those employees might bear for the problems that arose.
-- Leigh Hornbeck
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