Like Grandmother, Like Granddaughter

RE Cassidy Watt bianca 7 2 years ago An Absolute Disaster - Stay Away! This makeup artist completely ruined what should have been one of the most important and special days of my life. I booked her a year in advance for my overseas wedding, expecting professionalism and expertise. What I got was nothing short of a nightmare. First, she completely flaked on my makeup trial* the night of my welcome dinner, leaving me waiting around like a fool. She claimed it was a mix-up on her end, but how does that even happen when everything was booked so far in advance? For a “professional”, this is unacceptable. Her solution was to make up for it with a detailed consultation on the day of my wedding. That never happened. Instead, she left early, didn’t follow the agreed timeline, and had the audacity to be booking her flights back home while doing my makeup. Yes, you read that right—completely distracted and rushing through my makeup for her own convenience. The makeup itself was a complete disaster. It didn’t even match my skin tone or neck, and was absolutely nothing like what I had requested. I was promised certain treatments (eye treatments, etc.) as part of my package, which were conveniently ignored. To top it off, I was so unhappy with the result that I ended up wiping it off and doing my makeup myself on my wedding day! Can you imagine how stressful and infuriating that was? And now, for the past to months I’ve been promised a refund that still hasn’t arrived. They’ve given me every excuse under the sun, claiming the payment keeps bouncing back. At this point, I’m convinced it’s all just lies to avoid giving me my money back. This entire experience was a nightmare from start to finish, and I wouldn’t wish this stress on anyone—especially not a bride on her wedding day. If you want reliability, professionalism, or even basic decency, avoid this makeup artist at all costs

Like Grandmother, like Granddaughter

From a comment about Cassidy.

 Whatever you do, DO NOT book with Cassidy. She cancelled on me through email the night before my wedding. She claimed she was in the hospital, which is completely understandable. But it wasn't until recently we found out she was actually on a trip out of the country and booked a replacement to come a week before my wedding. When I had asked for a refund she completely evaded the question. I hope no bride has to go through the stress myself and many other brides have felt the night before their wedding

From CBS

Kamloops bridal beauty agency closes amid viral allegations of double-bookings, unpaid debts

Owner Cassidy Watt cites health struggles as reason for closing as contractors allege years of missing pay

Brady Strachan · CBC News · Posted: Sep 16, 2026 5:55 PM PDT | Last Updated: September 16

Listen to this article

Estimated 5 minutes

Iris Chow, pictured, gets final touches to her makeup on her wedding day. But her wedding makeup was the source of stress when she received an email from her original artist just 16 hours before her wedding, saying she had a medical emergency and assigning a replacement artist. (Victoria Nyquvest Photography)

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The unraveling began following the weekend of Aug. 29, when Vancouver bride Iris Chow received a sudden cancellation notice. Chow had booked more than a year in advance for Watt and two of her team members to do hair and makeup for her bridal party

Chow was shocked to receive an email from Watt just 16 hours before her wedding, saying she had a medical emergency and assigning a replacement artist.

"That is one of the biggest days of your life. It's a wedding, we don't get to do that again, hopefully," Chow told CBC News.

Allegations of triple-booking

When Chow met her replacement artist, Mikaela Bree Peterson, Peterson informed her Watt had actually recruited her four days earlier.

Chow later found social media posts tagging Watt's agency at a wedding at Sun Peaks, near Kamloops, that same day.

Meanwhile, another bride, Amelia Henderson, received the same emergency cancellation email from Watt the day before her Aug 29 wedding near Vernon. Henderson confirmed to CBC News her replacement artist was also booked in advance.

Believing the emergencies were staged to cover a triple-booking, Peterson posted a series of videos online detailing the experience under the hashtag #BridalGate, triggering a flood of similar accounts.

"As soon as I posted that first video, the traction was quick," Peterson said. "I had to turn my phone off... I probably had at least 40 or 50 people [messaging me]."

Mikaela Bree Peterson's series of #Bridalgate videos have received more than 500,000 views since early September. (Mikaela Bree Peterson)

CBC News spoke to a dozen couples and contractors who described similar patterns of sudden cancellations, unfulfilled contracts and delayed refunds. Documents shared with CBC News include contracts, correspondence with Watt and financial records.

Scrambling to find new vendors

The agency's sudden closure sent Kelowna groom Mike Johnson and his fiancée scrambling weeks before their late-September wedding.

"Having to completely go back to the drawing board trying to find a makeup artist and hair stylist available within two weeks ... has been absolutely challenging," Johnson said.

