CHICAGO – A South Side couple claims their long-awaited wedding day turned into heartbreak and financial ruin after their dream destination wedding was allegedly stolen from them along with more than $180,000.
Iris Smith and Dedric Vaughn had been planning a lavish ceremony in Mexico, set for July 19, with 75 guests, including their two young daughters. The girls were set to be flower girls.
On Thursday, instead of celebrating their union, the family is stuck at home in Chicago, surrounded by unopened wedding favors and painful memories.
“Very, very heartbroken,” Iris Smith said in an interview with FOX 32.
“Devastated. It’s tough,” added Dedric Vaughn.
The Wedding That Wasn’t:
The couple hired Laticha Douglas, owner of FlyGirl World Travel LLC, to help coordinate their destination wedding.
According to Smith and Vaughn, guests RSVP’d and paid Douglas directly through her now-deactivated website. The payments were supposed to cover travel, hotel rooms, and more.
Instead, the couple said they received excuses and eventually, silence.
“I had been trying to contact her for days, and she hadn’t responded,” Smith said. “… When we calculated everything, over $180,000.”
They said only 2% of their guests received refunds. The couple was forced to cancel the wedding entirely.
One email to Smith, allegedly from someone claiming Douglas was hospitalized, suggested guests should dispute charges with their banks and re-book their travel. The email assured her a refund system was in place, but most guests never saw a dime.
“The dates on all of this stuff won’t match anymore,” Smith said, glancing at her wedding favors.
“What do you do? Just keep it? Pass it out still?” said FOX 32’s Tia Ewing.
“I think… pass it out. Everyone kind of knows what happened. It’s so unfortunate,” Smith said.
Receipts & Repercussions:
FOX 32 obtained dozens of receipts confirming thousands in guest payments.
The couple said the losses include their own costs, their children’s expenses, and all guest reservations. But, the trouble may go further.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has received at least five separate complaints against FlyGirl World Travel LLC:
- One traveler paid $2,300 for a trip to Jamaica, only to find there was no reservation.
- Another made monthly payments for a $3,900 trip to Egypt. That trip never happened.
In both cases, Douglas stopped responding, and her website disappeared.
According to state records, FlyGirl World Travel LLC was terminated earlier this year by the Secretary of State, then later reinstated.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office confirmed it is now working to mediate multiple complaints.
“We are attempting to mediate consumer complaints we have received about this business,” the office said in a statement.
Tracking the Travel Agent:
FOX 32 went looking for Douglas at two addresses linked to her business.
At one home in Washington Heights, lights were on, but no one answered. At another address in Back of the Yards, we spoke to Douglas’ mother.
She acknowledged knowing her daughter and took our number, promising to pass along a message. But we never heard back.
Numerous phone calls and emails to Douglas also went unanswered.
Public records show prior charges under Douglas’ maiden name, Laticha Allen, for theft, deception, and computer fraud in the early 2000s. We could not confirm how those cases were resolved. None appear to be active today.
What’s next:
The Chicago Police Department confirmed an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, Smith and Vaughn, both city employees, are left with heartbreak and debt.
“I still find myself in shock sometimes,” Smith said.
Now, they just want accountability.
“At this point, just turn yourself in,” Smith said in a direct plea to Douglas. “You took a lot of people’s money. A lot of people are angry—including us.”
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office said Thursday that FlyGirl World Travel LLC is currently listed as “not in good standing” as of July 1.
The company failed to file its required annual report on time. If the report is not filed by Jan. 1, 2026, the business will be automatically dissolved.
FlyGirl World Travel can return to good standing by submitting the report and paying the necessary fees before the deadline.
The company also received a legal notice known as a UCC filing after its lender, True Advanced Funding Inc., claimed the right to seize the business’s assets if the loan is not repaid.
The full statement from the Secretary of State’s office can be read below:
“Flygirl World Travel LLC has not been investigated by the Secretary of State’s office. However, it is currently in Not In Good Standing status as of July 1, 2025, because it did not submit an annual report to the office before this deadline. If an annual report is not filed by January 1, 2026, the entity will be involuntarily dissolved. The business could submit its annual report, pay the annual fee and penalty fee before January 1 to return to Good Standing status after that date.
“Also of note, True Advanced Funding Inc. filed a UCC filing against Flygirl World Travel LLC which outlines a financing arrangement between the two entities. Please find the UCC filing attached.”
What you can do:
If you believe you’ve been impacted by FlyGirl World Travel or need to file a complaint, visit this link.