The short version: before you pay any wedding deposit, have in writing who you are paying, exactly what you are buying, the total price, how much is due and when, and what happens if either of you cancels or the date moves. Your UK consumer rights follow the checklist, with links to the official sources.
For every vendor
Before you pay: the checklist
Free checklist
- The vendor's full business name, address and phone number, not just a first name and a WhatsApp number. For a limited company, the company number, which you can check on Companies House.
- A written, itemised quote listing everything included and anything that costs extra.
- The event details: date, start and finish times, venue and which ceremonies are covered.
- The total price, including VAT and any travel, set-up or late-finish charges.
- The deposit amount and the date it is due.
- The balance amount and the date it is due, plus any other payment dates.
- What happens if you cancel, and how much you would lose at each stage.
- What happens if the vendor cancels, or cannot attend, and what you are owed.
- What happens if you need to move the date.
- Who will actually turn up on the day, and who replaces them if they are ill.
- The final guest number deadline and the cost of changes, for caterers and venues.
- Insurance details if your venue asks for them.
- A receipt for every payment, tied to the booking.
- Everything above in one signed or confirmed document, not spread across chats.
UK consumer law
Your rights in general terms
Services must be done with reasonable care and skill. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49, treats every contract to supply a service as including a term that the trader "must perform the service with reasonable care and skill". Section 50 also treats what a trader says or writes to you about the service as part of the contract in some cases, so keep the messages and brochures you relied on.
Unfair terms are not binding. Under section 62, "an unfair term of a consumer contract is not binding on the consumer." Schedule 2 lists terms that may be unfair, including terms that let a business keep your money when you cancel without paying you an equivalent amount when it cancels, and terms that make you pay a disproportionately high sum in compensation, or for services not supplied, when you cancel.
Deposits should be small, and cancellation charges should cover likely losses. In 2016 the Competition and Markets Authority wrote to wedding and event venues. It said terms are more likely to be fair when a deposit is "no more than a small percentage of the total price", when advance payments reflect the business's expenses, and when cancellation charges cover the business's likely losses from the cancellation. The same principles are useful when you read any vendor's terms.
The 14-day cooling-off period often does not apply. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a 14-day cooling-off period for many contracts made online, by phone or away from the business's premises. Citizens Advice notes that for a service arranged away from the business's premises, this applies when it costs £42 or more. Regulation 28 excludes catering and services related to leisure activities where the contract is for a specific date, and Citizens Advice gives "catering for a wedding or party" as an example. Do not rely on a cooling-off period to change your mind.
How you pay can matter later. Citizens Advice explains that if you pay by credit card for a single item costing more than £100 and no more than £30,000, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may let you claim from your card provider. Chargeback may be available for debit card payments. Bank transfers usually offer neither. Check the details with your card provider.
Next steps
If something goes wrong
Read the contract again
Find the cancellation terms and what was promised in writing.
Write to the vendor
Set out what happened, what you want and by when. Keep it calm and factual.
Get help
Citizens Advice can explain your options, including their consumer helpline. For your own situation, speak to Citizens Advice or a solicitor.
If you booked through Nodus and your vendor cancels, Nodus steps in to help you find a replacement.
Booking on Nodus
How booking on Nodus works
When you book through Nodus, you pay a deposit to confirm, then the balance before your event, each paid directly to your vendor through Stripe. Nodus never holds your money, and every payment is completed before the service is delivered. Pay securely through Stripe. Your payment goes directly to your vendor. Every booking confirmed in writing. No bank transfers to strangers.
Nodus acts as booking agent for vendors on this platform. Each vendor sets their own deposit, balance and cancellation terms. You can download them from the vendor's storefront, and they sit alongside every quote, so you can check them against the list above before you pay. If a vendor cancels, Nodus steps in to help you find a replacement.
For the law behind this checklist, read wedding deposits and cancellations in the UK. The question sheets for your venue and your caterer cover what to ask before you pay anything.
Questions
It depends on the contract and the circumstances. The CMA has said terms are more likely to be fair when a deposit is no more than a small percentage of the total price, and when cancellation charges cover the business's likely losses from the cancellation. A term that makes you pay a disproportionately high sum when you cancel may be unfair. This is general information, not legal advice.
Often not. The 14-day cooling-off period applies to many services arranged online or by phone, and to some arranged away from the business's premises, but catering and leisure services booked for a specific date are excluded. Citizens Advice gives catering for a wedding or party as an example.
The vendor's full business name and contact details, the date, times and venue, what is included item by item, the total price, the deposit and balance with due dates, and the cancellation and date-change terms for both sides.
Card payments can give you routes that bank transfers usually do not. Citizens Advice explains that section 75 can apply to credit card purchases over £100 and up to £30,000, and chargeback can apply to debit cards. Check with your card provider.
Put your request in writing, refer to your contract, and keep copies of everything. Citizens Advice can help you understand your options. For advice on your own situation, speak to Citizens Advice or a solicitor.