Unfortunately, it’s true – there are people and business out there that will take advantage of brides and grooms. After all, to these scammers brides and grooms may seem like easy targets; they are caught up in the excitement of their upcoming wedding that they may not be completely focused on the details to notice that the written contract (if there even is one) doesn’t cover exactly what was verbally promised. And since there are a million and one details to take care when planning for their wedding, engaged couples can be easy marks for unethical vendors/scammers looking to make a quick score from wide-eyed brides and grooms.

Before we list top wedding and bridal scams that you’ll need to be aware of, we will re-iterate the best tip we can give to protect you throughout your wedding planning:

It is imperative for your protection that any extras or add-on services you verbally agree to are listed as part of your itemized contact. “3/4 length wedding veil” will not cut it. That description is too vague and open to interpretation. You must have a contact that states, “Wedding Veil to be constructed of white lace and white satin with pearls in the form of a headband and made to a length of 48 inches.” This is a much more accurate description and leaves little room for interpretation or debate when it comes time to deliver your wedding veil.

What follows for you is our list of top wedding scams that you need to know about in order to protect yourself from becoming the next victim of unscrupulous wedding vendors.

Wedding Scam #1:
Bridal Boutique Label Stripping.
We have read about this scam where “scam-tiques” who engage in this practice claim they do it so they won’t get brides who come in, try on a dresses to find a style they like, then leave only to purchase the exact dress at another location for a cheaper price. Last we checked, this is a perfectly legal consumer practice, called “comparison-shopping". If you encounter a boutique that has wedding dresses with labels that have been tampered with or worse, removed entirely, you should immediately turn around and head for the exit. A store that will do this has no respect for you to be an informed consumer, and you can likely expect similar treatment from them when it comes to delivery, alterations and/or returns. By the way, removing labels from wedding dresses is in fact considered an unfair and deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission's Textile Act, and the penalties are quite severe to the boutique, up to $11,000 per violation. And this is a fact you may enjoy mentioning to the owner of the boutique as you head out the door to shop elsewhere.

Wedding Scam #2:
Limo Switcheroo.
This one happens more often than you would think. The limo company shows you some glossy photos of stretch Bentley limousine with a hot tub in the back and is stocked full of cold champagne and appetizers. You decide to go all out for you and your wedding party and book that limo, or so you think. However, on your wedding day you get a regular limo with soda and stale chips in the back. What happened? Often these limo services don’t own the cars they display on their glossy brochures. They sub-contract out their bookings to other limo companies that are the real owners of the high class limos. And when other parties get involved, the chance for miscommunication and misinformation is very high. So you book your limo with a service that you think owns that stretch limo, but in reality it’s a third party who may or may not get all the details of your event. Of course the company you are booking with probably gets a kick-back from the real limos owners for the booking they set up, so the shop you have contracted with really gets to pad their pockets.

How can you help to avoid this situation? Stop by the business for a look at the limo at some off time when it is likely a party car like that is not in use; say a Wednesday morning after breakfast. If the car is there, there is a good chance the company does in fact own it and will be at your event as scheduled.

Wedding Scam #3
Cake designers who cut corners, not the cake.
The profit for a wedding cake designer is the difference between the amount of money they charge you and the amount of time and ingredients it takes them to prepare your cake. So if they can take less time to make your wedding cake that means more profits for them. If they shortchange your design a bit or modify the look of the flowers to save them some time and ingredients, the designer is hoping that you don’t notice or don’t remember what exactly you agreed to 6 months prior and they pocket more profits.

Bonus Tip/Scam:
Another trick of bakeries is too tack on huge delivery and set up surcharges, which are a huge profit center for a bakery. Be sure these items are discussed and put on your invoice as well so there are no surprises.

Wedding Scam #4
DJ exits stage left.
This scam occurs after you meet with the prospective DJ. You negotiate a fair deal and agree to contract with him for his normal 4 hours, but he is feeling generous and tells you that he will stay an extra hour for ½ his regular hourly price because he likes you guys. The day of your wedding comes and after hour four when everyone is having a good time partying and dancing, he calls for the “last dance” and starts and soon after starts to pack up his stuff. You are obviously quite surprised because you remember he said he would stay for hour number five (and you paid for it), but he says he doesn’t recall any such deal he made 6 months ago. Guess what? If you don’t have that extra hour of service written into your DJ contract, he is out the door and you are out the money AND the music.

Bonus Tip/Scam:
Don’t forget to include the DJ’s set up time in your contract. If your contract is for 4 hours, and he takes 1 hour to set up, that means he is only going to play for 3 hours. You’ll be singing karaoke with your guests for that last hour of your reception if you don’t state in your contract the entire length of time the DJ will perform and include a separate line item for set up and tear-down time. Also, never pay for their travel time to your venue, if a DJ tries this they are trying to take advantage of you.

Wedding Scam #5
Florist substituting flowers or centerpiece.
Florists know that when you are sitting at their store reviewing their centerpieces and bridesmaids boutiques that you are paying attention to all the details. If you don’t like the way something looks, they can hurry off to the back room and reappear with something else that is more your style and makes you ready to leave a deposit with them. What the unethical ones hope for is that come your wedding day, you won’t be so keen on noticing that they left out a flower or two from your centerpieces or bridal boutiques.

Bonus Tip/Scam:
Another trick is that florists will negotiate with you a lower fee, but “forget” to point out that the “eggshell-colored satin doilies” are now just “off-white linen doilies”. They haven’t lowered their price, they have lowered the product they are delivering. Be sure to scrutinize the invoice you agree to with your florist to avoid any disappointments.

In conclusion, it is true that everything doesn’t always go right or just as planned on your wedding day. However by looking out for the things we have mentioned above, you can put the odds in your favor that you won’t be taken advantage of by unscrupulous vendors. If a vendor is in the business for a quick score, unfortunately there isn’t much you’ll be able to do on your wedding day. However, you can be protected afterwards because you will have gotten detailed, itemized invoices and contracts from all your wedding day vendors. You will have the opportunity for recourse and to get your money back along with damages through the legal system, provided you have taken the time to protect yourself with those contracts.