Ideally, your wedding day should be as stress-free as possible. In reality, the day itself — and the months leading up to it — are going to involve more stress than you care to think about. The last thing you want to deal with on top of that stress is a wedding scam.
Unfortunately, there are hundreds of people out there willing to take advantage of you as you set up your wedding. If you know what scams to watch out for, though, you can get ahead of the ones that might ruin your wedding day. With that in mind, some of the most common wedding scams of 2022 include:
Untrustworthy Vendors
There are several moving parts that make up your wedding. You need a florist, a venue, outfits, caterers, photographers, videographers, and DJs — and that’s just to start. There are more than a few parties who are willing to disguise themselves as an essential vendor to take your money. Unfortunately, some are better at scamming couples than others.
If you want to get ahead of these untrustworthy vendors, though, there are signs of misconduct that you can watch for. Any company that demands full payment for alleged services upfront may misuse your trust. Similarly, any company without a website, portfolio, or testimonials may be trying to take advantage of you.
You can use third-party resources to assess the validity of the vendors you’re interested in. For example, you can look for Yelp reviews and social media accounts before reaching out for more information about a vendor’s services.
Online Wedding Outfits
Online shopping became one of the best ways for partners to find outfits for their weddings in recent years. The dresses you see online don’t always reflect the end product, though. Vendors can steal photos or doctor their own photos to trick you into thinking that an outfit is nicer than it really is.
What’s more, some vendors may trick you into purchasing a product that doesn’t exist. While it can take a considerable amount of time for a talented seamstress to bring a wedding outfit together, no reliable vendor will “ghost” their wedding party in the process of making those outfits.
If you find yourself struggling to contact a wedding outfit vendor or find that your chosen outfit doesn’t suit your needs, you may have been scammed. The best way to get ahead of these scams is to look at the price of a product. If you see a $1,500 gown on sale for $300, there may be something fishy afoot.
All-Inclusive Honeymoons
Planning your honeymoon is often more exciting than planning your wedding. After putting all that effort into creating the perfect day, though, you may want someone else to take the reins throughout your vacation.
While not every all-inclusive honeymoon is a scam, several are. Online vacation planners can claim to get you the tickets you need to go to certain events, hotels, or locations, when in reality they’ve taken your money and run.
Once again, you can refer to third-party resources for more information about the validity of these services.
Fake Trunk Shows and Planning Events
Truck shows and bridal symposiums are meant to help happy couples collect all the vendor information they need under one roof. Just as there are fake vendors, though, so too are there fake bridal conferences.
Some scammers will set up false wedding conferences and offer you tickets at a discount. If you want to avoid getting tricked into buying these tickets, make sure you research the conference in question.
Most bridal conferences allow you to pay for your tickets at the door. If you’re receiving requests for money up-front, double back and make sure that your symposium is actually legitimate. You can alternatively look for conference reviews on Facebook or other forms of social media.
Let Real Pros Help You Prepare For Your Wedding
There are few days as joyful and as stressful as your wedding day. When you approach Windows on the Water about your special day, you can trust that we’ll do everything in our power to ensure you receive top-of-the-line care. You can contact our office at (609) 208-9475 or reach out via our website to learn more about our services.