Switch hitch for couple
charge for rebooking elsewhere and that’s at least £70,” said Emma.
Any claim, though, would hinge on their agreement and a closer look reveals some room bookings are marked as “provisional until full payment”, something they had not foreseen would have consequences and which wasn’t raised at the time.
Consumer group Which? advises if a venue cancels then you should be entitled to “a complete refund of any monies paid. You can also claim compensation for the cost difference of booking a new venue.”
To protect against the worst-case scenario, a venue going bust, parties should always pay part or all of the fee by credit card so they can claim losses between £100 and £30,000 from their provider under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Wedding insurance could help too and the best premiums start at around £30 covering £5,000 for cancellation and 50 per cent of the original price for rearrangement.
But Chris and Emma’s agreement appears to favour the venue which is not formally cancelling, leaving the couple with few options.
“If you are a small wedding party, firm up arrangements, look at details and schedule dates of payments or risk being bumped,” warns Chris.
“When we imagined problems our focus was on outfits and food. Venue reliability didn’t figure after we had arranged it. It was a perfect spot and we were just happy to have booked it but that wasn’t enough.”
For more about wedding rights and insurance see which.co.uk