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When Marlene Tavarez first booked her wedding reception at Rigatti Terrace in the Ozone Park section of Queens, she thought she'd found a great deal.

"He would give me so many things for the price that it was actually unbelievable at the time," said Tavarez.

But what happened less than two weeks before the wedding was even more unbelievable. Tavarez says she tried to call the owner Dennis Rigatti to make some final arrangements, but his number was disconnected.

"I called my husband and I said 'Listen, we gotta go over there. Something is not right'," said Tavarez.

It was a suspicion she confirmed when she saw a notice from the city marshal that Rigatti Terrace had been evicted. With the big day looming on the horizon, her party planner -- and her money -- were nowhere to be found.

"Eleven days before, April 27th, I had no reception and I was out $4,000," said Tavarez.

In retrospect, Tavarez recognizes that there were a few warning signs, including pressure from Rigatti to pay in cash, which Claire Rosenzweig of the Better Business Bureau says should be a major red flag.

"They might tell you that it's better for you in the long run, that you'll save money. But really in the long run, you could lose.," said Rosenzweig . "If something goes wrong you could be out not only your cash, but also your event, without any recourse. At least if you use credit card, you have recourse with the credit card company."

Fortunately, Tavarez and her husband managed to switch to a different catering hall last minute, but it cost them an additional $6,000 and a crack in their nest egg.

"We broke a CD that I was holding for a down payment on a house," said Tavarez.

"NY1 For You" tried to track down Rigatti and found that when his name was typed in the address for the Rigatti Terrace website, it rerouted to the website for a new catering venue called Krystal Hall. "NY1 For You" called the establishment, and the person who answered confirmed Dennis Rigatti's connection to the business.

Rigatti, however, did not return NY1's calls. Tavarez says she's not surprised, but still hopes to see justice.

"I would like to see my money. I do have a lot of bills that I have to pay. I would like to put back my fund for our house," said Tavarez.

"NY1 For You" will continue to investigate the story.