You'll be investing a lot in your wedding venue and suppliers and in most cases, paying deposits months or even years in advance. How do you know that your deposit is safe, the company is reputable and that the business actually exists?
What can you do to avoid a situation where the investment in your wedding is at risk during the months weddings re-start after Covid lockdowns?Â
Before we look at how and where to book suppliers, we'll address a few of the common questions relevant as weddings re-start after lockdowns.Â
Q. Can I take out wedding insurance now, even through I have booked and paid for everything?
In usual times, you can take out insurance at any time, even if you have paid deposits. However, the main wedding insurers still aren't offering new policies.
Q. I'm not comfortable paying final payments without being absolutely sure the wedding can go ahead, what should I do?
If the venue or supplier knows they are unable to fulfil the contract they should not ask for further payments. However, if both you and the business are hoping and planning on the event going ahead you should pay in accordance with the contract.
Q. We have postponed several times. When should pre-payments be due? In line with the original date or the new date?
The circumstances for each postponement is different and as a result, venues and suppliers have had different policies regarding this and it would usually be agreed at the point you agreed each postponement.
Q. If there is another lockdown and our wedding can't take place, will I be entitled to a refund from my venue and suppliers?
The laws relating to "frustrated" contracts (which give you and the business slightly different rights if a contract cannot be fulfilled) are complex. From what we have heard the Courts aren't always agreeing with the CMA interpretation and are often finding in favour of the business where they have acted reasonably and the wedding could have gone ahead, albeit not exactly in the way that the business or couple had originally envisioned.
Q. I have got wedding insurance, will that cover me for Covid-related cancellations?
If your original policy, taken out pre-Covid, still covers your wedding date then you may find it covers you for Covid cancellations, but check before counting on it. If you have taken out insurance since March 2020 it is highly unlikely to cover you for Covid-related cancelations, postponements or failure of businesses. Again, check with the company and get any confirmation in writing.
Q. What happens if one of us tests positive on or just before our wedding day?
This is a common fear. The industry are pushing the government for insurance for such a situation. By law you have to self isolate if you have a positive test. We would strongly advise you to minimise all possible risks in the 10 days before the wedding; if you can avoid coming into contact with anyone, you'll remove any risk of becoming infectious yourself.Â
Where to find your venue and suppliers?
Most wedding businesses are known to their peers, so booking through recommendation, or checking your choice with another professional, is a really good start. The benefit of using wedding platforms such as Guides for Brides over Google is that there is accountability; we speak to advertisers throughout the year, we remove any that we feel aren't offering a professional service and we mediate on the rare occasions (such as during the pandemic) if couples have any concerns with venues or suppliers they found on our platform.
We are only as good as the suppliers we represent, so we like to represent the best.Â
Checking that the business has a social media presence too is a great idea as you can see how long they have been around and how they interact with their customers. However, we'd never recommend booking a business that only advertises on social media as you will have no means of contacting them if they disappear.Â
You can also look businesses up on Wedding Safe to see if they are certified.
Which reviews can you trust?
Reading reviews has become an essential step in making a decision to purchase. But how do you know that you can trust what you are reading, and that reviews haven't been edited?
Most wedding review sites allow businesses to add any reviews they have received, but these will inevitably be the most positive ones. It is the reviews added by their customers that are the most relevant and it is important that you can read themÂ
Guides for Brides have a robust, fair policy similar to TripAdvisor's, in allowing businesses the right to respond to reviewers they disagree with but not to choose which reviews they show and which they don't. This offers customers a huge amount of added protection. Plus, we recognise those venues and suppliers who have been highly-reviewed by couples in our Customer Service Awards; read more about our previous winners.
We encourage all couples to leave reviews of their experience while planning and after to help other couples plan effectively. So, if one or more of your wedding suppliers or venue have been amazing, let other people know!
Watching for scams
As existing, trusted suppliers reach full capacity, it is tempting to look beyond the wedding planning platforms and consider booking businesses found on social media. Wedding planning platforms are free or very inexpensive, so question why these businesses don't have a professional profile. Some just run their business that way, but others are intentionally operating under the radar.
The most common scam is that the business simply doesn't exist.Â
- Head to Google Images, and click on the camera icon (this is the "search by image" tool).Â
- Upload the image you want to check and Google will search the internet for images that are the same or similar to that image.
- Evaluate the sources that appear. It will generally be obvious where it's a stock image (a copyright-free image made available for any business to use) or an image owned by another business.
Clear and transparent contracts
Contracts should be written in a way that enables you and the supplier to confirm that you both agree on what will be delivered, when and for what price. They are designed to protect both parties so should be fair. The contract may consist of a simple document confirming the date and the amount to be paid along with their standard Terms and Conditions or might be a fully bespoke contract. Either is fine, as long as both parties have written confirmation of what has been agreed.
Is there a risk of businesses becoming insolvent?
The wedding businesses that have fought to survive a year without weddings are highly unlikely to close now that weddings are back. They also have more robust processes and contracts in place to protect them better financially in the future.