Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast #154: Don’t Let Wedding Scammers Ruin Your Day: Essential Tactics to Know
Wedding scammers are out there trying to steal your hard-earned money. How can you safeguard your wedding from scams?
The Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast
Meet Sal and Sam, your hosts for The Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast. Additionally, this podcast is for engaged couples who feel overwhelmed with wedding planning and family expectations but want a memorable and fun wedding day.
Join us in the Stress-free Wedding Planning Facebook group
Sal and Sam are your hosts, two professional DJs with over 80 years of combined wedding expertise and thousands of happy couples. Furthermore, they’ll guide you through planning your wedding. As a result, taking you from concern and being overwhelmed, they’ll take you to a memorable, fun, and stress-free wedding.
Also, listen for engaging interviews from event professionals and insightful topics.
In This Edition
Most importantly, we address common concerns couples face when planning their big day, highlighting the latest tactics wedding scammers employ, red flags to watch for, and essential steps to protect oneself.
Additionally, we’ll explain how to identify too-good-to-be-true deals, the necessity of contracts, recognizing fake reviews, and the importance of consistent research and vendor validation.
Furthermore, we share personal and real-life examples of wedding scammers, emphasizing the emotional and financial toll these can take on couples.
By the end of this edition, you’ll learn the significance of utilizing verified payment methods and wedding insurance, seeking references from other vendors, and considering professional wedding planners to leverage trusted vendor networks.
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Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast #154: Don’t Let Wedding Scammers Ruin Your Day: Essential Tactics to Know
Host: Sal & Sam
Music: “Sam’s Tune” by Rick Anthony
Join our community for free tips and suggestions – Stress-free Wedding Planning Community
Produced by Atmosphere Productions in association with After Hours Events of New England
Transcript
Don’t Let Wedding Scammers Ruin Your Day: Essential Tactics to Know
DJ Sal Fusco: [00:00:00] Today’s edition is one you do not wanna miss. Let me ask you, have you ever wondered if that amazing deal you found online was just a little too amazing? Or maybe you’ve sent the deposit and now you’re not hearing back and you are starting to get a little nervous. Or maybe you’re in the early stages of planning and thinking, how do I know who I can actually trust?
Well, today’s topic is all about safeguarding your wedding from scams. We’re going to walk you through the latest tactics scammers are [00:00:30] using, the red flags to watch for, and what steps to take right now to protect yourself, your money, and your peace of mind. Because planning a wedding should be exciting, not stressful, and definitely not scary.
Thanks for joining us. Hi, I’m Sal from After Hours Events of New England. We’ll answer these questions and explain how not to let wedding scam ruin your day, essential tactics to know, in today’s edition, of the Stress-Free Wedding Planning Podcast.
Sylvester: Welcome to another edition of our [00:01:00] podcast. Hi there, I’m Sam from Atmosphere Productions. Listen now and discover wedding insider secrets for a stress-free, fun and memorable day. Our podcast helps engage couples navigate wedding planning complexities while addressing family expectations. We’ll guide you through the journey of creating the perfect wedding day without unnecessary stress.
By the end of this edition, you’ll get concise tips on budgeting, wedding party management, ceremony, reception planning, [00:01:30] and more. Perfect for anyone planning a wedding all in 30 minutes or less. Trust me, you don’t wanna miss this edition.
JR: Welcome to Stress-free Wedding Planning, the podcast that will transform your wedding planning journey from chaotic to enchanting. Sal and Sam bring over 80 years of combined wedding expertise and exclusive insider information to the table. If you’re recently engaged, feeling the pressure of wedding planning.
Struggling with family expectations, but still dreaming of a joy filled wedding. You’ve come to the right [00:02:00] place. Get ready to unveil the best kept wedding secrets. Discover practical tips and strategies and learn life changing lessons for a Stress-free wedding. Your unforgettable wedding day awaits.
We’re here to take you on a transformative journey of love, laughter, and memories, so don’t miss out on the podcast. That just might change your life. This is the Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast with Sal and Sam.
