What to Do if Your Wedding Supplier Goes Bust

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Mar 21, 2012, 05:00 ET

LONDON, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Florist closed down? Cake not arrived? Avoid a last-minute panic with these tips to make sure you're not left high and dry on your wedding day

More small businesses are going bust than ever, with an estimated 120 shutting up shop each day*.

That leaves many wedding suppliers, such as florists and bakers, vulnerable as the economic crisis worsens.

If you're an organised bride and groom, or have agreed on a long engagement, you might be planning your wedding a year or two in advance. And once you start booking up the venue, ordering the cake and choosing your photographer you might find you're spending out on deposits.

Many couples are worried about booking wedding suppliers so far in advance as they're not sure what the financial future holds for businesses. Small companies, in particular, are at risk of going bust as people tighten their belts and limit their spending on luxuries.

It's a risk you have to take if you want to plan your wedding, so here are some tips on how to safeguard your hard-earned cash:

Make wedding insurance top of your shopping list:

Don't pay any deposits until you've taken out wedding insurance - and check that the policy covers failure of suppliers. John Lewis Wedding Insurance offers cover to limit the impact if any of your suppliers, such as caterers or entertainers don't turn up. Costs such as deposits are covered (limits do apply) and you'll also get help with the cost of finding replacements.

Choose wisely:

Ask for recommendations from friends - if you like the flowers or cake at another wedding, find out where it came from. Once you've got a shortlist of suppliers, take a look at their portfolio and see if they'll supply references from other customers. If they're good, they'll probably let you speak to other customers. Check to see if your local trading standards office have ever had complaints about them if you have any doubts.

Keep in contact:

It's easy to book a venue, baker or wedding dress maker and then tick it off the list and forget about it, but this could lead to a nasty surprise the week before your wedding. If you're booking up services in advance, give them the occasional call to check on details and make sure everything's still on track for the big day. The sooner you know there could be a problem, the easier you can deal with it.

Visit the venue:

Don't just make one trip to your venue - plan regular visits, and check on quality. It's a good idea to build up a friendly relationship with your contact there, and if the catering is being done in-house, taste the food a couple of times.

Have a back-up plan

OK, so you don't want to think about what would happen if your wedding venue cancelled, but make a list of alternative companies you'd use for essentials such as the dress, suits and cake in case anything went wrong. And in the event of a last-minute disaster, call on your guests to help. Could you get friends to bake cakes, or ask them to take your 'official' wedding photos? It might not be the wedding you planned, but at least you're prepared for that last-minute panic.

About johnlewis.com/insurance

John Lewis offers competitively-priced Wedding Insurance you can trust. Choose from six flexible levels of cover - from £10,000 to £50,000 - for weddings abroad and in the UK.