When you’re planning your wedding, you tend to do it through rose-colored lenses. You may be stressed, but it’s a rosy, chiffon and lace covered stress cushioned by love. Your concerns are budget, aesthetics, and guest lists, but you may be forgetting to ask a very important question: What is the cancellation policy? It may be on your end, or it may be on their end, but you need to know the details of what happens in either scenario. Every vendor should have an answer for this ready to go. If they hesitate, that might be a red flag.

If you cancel, it may just be a credit to use toward future services, or you may be able to get a partial refund. If they cancel, there might be an option for offering a replacement / stand in, or issuance of an immediate refund. Your comfort level will determine what the acceptable answer is, but whatever you accept, make sure it is in the contract before you sign. Missing this could end in a lesson learned the hard way; nobody wants to scramble for a new photographer, planner, or even venue (eek!) weeks or days before the wedding.

It’s easy to miss important details like this when you’re swooning over the draperies and cake displays. Asking a bridal party member (or wedding planner, wink wink) to review a contract for you prior to signing is a great way to make sure an objective eye with your best interest in mind approves!