900 complaints made about wedding vendors in 2018, BBB says

When planning a wedding, every detail counts, and there's no faster way to ruin the special day than hiring a vendor who can't pull through.

Alyssa Gutierrez, with the Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina, said the BBB received almost 900 complaints about wedding vendors in 2018 about unexpected extra fees, bad timing on deliveries, and limousine or DJs who simply didn't show up.

Gutierrez said it's important to research a business before hiring them, such as reading customer reviews and checking how long they've been operating.

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Sometimes vendors close their business unexpectedly, and it's hard for customers to get their money back even though they'll never get the service they paid for.

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When signing a contract, get everything in writing and ask lots of questions. See what is guaranteed and ask the business ahead of time what their plan is for delivering, then get every detail of dates, times, brands, and any extra fees (such as corkage or cake-cutting fees) and if gratuities are included.

Once someone is hired, be sure to stay in touch and keep following up.

"Sometimes you book these people years in advance, or six months in advance, and you never hear from them so you want to keep regular contact," Gutierrez said. "We always suggest a week before or two weeks before you have a phone call with them, face to face if possible it's always great just to see that they are still there."

Don't pay the entire fee upfront, and use a credit card for extra protection in case anything goes wrong.