One of the key elements when planning your wedding is picking out the right wedding venue. You’ve spent days and hours searching for the perfect venue. Making sure the price was within your budget. Confirming that your look and feel could be envisioned in the venue you’ve selected.
There’s a lot of work that goes into the wedding venue process. Even more work has to be done when you find out your venue has filed for bankruptcy months or even weeks before your wedding day.
Noah Corp,. had 42 event venues in 25 states and abruptly closed all of them. As many as 7,500 people have been affected by this sudden news and find themselves scrambling to lock in a new venue.
I could give you a four page letter as to why this should have never happened being they were warned back in April 2019, but I wont. I much rather prevent you from having to go through this tragic experience.
How To Survive Noah’s Wedding Venue Disaster
Get Wedding Insurance
So often couples overlook wedding insurance because they feel the venue will cover them. In fact, if you look at every venue contract, it specifically states what they cover. Things like…..their stuff and employees is all they cover. It is your responsibility to cover your things and your guests.
For less than $200 in many cases, you can get insurance via WedSafe.
WARNING!!! Your homeowners insurance policy will not cover your event or wedding. Don’t believe me? Call your insurance company.
Ask The Wedding Venue Directly What Their Standing Is
You as the client have every right to know whether or not a company is facing financial issues. In many cases when a venue or company goes bankrupt, getting your money back is almost impossible. Even if you do, it will be well beyond your wedding day.
Also ask if your venue plans to undergo any construction before your wedding day. Construction can serve as a reason for the venue to cancel your wedding and per their contract, they have that right.
Lastly, make sure you check out Better Business Bureau. The BBB gives you a grade for the venue. In the case of Noah Corp., they have an F rating. That would be a question I need answers to before giving a venue my money.
Pay Venues and Vendors With a Credit Card
Your credit card company has a lot of power under their belt and they are here to protect you. Paying with any other method can come with issues or delays. NEVER PAY IN CASH this includes paying via CashApp. You must understand your credit card protection.
Follow Up With Your Wedding Venue and Vendors
With spending thousands if not millions of dollars on your wedding, you want to keep in touch with your team. Follow up with them monthly or bi-monthly to see if there are any changes that can affect your wedding.
As a Wedding Planner, I struggle with many venues and vendors who lack timely customer service. As much as I appreciate my industry, many businesses are simply short staffed and slow to get back to you. You must take the initiative to stay on top of them.
In doing so you can quickly react and get Plan B underway.
Keep Everyone Informed
In the event that you experience your venue or even a vendor cancelling on you, keep all informed. If you have to replace someone, let the new venue or vendor know your situation. Many times, they will support you and possibly give a discount. Not all of us are out to take advantage of you.
Without knowing what’s going on, we can’t help you find the venue or vendor you need.
Want to make sure your event or wedding is stable preventing you from dealing with this situation? Contact us for a complimentary event or wedding health check.