Cancel Out The Stress: What To Do If Your Wedding Venue Falls Through
It might not bear thinking about, especially if you are deep in the midst of wedding planning and everything is shaping up nicely. It could be a massive disaster if the venue informs you that they are canceling, either due to liquidation or an incident that is out of their hands. So is there anything that you can do in the meantime to either rectify the problem and, more importantly, to see if you can get your money back and get the wedding plans back on track?
The First Steps
The most important thing is not to panic. There’s always a way around a problem, and even if it is your dream venue, then you need to understand the circumstances around the cancellation. So you need to set up a meeting with the manager of the venue as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours. This will give you a better indication of if you can reschedule or if you need to start looking at alternative wedding venues which may be a feasible option depending on how close or far away the wedding date is. Make sure you take the contract with you to the meeting and get as much detail as you possibly can. Your contract may have information on what happens in the event of a cancellation. The contract may have a force majeure clause which may include something like getting back any deposits that you have paid.
The Next Plan
You need to find out with the manager of the venue if they can provide you with another venue or if they can put you in contact with someone that is able to help you as this is a better option than going through the phone book frantically to find another place at the last minute! If the venue manager is not able to help it’s time to start searching as soon as possible, and if you have wedding cards that have gone into print you need to inform the designers and the printers to stop the press as soon as possible. And you need to contact suppliers like the caterers to see how they can assist you, as they have, no doubt, been to a number of different wedding venues. It’s at this point you need to turn to the experts for tidbits of information that may help you, especially if you’re desperate.
Getting Your Money Back
You are entitled to a refund of any money paid towards the canceled wedding venue, and you can also claim compensation for the difference in cost of booking a new venue at short notice. In addition to that, you may be able to claim for losses resulting due to the venue canceling, and these can include things like the cost of reprinting wedding cards, or if you have suppliers who were charging travel fare.
It’s also important for you to have wedding insurance as you will be covered in respect of a venue canceling on you. But rest assured if your venue does cancel you are able to recoup losses. It may make for a stressful time, but you may be able to find a better venue in another part of the world, and although the ceremony may not be what you have planned, it could end up being something so much better!
