Government Advises Card Purchases for Wedding Planners

Couples should use a credit card to pay for marriage venues and services in order to avoid "wedding day woes", the government has recommended.

Among the pieces of advice for those planning a wedding offered by Consumer Direct today was the credit card recommendation: which was made due to the extra legal protection it affords for purchases made of between £100 and £30,000. In addition, the government advice service also said that couples should always check the terms and conditions of a venue prior to booking it.

People should also ask venues for legally binding quotes rather than estimates in order to ensure that the price is not put up later, Consumer Direct said.

Michelle Shambrook, operations manager at the body, added: "Wedding contracts can be worth several thousands of pounds so it is vital that you shop around, compare prices, ask lots of questions and make sure you know exactly what you're getting before you agree a deal."

Consumer Direct also revealed today that it had received 4,000 wedding-related requests for advice in 2007. Common problems included wedding dresses failing to arrive on time, venues raising prices or cancelling bookings at the last minute and concerns over catering.