Other clients reported older financial disputes. Nicole McCarthy spent nearly a year fighting to recover nearly $5,500 paid for a destination wedding in Cancun after cancelling her contract over mounting red flags.

"When I saw the artists she was going to send, I was mortified," McCarthy said. "It was not anything like the makeup and hair that she portrays."

Cassidy Watt, seen in her LinkedIn profile, announced the closure of her bridal beauty agency following multiple social media posts from brides and contractors sharing experiences of her agency. (Cassidy Watt/LinkedIn)

While couples fought for refunds, contracted artists were also left chasing tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid fees and expenses.

According to multiple long-term collaborators, artists covering destination weddings abroad were asked to pay upfront for flights, hotels and travel costs. Contractors said they spent years hounding Watt for reimbursements, and were forced to carry business debts on personal credit cards.

Contracted artists seeking backpay

Mia Johnson — who is not related to Mike Johnson or makeup artist Kam Johnson, who is also quoted in this story — said she is still owed $32,000 in back pay for completed work.

"Every time I followed up, it was always the exact same thing, 'I just have to get through XYZ," Mia Johnson said. "She created a plan to pay me $1,250 a month starting in June, but I haven't seen a dime."

Beyond financial losses, artists told CBC News their association with the agency has damaged their reputations.

They claim Watt continued advertising wedding services under their names after they had stopped working for her, resulting in angry clients when replacements showed up or no one arrived at all.

"The harm that has caused to our own businesses is horrific," said makeup artist Kam Johnson. "It's so unfair that we devoted so much of our time and so much of our work for her... just for her to turn around and do that to us."

CBC News reached out to Watt repeatedly by email and phone to ask specific questions about the allegations.

Cassidy Watt announced on her now closed Instagram page that she is closing her agency, citing health issues. (Cassidy Watt Artistry Collective/Instagram)

In a statement, Watt cited "a significant health challenge" for closing her business and wrote that she is "processing refunds daily."

Some of the people CBC News spoke to, including Mike Johnson and Nicole McCarthy, said they received the money Watt owed them by e-transfer this week, after the agency closed.

Others, like Mia Johnson, said they have not been paid.

The fallout extends to couples who have booked into 2027, including an Edmonton bride owed a $2,200 deposit for her wedding next year.

With the agency's website offline and social media accounts deactivated, affected couples and artists have formed online support groups, compiling receipts and preparing legal filings through small claims court.

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I wonder who Cassidy is getting the money to reimburse her clients.  Maybe it is from the MLA for Kamloops who is her father-in-law.  

Re her apology letter.  It was done by a professional as Cassidy cannot even write.  

To protect my interest.

 I have been accused of improper motive in my path to protect my beneficial interest in the estate.

It was brutal and unnecessary.  From the discussion I had with Jenny wherein she told me that the Rule lawyer and Leah were out to get me and for me to be careful, such evidence showed bad behavior of the lawyers from the very beginning.  Why would anyone want to get me.  What the fuck were the lawyers thinking.  

 

Estate/Probate Fraud.

 I was viewing on You Tube a video about ActiveIntel IPI.  It said that 70% of estates are subject to estate fraud. Because it is easy.  Who would know.  A sibling would clean out the parent's bank account and say there is no money.  This happened to me and I believed my relative who told me that there was no money.  Years later I was thinking about it and the question arose why wasn't there no money for me but other beneficiaries got monies. I was disconnected from the family but I do not remember me doing anything for him to do this me.  

Fiduciary Civil Fraud

 Is anyone familiar with fiduciary civil fraud cases.  Everyone can guess what criminal fraud is but what would civil fraud be. Or should I ask why is there a difference.  Thief is thief.  

Why some of us do not have access to lawyers. Maybe someone should take it up with the law society.

There it is.  Right out of the horse's mouth.  There is no access to lawyers, just access to be triaged and be discarded unless you as a client is being used to for the ego of a "reputable" lawyer.  If there are coaches on how to fire clients, then there is no access to justice.  What the __, they are even educating lawyers on how to get rid of C and D clients. Pathetic answer to lawyers in general. When can you have access to justice, when the lawyers themselves deny you access to lawyers.  

The lawyer’s ABCD triage grid for prioritizing clients

By Norm Bowley · Listen to article

Law360 Canada (September 22, 2026, 10:42 AM EDT) --

Norm Bowley

The chief difference between outstanding lawyers and those who just schlep along is how they prioritize the work and the clients they take. Many of us never think much about that, particularly if you live under the gun of monthly targets or run a dump truck practice. But if you look around you at the maestros of the profession, it always seems that they are working on interesting, consequential and financially rewarding matters. This is no accident.

