Know your rights

“Whilst bad weather cannot be avoided, suppliers not delivering what has been agreed can be very upsetting, particularly when money has been exchanged for their services. In these circumstances it may be possible to claim against the suppliers for any misrepresentation and/or breach of contract for their failure,” says Nita King, partner at Lemon & Co Solicitors in Swindon.

Before signing on the dotted line of any contract it is vital to scrutinise the terms and conditions carefully. Studying the 'small print' is necessary because there are many ways in which a supplier will try and limit its liability for various potential failures warns King. “Prior to reaching or signing an agreement ensure the terms of the contract are what you want and, if not, ask that the terms you are not happy with are removed or changed to protect you and put in any additional conditions you may have,” advises King.

But no matter how well you prepare, there is a chance that things could go wrong. Under these circumstances it may be possible to make a claim against suppliers for any misrepresentation or breach of contract. “This can include the wedding car not turning up on time, flowers being different to what had been ordered, the caterers providing an inadequate service to what had been promised, or poor photograph,” says King.

Your first port of call before entering into any contacting any organisations for advice or calling entering into litigation, however, is to try and settle the dispute amicably with your supplier. Point out how they breached their contract and ask for your money back. Try and be firm, but fair.

After that you should get some advice from government organisations on legal recourse. In the UK, for example, you can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau or the Office of Fair Trading. The CAB helps people provides free, independent and confidential advice on legal, money and many other issues, while the OFT is the UK's consumer and competition authority.

Depending on how you paid, you could claim money back from your bank especially if you paid by credit or Visa card. Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the credit card company, along with the trader is liable for any breaches of contract or misrepresentation. This is a legal requirement that banks have to abide by. The goods must have cost more than £100 and less than £30,000. If you get married abroad and paid overseas suppliers you may also be able to claim compensation if you paid with your credit or Visa card. It's best to contact your credit card provider to see where you stand and point out that you'd like to claim under the Consumer Credit Act.

If you paid by debit, maestro or solo card don't qualify under the Consumer Credit Act, but in some instances banks have been lenient. When Christmas hamper firm Farepak went bust, banks paid out consumers regardless of the way in which they paid for the goods.

Things could prove difficult if your provider files for bankruptcy. In 2008 wedding service Wrapit went into administration leaving around 2,000 newly-weds heartbroken and without gifts. Couples had to seek compensation from Wrapit's adminstrators, but they could only be awarded once Wrapit's secured creditors and employees had been paid first.

If you fail to reach an agreement regarding compensation, and don't have wedding insurance, and haven't paid by credit card, you should seek legal advice and claim through the courts. Make sure you gather enough evidence to show the court how the company or individual made the error or misrepresentation. “If legal action is taken the contract agreed and photographic, oral or documentary evidence will be used to determine your success in the making the claim,” advises King.

Lemon&Co’s top tips:

If you have recently experienced an unsatisfactory service on your wedding day there are a series of points to consider:

1. The agreement reached is a legally binding contract whether in writing or oral and you as a customer have a right to expect those services to be delivered as they were agreed.

2. Were any oral representations made prior to any agreement for the supply upon which you relied on and they turned out to be false? If so, you may have a claim in the law of misrepresentation.

3. You may be entitled to remedy for any breach of the contract and/or any false representation.

4. Did you sign up to the supplier’s standard terms of their business – the “small print”? Are there any exclusions entitling the service provider to exclude liability for its failure and or any representations made prior to the agreement? If so, seek advice for your rights.

5. If a service provider failed to meet the agreement, then in the first instance speak amicably with the provider pointing out the breach without making any compromising statements.

6. If amicable communication fails then it will be necessary to seek legal advice and perhaps bring a claim through the courts.

7 If legal action is taken the contract agreed and photographic, oral or documentary evidence will be used to determine your success in the making the claim.