Happiest day of your life? More than 3,000 couples' weddings were 'ruined' in the last year, with complaints ranging from awful photographers to venues still being built

• Complaints include ruined dresses, phoney photographers and costs soaring higher than advertised
• Couples have more rights to reclaim deposits and payments than they think, according to the Citizens' Advice Bureau

By Helen Collis
More than 3,000 couples' weddings were ruined in the last 12 months by shoddy services offered by dishonest or greedy people causing grief and misery on what should be the happiest day of their lives.
Their big days have been ruined by dead flowers being passed off as 'bronze', venues that are not ready or not built, prices leaping higher than quoted, and phoney photographers spoiling any chance of a happy memory.
But unbeknown to many distraught wedding couples who have been taken for a ride, they have more rights to demand refunds and cancellations than they perhaps first thought.

Phoney photographers, taking shots like this mocked image, have been blamed for ruining what should be couples' best days of their lives

With the average price of a wedding coming in at steep £20,000, it's no wonder complaints about disasters are so commonly reported to the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

 

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More than 3,000 wedding problem inquiries were reported by distraught couples in England and Wales between April 2012 and March 2013.
Among the complaints, one furious bride had her celebrations cut short and spent her wedding night sleeping in a nearby Chinese restaurant after police evacuated the venue.  
The hotel had put everyone at serious risk by illegally reconnecting the energy supply after being cut off a week earlier due to an unpaid bill, leaving guests with nowhere to sleep. 

Unsafe venues: Some weddings have been ruined by unsuitable or unsafe venues, but maybe not as bad as Miss Ena Squire-Brown, an international dancer pictured, who's home was bombed shortly before her big day in London, 1940

Unhappy couples made complaints about dead flowers and dry-cleaners ruining wedding dresses, but perhaps worst of all was an unsafe venue closed by police leaving guests and the couple with nowhere to stay

The botched connection could have electrocuted someone, caused a fire or even an explosion.
Another bride found her blooms to be less than beautiful as the florist tried to pass dead flowers off as ‘bronze’ roses that were meant to look old, although later admitted ‘they were not the best.’

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR WEDDING DAY PLANS...

Get agreements down on paper: Get what has been agreed written down and signed by yourself and the trader. This includes details of the service, price, delivery timings and cancellation details. 
Check cancellation terms: Make sure you understand what your rights are if you have to cancel or if the trader cancels your order, including how much notice and what happens to deposits and repayment plans.

Act quickly: If something has gone wrong, like the flowers aren’t up to scratch, speak to the seller straight away in order to get a full refund or replacement.

Gather evidence: Take photos for proof. For example if you’re rings are being resized, take photos in front of the trader before the work is done and get shots of different angles of the rings. Then if anything is different you’ll have proof.

Extra protection: If you pay by credit or debit card you might be able to get money back from your card provider if you are having difficulties sorting out a problem with the seller.    
Insurance: You can get specific wedding insurance to help your day run smoothly but it’s important to make sure the policy covers your needs.  

Protection from paying by credit or debit card or taking out wedding insurance gives you the added comfort of knowing that if there is a problem that you can't get sorted out, the Financial Ombudsman Service are likely to be able to help you. 

Some of the more common ones include wedding dress issues, such as faulty dresses, unable to cancel an order despite prior agreement and dry cleaning that makes dresses dirty.
Service providers, such as florists, car hire and venues, hiking prices up higher than advertised infuritates couples.
Venues in particular have been a source of many complaints, with some going bust, others double booking couples and some even not having been fully built.
There are also problems with rings, coming back different shapes and colours after being resized or cleaned, and issues with fake photographers ruining any hope of lasting book of happy memories.
The CAB said couples were confused about their cancellation rights and whether they could getting deposits back.  
Brides and grooms could find it easier to challenge shoddy services in the future under proposals as part of the new Consumer Bill of Rights.  
The Bill is looking to introduce new rules which mean consumers can get an refund if services – like photography – aren’t carried out with reasonable skill and care.
CAB Chief Executive Gillian Guy said: 'People are spending tens of thousands of pounds on what should be the best day of their lives, only to find that it comes with heartbreaking problems.  
'While it’s not very romantic to think about what might go wrong, we hear from thousands of people whose big day was devastated by hitches so it pays to take a practical approach when planning.  
'There are steps you can take to protect yourself from wedding problems, like getting everything down on paper which is signed by yourself and the trader, that way you have evidence of the price and service agreed.'