DJ Sal Fusco: On today’s podcast, we’ll explain how not to let wedding scammers ruin your day. Essential tactics to know. [00:02:30] Hi, I’m Sal from After Hours Events of New England, we’re experts in creating stress-free, unforgettable weddings, bringing energy, professionalism, and a personal touch to every celebration. Let’s make your big day extraordinary. Visit us at After Hours Events Of N.E dot com. Learn more about our experience and journey to help you with stress free wedding planning in the trailer or pilot of this podcast.
Sylvester: And today a topic that every couple needs to hear. How to [00:03:00] safeguard your wedding from scams. Because believe it or not, they’re out there, they’re sneaky and they’re after your money. Whether you’re booking a dj, a venue, or even a photo booth, wedding scams are real and they’re targeting couples who are just trying to plan a dream day.
So, we’re gonna share some red flags, some real stories, and our best advice to protect your investment and your sanity. I’m Sam from the award-Winning Atmosphere [00:03:30] Productions. Wedding entertainment with expert knowledge and the difference in quality. Specializing in live ceremony musicians and cocktail hour string musicians, plus lighting, and an elegant and classy presentation.
We have exactly what you need. Visit us at Atmosphere hyphen Productions dot com. That’s Atmosphere hyphen Productions dot com.
DJ Sal Fusco: In today’s edition, we’ll explain how not to let wedding scammers ruin your [00:04:00] day, essential tactics to know. Alright. Let’s start with the biggest red flag of them all. The number one thing is: too good to be true pricing. If someone offers, for instance, a full day of videography, package for $300 and they say they’re award-winning everything, and I won an award for this. I won an award for that. That is a major red flag. You’ve got to ask yourself, are they just starting out or is something off? We’re not saying new [00:04:30] vendors can’t be legit, but if there is no portfolio, no website and no verifiable reviews, walk away. Major red flag.
Sylvester: Another red flag. Red flag number two is no contract. If they say, ” just send us your money and your day is booked.” You have to be careful. A contract is not a guarantee, but it will get you closer to a professional who’s going to [00:05:00] take care of you and not a scammer. If you see somebody that says they don’t do contracts, it’s a red flag. Go ahead at your peril.
DJ Sal Fusco: Bad or fake reviews. If every reviews five stars and sounds like a robot wrote it, or there’s only one review from six years ago, that is extremely suspicious. Keep in mind when you’re reading these things, does it also sound like a friend of theirs wrote this thing. That happens so [00:05:30] often where DJs will actually open up multiple accounts to send, or even photographers or whomever, will have multiple accounts. So they could actually review themselves multiple times.
So if you see wording that just seems way too similar on how they stated something or if it just looks like it’s AI generated, uh, these are things you wanna watch out for because chances are these are not real and you’re not gonna be able to verify them.
So now you may see some bad reviews and you kind of have to use your own judgment, ’cause I know when I see reviews [00:06:00] and sometimes I see a bad one, and after I’ve seen a bunch of others written, I don’t always give it a lot of merit because it just seems like it was just someone who was bitter.
But you should pay attention to these things ’cause this could be a big red flag that there might be something wrong with this particular vendor. And if you’re seeing multiple bad reviews and many times talking about the same thing, get out of there. Find another vendor. Go with someone you could trust.
Sylvester: Great advice there, Sal. Just as a reminder, join us on our [00:06:30] YouTube channel. Just search for the Stress Free Wedding Planning podcast with Sal and Sam. Like, subscribe and get it first.
Now, there are some scams that have been going on literally since. I’ve been, uh, a DJ. One of them is the word “professional”, and you’ll see this put before DJs, photographers, you’ll see it put before wedding planners. Well, the word “professional” doesn’t really [00:07:00] mean anything if they don’t show up.
One bride hired, quote unquote, “a professional wedding planner” who took her deposit and then ghosted her for two months before the wedding, never to show up on the day. No refund, no help. Just vanished. Please, please, please. Watch out for people using the word “professional”. Although the word “professional” is not a bad thing, a lot of DJs and, uh, photographers use the word “professional”. [00:07:30] Just go carefully when you see that, especially if they have the red flags that we mentioned earlier.
