Do you know how to spot a wedding scammer? In this blog, I will share some excellent advice and top tips that I have found to help you spot and avoid wedding scammers when planning your wedding.
Fake accounts can seem absolutely genuine. And with AI it’s getting harder and harder to identify and reject scammers. Plus they’re are getting more and more ingenious in persuading us to part with our money. The probability is that we will all get sucked in at some point. It’s happened to me, albeit at a small and relatively inexpensive level. It’s annoying, nonetheless, and one feels so stupid!
The reality is that couples are embarking on the most important project of their lives.
With budgets averaging £24000 (and rising) , they expect, quite rightly, that they will pay for and receive professional, quality service from companies and individuals they employ. When a scammer strikes, it devastates the couple, ruins their plans and causes major headaches for everyone involved. And it tarnishes the hundreds of wedding industry professionals who really do provide amazing service and products
So what is the advice to couples?
There’s no fool proof way to avoid a con artist, but doing a good bit of vetting in advance can help.
Here are some top tips from other wedding professionals and consumer advice pages.
(source: https://rockthehouse.store/how-to-avoid-wedding-scams-9-red-flags-to-watch-out-for/)
- Look beyond social media. Lovely pictures can be enhanced or created entirely by AI.
- Always check reviews on Google, Trustpilot, Facebook
- Word of mouth is really powerful – check with friends and family, venues, other suppliers who recommend folk they’ve worked with and so on. You get the picture.
- Wedding awards have pretty badges but don’t always amount to much. Look deeper – you may be glad you did.
- Always get a contract – and read the small print before you sign. It should cover exactly what you’re paying for. Look for payment schedules, cancellation policy and what happens if they can’t deliver (because disaster strikes sometimes). If anything seems ambiguous or vague, and you’re not satisfied with any (written) clarifications given, move on. You must feel you can trust who you’re dealing with, no matter how plausible they seem.
- Full payment at time of booking is a red flag. Most suppliers will ask for a deposit to hold your booking, with the balance payable a set number of weeks before the date. This is reasonable, in my view, especially for suppliers like florists, caterers, décor stylists and so on, who need to preorder their materials. There have recently been some horrendous stories where couples have been pressured into paying up front for a, supposedly, attractive package by a venue. They have then found that the venue has suddenly closed, or changed hands, and all communication has ceased. The reasons might be justified, but that doesn’t help the couple that has lost several thousands down the drain, and are having to start again.
- Compare pricing. If you settle for ‘cheap’ don’t expect luxury or high quality.
- Please be assured that genuine wedding suppliers are not trying to fleece you by loading their prices ‘just because it’s a wedding’
- Advice from a suppliers’ Facebook group: ‘We all love a bargain but if the price is unbelievably cheap and seems too good to be true, there is going to be a catch somewhere down the line.’ For example, I have seen Facebook ads from a florist, offering a wedding floral package – bouquet, bridesmaids’ bouquets, buttonholes, any colour any style, for £165. The pictures look pretty, if a bit uniform. As a silk florist myself, that figure would not be even close to what I would pay for wholesale flowers. So are you looking at products resold from Shein? Budget outlet flowers? Someone who has really no idea of pricing? Or worse, a scammer after some easy money?
- Communication is key During the wedding season, suppliers get crazy busy and may not be able to respond instantly to your enquiry. But if there is what feels like an unreasonable delay, answers to questions are a bit vague, and your spidee senses are jangling… If it feels off, it may be exactly that. Move on.
- Get wedding insurance In the grand scheme of things, it’s money well spent for your peace of mind.
- Check out this FB page for advice and help
https://www.facebook.com/WeddingFraudAlerts/
UK couples can also contact ReportFraud
In conclusion, I want to reassure all couples that the horror stories are not by any means an indication that the wedding industry is as a whole is dodgy. There are hundreds of wedding professionals who love weddings and are dedicated to making their clients’ big day magical. I’m one of them! and I am happy to recommend suppliers I trust to act with integrity and professionalism. If you have any concerns about where to turn, please get in touch!
If you are interested in learning more about how silk flowers can work in your own wedding plans, why not book a Discovery Call? And for more details of what my full consultation covers, have a look at my Wedding Consultation page.
PS You can chat directly with me by clicking the green WhatsApp button on your screen – no bots in sight!
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