Wedding Planning WARNING

In my years of working weddings in Las Vegas I have worked with great vendors and vendors who should have never started business.... At one point I worked with Griffin Events and it pains me to see what the couples went through there. I was providing floral services for their weddings when they closed their company. I was told 4 days before the company officially closed and many couples found out their weddings were canceled by watching the news....

Planning a wedding is already stressful enough, can you imagine being told a month before your wedding that your wedding is canceled and your not getting your money back????

Here is my advice when it come to weddings..... no not advice... RULES!!!!!

1) If you plan on spending more than $5,000 buy wedding insurance. It ranges anywhere from $50-$500 and is more than worth it. It covers weather changes and much MUCH more!
2) when looking for vendors get PERSONAL recommendations. Don't just go to a bridal show and hire a DJ cause he had a nice booth.... he might be awful the day of.
3) Contracts..... Read them CAREFULLY.... Venues will have you sign a contract. if ANYTHING sends up a red flag, dont sign it. take it to a lawyer or talk to the venue director. Most places will change things in the contract if you ask.
4)If you are making advance payments, (anything that is more than a month before your event date) pay with a debit or credit card. If your vendor skips out you can go to the cc company and your bank to dispute charges. Paying cash is fine with in a month of your wedding. but MAKE SURE YOU GET A RECEIPT!!!
5) Always have a plan B. This mostly applies to your venue. If you are planning on an outdoor wedding, make sure you have an indoor backup.

Watch this video about the closure at Griffin Events (Venue closes, leaves brides in cold). This is not the first venue in Vegas to do this and the way they went about it was low and cowardly. Not only wee the couples severely hurt in this closing but us as vendors as well. At the time they were 70% of my business. I had contracts with them through 2014 and now I am out all that business.

Being prepared will only make your wedding day that much easier and more enjoyable!

Happy Planning!!!