DJ Sal Fusco: So I wish it stopped there, but one scam that we heard about is how someone booked a DJ that they found through a Facebook ad, and then there was no contract. They Venmo them a deposit. And when it came to the day, crickets. No dj, no show, no refund. Heartbreaking.
Gonna tell you about a scam that I was in [00:08:00] and shouldn’t have been, ’cause it wasn’t me. There was actually a company. quote, quote unquote. Professional company out there that were taking pictures of different DJs off the internet, giving them new names passing ’em off as these great DJs. So they were using a lot of my information, but they changed the name. Uh, so they were trying to give some, uh, a good reputation towards themselves. And it turns out what this company was doing was they were taking, uh, deposits and they were not showing [00:08:30] up to the event. Or they would get a DJ to go there and not pay the DJ afterwards. So that scam works both ways, sometimes. It’s not just a couple that’s, uh, losing out, it’s the person who’s performing that could be losing out.
So you need to do a little research. I was fortunate. Someone on my Facebook page had seen this. Told me about it. I researched it, and then I let the person know that, uh, we’re gonna have your website taken down. And it was down in five minutes. They took it out right away. Uh, But this is a [00:09:00] scam you gotta watch out for. And it turns out this guy has done it with multiple names with multiple companies.
So yeah, everyone, these aren’t just stories. These are real people. And the damage isn’t just financial. It’s emotional. You’ve dreamed about this day forever, and one bad apple can really ruin it.
Sylvester: That really is so true. We’ve just explained about red flags and some actual scams to watch out for. In this edition, we’re letting you know wedding scammers that can ruin your wedding day and the [00:09:30] essential tactics that you need to take to stop them.
Coming up. How to protect yourself.
DJ Sal Fusco: But first, if you have a question or concern, go now to Facebook and join us on the Stress Free Wedding Planning Community, and now in the Connecticut Wedding Advice Community. You can also join us on our YouTube channel. Just search for the Stress Free Wedding Planning podcast with Sal and Sam. Like, subscribe, and get it first.
JR: This is the Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast with Sal and Sam. A podcast for engaged couples [00:10:00] concerned about wedding planning and family expectations, but who want a Stress-free, fun and unforgettable wedding.
Sylvester: Now it’s Wedding Tip Wednesday time, but first some advice. If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your wife told you.
DJ Sal Fusco: Life would go much more smoother if you did. On today’s Wedding Tip Wednesday. Hey, wedding party, get out there on the dance floor when it’s dancing time, the newlyweds will thank you because there’s nothing worse than having a party and no one’s dancing!
Sylvester: [00:10:30] It’s so important that the wedding party get out and dance. It really does encourage the other guests to get out there and dance and have fun. So, wedding party, dance, dance, dance! Get out there, don’t be bashful. And that’s another wedding tip from Sal and Sam.
Adam: Wedding Tip Wednesday is available on the Stress-free Wedding Planning Facebook group page every Wednesday. Join the group for free.
Vanessa: Experience the magic of your Special Day with Fitzner Productions, our premier wedding videography company based in Middletown, Connecticut. Fitzner Productions dot com. Our mission is to [00:11:00] capture your love story candidly and authentically creating stunning high quality videos that you can cherish for years to come.
Our founder, Carson Fitzner combines technical expertise with a passion of storytelling. Ensuring every moment from the excitement of getting ready to the heartfelt ceremony is beautifully documented. We offer a range of customizable packages, including drone footage and multi-location shoots tailored to fit your unique vision.
Let us help you relive the romance, laughter, and tears of your wedding day. [00:11:30] Visit Fitzner Productions dot com. That’s F-I-T-Z-N-E-R productions dot com.
JR: This is the Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast with Sal and Sam.
Sylvester: Welcome back to our discussion about how not to let wedding scammers ruin your wedding day. Essential tactics you need to know. I’m Sam from Atmosphere Productions.
