Wedding Financial Disasters

Planning an affordable wedding isn’t always easy. Sometimes it seems like everywhere you turn there are more costs and fees for the big day. 

For some unfortunate people, those costs can get even worse: scammers, crooks, idiots, and even kidnappers can ruin your wedding budget in minutes.  Here are some tips to avoid wedding financial disasters. 

Wedding Photography Scams

A wedding photographer in Phoenix is being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office after a number of reports that she was taking her fee without giving up the wedding photos. 

One of the brides describes the events as follows: “She cashed my check and I never talked to her again… No engagement photos. Nothing.”

Another unsatisfied customer said, “We signed a contract with her and, you know, she just dropped off the face of the earth.  Then later we noticed her website was closed down.  She sent out an e-mail that she was going out of business and that was it for us.”

Find someone that has taken great photos for a friend’s wedding and use that photographer. 

Taken Hostage After Being Duped by a Fake Internet Bride 

This is even worse than your photos being hijacked.  There are many similar stories to this Australian farmer that fell in love on the internet and flew to Mali to meet his new wife.

Unfortunately, his new wife was not there.  Instead he was taken hostage and the kidnappers demanded he pay $86,000 as a ransom, or else he would be killed.  Sounds like a pretty costly wedding – especially since the farmer ended up with no bride.

Destinations Weddings Run By Crooked Travel Agents

Getting married in a foreign country can be a fun and memorable way to get hitched but not if your travel agent is a crook.

This news piece describes a sketchy destination wedding company that promised a lot and came through with very little.  Make sure you deal with reputable companies when you’re planning a destination wedding.

Questionable Limo Companies

This wedding in Australia had a limo go for a ride without the limo driver when the brakes failed on the rented Rolls-Royce. 

The bride was scared for her life and the husband had to watch his bride roll down the hill.  The car company eventually refunded the $1500, paid by the bride and groom but only after many months of wrangling… not worth the trouble.

Stolen Wedding Dress

Having to buy one wedding dress can be a difficult task (and an expensive one too!) but having to buy two just seems cruel, especially when the first one is stolen along with her 2005 black Pontiac Grand Prix.

Stealing a wedding dress is pretty low but unfortunately there are some bad people out there.

Your Halloween-themed wedding turns into a senior citizens party

This might not be the most common wedding financial disaster but it is an interesting one nonetheless.

Teanne Harris’ fiance stood her up before they were going to get married.  They had already planned a Halloween-themed wedding for October 31 so Harris tried to get her deposit money back from the reception hall but she was denied the request because it was too close to the date of the event.

Harris was extremely disappointed.  She sat in the reception hall parking lot with her mother and then they noticed the Asbury Court Retirement Community across the street.  An idea was hatched to throw a Halloween party for the senior citizens rather than letting the reception hall go empty on Halloween.

This was a good way of making a wedding financial disaster turn into something positive.

This article was provided by LifeCover – a life insurance quotes website. It was written by Gary Kohler.