What to check in a wedding supplier contract
The 12 things to check before you sign a wedding supplier contract: the deposit, payment dates, cancelling, VAT, extra charges and more, with what UK consumer law says. See a contract reader at work.
Updated 16 Oct 2026
Start with the deposit and the cancelling terms, because those are where couples can lose the most. Then work down the other ten.
What UK consumer law says about deposits and cancelling
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says the terms in a consumer contract must be fair. On 2 March 2016 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) wrote to more than 100 wedding and event venues about large deposits and cancelling charges. It advised that terms like these may be unfair in some cases. The CMA made no finding about any venue, and only a court can decide whether a term is unfair.
The CMA wrote to venues, but the same law covers consumer contracts with other suppliers, so the same questions are worth asking anyone you book:
- Is the deposit just a reservation fee, and a small part of the total price?
- Do the advance payments reflect the business's actual costs, and leave a final amount still to pay when the service is provided?
- Do any non-refundable payments or cancelling charges reflect its likely loss from you cancelling, rather than all of its costs and lost profit?
- Is a sliding scale of cancelling charges a genuine estimate of the loss from you cancelling?
If an answer is no, it is worth asking about before you sign. This isn't legal advice. For a big or unusual contract, ask a solicitor, or Citizens Advice.
The 12 things to check
The deposit, and whether it is refundable
A small deposit that only holds your date is common. Find out whether it is refundable. A large non-refundable deposit is worth asking about (see the CMA's advice below).
Each payment date
Write down every date a payment is due, not only the first and the last. Put them in your calendar.
The balance date
The final payment is often due weeks before the wedding, not on the day. If the contract gives a rule such as "4 weeks before", work out the actual date from yours.
Cancelling charges, by date
Most contracts charge more the closer you get. Find each date, or time before the wedding, where the charge changes, and what is kept or refunded at each stage.
Changing the date
Can you move it? Look for how much notice you need, how many times, and whether it costs anything.
Events beyond anyone's control
Look for a clause about illness, severe weather or anything that stops the event. Who may cancel, and what comes back?
If the supplier cancels or closes
What happens if they cannot come? Look for a replacement or a refund, and whether the refund includes the deposit. Look for a limit on what they would pay.
VAT
Is the price with or without VAT? "Plus VAT" means VAT is added to the price you were quoted. Some smaller suppliers are not VAT-registered, so ask for the total in writing.
Extra charges
Overtime by the hour, delivery and travel, lost or damaged items, late collection and card fees. Note each one and when it applies.
Final numbers and other deadlines
Guest numbers, menu choices, timings and designs often have dates of their own, and numbers may be allowed to go up but not down. Add them to your calendar.
Delivery times
When do you get the photos, the film, the cake, the flowers or the album? And what happens if it is late?
Usage rights for photos and video
Who owns them, what you may do with them, and whether the supplier may use them to advertise. Check that you can print and share them.
How to check a wedding supplier contract in 5 steps
Find the money. List every payment: the deposit, each due date and the balance, and whether VAT is included.
Write down every date. Payments, the steps in the cancelling terms, the last day to change the date, final numbers. Put them in your calendar.
Read the cancelling clauses. What you pay at each date if you cancel, and what happens if the supplier cancels or closes.
Look for the extras. Overtime, delivery, lost or damaged items, late collection and card fees.
Ask before you sign. Anything unclear or missing: ask, and get the answer in writing.
See the contract reader at work
This is what a result looks like, on a made-up contract. The reader shows each clause in the contract's own words, with its page, grouped so you can check it. It shows clauses and dates only, so an amount in a clause shows as [amount]. Check every figure in your contract itself.
Payments
Deposit
“A non-refundable deposit of [amount] is payable on booking.”
Page 1On booking
Balance
“The balance of [amount] is payable 4 weeks before the wedding.”
Page 220 Nov 2027worked out from your wedding date
If you cancel
Cancel more than 6 months before
“If you cancel more than 6 months before the wedding, we keep the deposit.”
Page 2Before 18 Jun 2027
Cancel 6 months to 8 weeks before
“If you cancel between 6 months and 8 weeks before the wedding, you pay 50% of the total price.”
Page 218 Jun 2027 to 23 Oct 2027
Cancel under 8 weeks before
“If you cancel less than 8 weeks before the wedding, you pay 100% of the total price.”
Page 2After 23 Oct 2027
If the supplier cancels
“If we cancel, we will refund everything you have paid, including the deposit.”
Page 3
Extra charges
Lost or damaged hire items
“Hire items that are lost or damaged are charged at [amount] each.”
Page 3
Late collection
“Hire items collected after 11pm incur a charge of [amount].”
Page 3
Deadlines
Final numbers
“Final numbers are due 6 weeks before the wedding. They can go up but not down.”
Page 26 Nov 2027worked out from your wedding date
Things to ask them
Does the deposit come off the balance?
“A non-refundable deposit of [amount] is payable on booking.”
Page 1
Can we list flowers we don't want swapped?
“We may substitute flowers of a similar style, colour and value.”
Page 3
Merriwell reads your contract to save you typing. It can miss or misread things, so check each item against your contract. This isn't legal advice. For a big or unusual contract, ask a solicitor, or Citizens Advice.
Frequently asked questions
- Are wedding deposits refundable?
- It depends on the contract. A small deposit that only holds your date, and is not refunded, is common. In March 2016 the CMA advised wedding venues that large non-refundable deposits may be unfair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Only a court can decide that, so treat a large non-refundable deposit as worth asking about before you sign.
- What can a supplier charge if we cancel?
- What the contract says, within the law. Many use a sliding scale: the deposit if you cancel early, then a share of the price, then all of it close to the date. The CMA's advice to venues said a sliding scale that is a genuine estimate of the business's likely loss is more likely to be fair. Ask how they worked their figures out, and note the dates where the charge steps up.
- What if the supplier cancels?
- Look for a clause about it. A clear one says you get back everything you have paid, including the deposit. If yours does not say, ask for it to be added before you sign. If a supplier closes before your wedding, Citizens Advice can tell you what to do next.
- Do quotes include VAT?
- Not always. Some smaller suppliers are not VAT-registered, and others quote before VAT. If a quote says "plus VAT", VAT is added to the price. Ask for the total in writing.
- Is our contract private?
- Yes. Only you and your partner can see it. Its pages are sent to Anthropic, the company behind the AI, only so they can be read, and Anthropic doesn't train on data sent through its API.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. Merriwell reads your contract to save you typing. It can miss or misread things, so check each item against your contract. For a big or unusual contract, ask a solicitor, or Citizens Advice.
Sources
- Wedding venues advised to play fair, Competition and Markets Authority, GOV.UK, 2 Mar 2016. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- Wedding and event venue providers: letter from the CMA on contract terms, Competition and Markets Authority, GOV.UK, 2 Mar 2016. Checked 16 Oct 2026.