DJ Sal Fusco: I am Sal from After Hours Events of New England. We’ve already discussed about red flags and different scam. Now let’s discuss how to protect yourself. So here’s how [00:12:00] you can safeguard your wedding. First step one, do your research, Sam, we’ve talked about this so many times in different segments. You have to do your research. It is very important to find that you have a vendor that has consistent online presence. Has a website, social media, and real testimonials. Step two, use contracts and deposits wisely. Always get a detailed contract and never pay a hundred percent upfront. Most [00:12:30] vendors ask between 25 to 50% as a deposit. If they ask for “everything” right away, that is a red flag.
Sylvester: Step three, pay with protection. Use your credit card. Use platforms like PayPal, uh, Venmo, uh, Zelle. All those have protections for their customers. I will give you another, Protection that you should pay for is wedding insurance. I think that is crucial and it’s real cheap.
[00:13:00] Also, number four, is trust your gut. If you feel those little tinglings inside when they’re talking about all this free stuff that you’re going to get and how your gonna get everything for half price or less than anybody else. Don’t ignore that feeling in your gut. It’s better to ask too many questions than to get burned.
DJ Sal Fusco: Remember all those times you ordered from Temu and you didn’t exactly get what you want? That’s the same feeling you should [00:13:30] get, uh, when you’re feeling that way.
Now let’s talk about tools and resources. There are some great tools out there to help you out, sites like the Knot Weddingwire and a very good resource is Google Reviews. These are reviews that help a website get pushed up and get seen more, so you, they need to be having a lot of positivity for it to work out for that company. And that usually tells you that company is really good at what they do ’cause they’re able to bring in these reviews. Now this is also gonna give you some [00:14:00] great vendor feedback from different people on how they felt about services and specific points of their service. You can also check with one other big thing and every state has it. Is the Better Business Bureau to see if there’s any complaints about that particular company.
But keep in mind now. If you’re looking at a company and they’re not in your state, you’re probably not gonna just have to call the one in your state, but you have to call the Better Business Bureau from the state they are from. ’cause sometimes it doesn’t translate to the state that you live in.
Sylvester: And of [00:14:30] course, don’t forget to ask your vendors for references. I can’t tell you how important that is. We as vendors know each other. We have little communities within our own little community, and we recommend each other. Why? Because I know that Sal is gonna show up to your events and Sal knows that I’m gonna show up to my events.
It’s the same with photographers, videographers, cake people, dress people, we know them. Don’t [00:15:00] be afraid to ask another vendor for a vendor referral. It really is very important. Pros stick together.
If you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, hire a wedding planner that will get you in the door, and they will be able to use their trusted vendors that they use. And then from there you can make your choices. They usually have all the best preferred vendors. So a good wedding planner is a great place to start if you don’t want to do [00:15:30] it by yourself.
DJ Sal Fusco: So there you have it. We just explain how not to let wedding scammers ruin your day. Essential tactics to know. The bottom line scammers are clever, but you can outsmart them with a little extra effort. Protect your peace of mind, your wallet, and of course your big day.
Sylvester: Now as you spend the next week planning your wedding, if you want me, Sal, or our community of Stress-free engaged couples and wedding experts to answer any wedding related questions, then join us in the [00:16:00] Stress-free Wedding Planning Facebook
DJ Sal Fusco: group. Once you’re in, go ahead and share your concerns and worries, and we’ll let you know if you are on the right track or if there are some.
Things you need to work on. The link to join us is in the show notes of this edition, or go to Facebook and search for the stress-free wedding planning community.
Sylvester: Remember to do something nice for someone today, and if you can’t, then do something nice for yourself. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve just heard, leave a review and share it with a friend or someone who would benefit from this information.
Until next time, it’s [00:16:30] TTFN, Tata now.
DJ Sal Fusco: Thank you for listening to this edition. A new edition is released every Wednesday. Subscribe and get it first. We’ll catch you then. Ciao.
Wayne: The Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast is produced and copyrighted by Atmosphere Productions in association with after hours events of New England.
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