Getting interesting, consequential and financially rewarding work doesn’t just happen. You need to triage incoming clients and their work using two measures. The first focuses on profitability; the second has to do with reputation-building opportunities.

Vanz Studio

The ABCD Grid is a triage tool, a simple way of assessing your clients first for profitability and second for the strategic value of the work they bring. It’s perhaps my favourite tool in consulting and in coaching, and it’s straight out of Economics 101.

Clients

Let’s first consider the profit-based triage of the clients who come to your door. All of us have a general sense that some clients are a delight, both because they pay well and they’re great to deal with, but we need to be much more strategic than just assessing “nice.”

From an economic point of view, optimum clients are those who pay well for work that doesn’t stress you or draw heavily on overhead, and those who pay well for work you love doing are the “most optimum.” These are your A clients. They’re gold, and you should treat them accordingly. That’s the easy part.

And then there are the clients from hell that only serial masochists should take. These are the D clients, the ones who come to the first meeting with 12 boxes of exhibits and online legal research, having already exhausted their first seven lawyers. If you have any, get rid of them (in compliance with law society and court rules), and after that, just refuse them. If you have to fire one, be very, very careful, but very, very definite. D clients are often dangerous and if you don’t disengage wisely and carefully, they can and will hurt you. You’re prudent to discuss this with someone you trust.

The tricky part, until you get used to it, is deciding between your B clients and your C clients. B clients are not highly profitable, one by one, but they aren’t demanding and mostly the work you do for them is routine and much is handled by assistants. Serving them is like selling hamburgers — you don’t make a lot of money on one, but it’s not hard to sell a thousand hamburgers, and this is excellent cash flow. And by and large, B clients are nice people that your staff loves to deal with, and that’s a great thing for morale and team spirit.

The other thing about B clients is that they sometimes turn into A clients, or they send you A clients. The young couple you help incorporate a pizza parlour may just turn that into a province-wide franchise operation. The lovely folks for whom you did a simple estate plan have a daughter who just opened a dental practice, right in your wheelhouse.

The C clients are the conundrum, at first. Yes, they’re high cost and usually high maintenance, but they pay some big invoices and the cash flow is nice. Sure, they are high maintenance, but you feel they’re worth the grief because of the money.

But “cost” is not just financial overhead. Cost includes risk, cost includes stress, cost includes missed opportunities, cost includes reputation. C clients are demanding, they want the work done yesterday, not just once, but all the time. They grind down your staff, they call you at home and on weekends, they just “happen to be in the neighbourhood” at your cottage, and they’re always trying to cadge a little free work. It’s always a haggle.

But the greater risk with C clients is that they are not loyal, and they don’t really appreciate what you’re doing for them. They can turn on you in a flash. How many hours does it take dealing with a law society complaint to erase any profit you may have made?

As a rule, ditch your C clients. (I must admit I have an accountant friend who took on the occasional C client to teach his juniors client management skills, a kind of boot camp thing. I’m not sure I agree, but it is an argument.)

Reputation

But that’s not the whole story. Triaging clients on an economic basis is one thing, but an equally important analysis is triaging clients on a reputational basis, that is, with an eye to enhancing your professional reputation. Over your professional lifetime, nothing is more critical than growing your reputation, and clients are the canvas upon which you paint your reputational masterpieces. From this perspective, then, what is critical is selecting clients based on their bringing work where you truly get to shine, to demonstrate that you are a leader in your field.

(Parenthetically, we need to keep in mind that my C client may not be your C client. I may not want an axe murderer hanging around my waiting room, but if you’re a criminal specialist, the axe murderer with an intriguing Charter argument might be exactly what you need to establish your credentials as the “go-to” person on that issue.)

Whether the analysis is done from a commercial prospect or a reputational prospect, the easiest way to rid yourself of D and C clients is to make yourself too busy for them — busy serving your precious A and B clients. It’s a virtuous cycle: the more you shed the C clients and the D clients, the more you will be able to practise enjoyable, profitable work for clients you enjoy, and the more you do that, the better you will become in your field, and the more you do that, the better will be the clients who seek you out.

Life’s too short to do it any other way.

In Norm Bowley’s third career, he speaks, writes and consults on matters of professional success and happiness. norm@purposeful.ca.

The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice. 

Financial Correction

 I really love this legalise.  If a party is ordered to pay surcharges to cover mismanagement of funds, it is not called theft, it is called a financial correction.