How United Vows protects your money
United Vows Booking Protection
Every booking you make on United Vows is backed by deposit protection. When you pay a vendor through United Vows, your money sits in a Stripe-managed escrow account and is only released as the vendor delivers what they promised. No vendor on the platform gets your money up front without earning it.
How it works
You pay your deposit through United Vows
Your card is charged the moment you sign the contract. The funds move into a Stripe escrow account that United Vows manages on your behalf. The vendor cannot withdraw the money.
The money is held until your vendor delivers
Funds are released to the vendor when delivery milestones are met. For most contracts that means after your wedding date plus a short verification window. Some contracts release in stages tied to specific deliverables.
If something goes wrong, you can claim
If your vendor cancels, ghosts, or fails to deliver what the contract specifies, you can file a claim. United Vows pauses the release and works with both parties to resolve it under the terms you both signed.
Refunds follow the contract you signed
Refund eligibility and amounts depend on what's in your specific vendor contract. United Vows enforces the contract literally, both ways. We do not invent terms after the fact, and we do not let vendors invent terms either.
Why this matters
Wedding deposits commonly run $1,000 to $20,000 per vendor. Couples are typically asked to pay these months or even a year before the wedding. If a vendor cancels, disappears, or under-delivers, recovering that deposit through small-claims court is expensive and slow, and the money is often gone before the legal process ends.
United Vows Booking Protection sits in front of that risk. Your deposit never reaches the vendor until they have earned it, and you have a clear, contractual path to recover it if they do not. Vendors who book through United Vows accept this as a condition of being on the platform.
What it does not cover
Booking Protection is not insurance, and we want to be honest about its limits:
- It does not cover events you choose to cancel for reasons outside the contract.
- It does not cover deposits paid to vendors you booked outside the United Vows platform.
- It does not replace travel or wedding insurance for events like illness, weather, or venue closure.
- It does not adjudicate taste-based disagreements. If you signed for a service that was delivered to spec, the deposit is earned even if the result did not match your unspoken expectations.
Common questions
What exactly is Booking Protection?
It is a deposit-escrow system. Money you pay a vendor through United Vows is held by Stripe in an escrow account that United Vows administers. The vendor only receives the funds when delivery milestones are met under the contract you both signed.
When does my vendor actually get paid?
The release schedule is in your contract. The default for most vendors is: balance released after your wedding date plus a short verification window. Some contracts include earlier milestone releases tied to specific deliverables like a venue walk-through or final headcount.
What happens if my vendor cancels?
The funds stay in escrow. You can file a claim from your United Vows dashboard. We freeze the release while we work with both parties on resolution under the contract terms. Refund amounts follow what your specific contract says about vendor-initiated cancellation.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Your refund eligibility depends on what your specific contract says about couple-initiated cancellation. Different vendors and different services have different terms. United Vows enforces the contract literally; we do not invent extra refund rights, and we do not let vendors deny ones that exist in writing.
What if my vendor and I disagree about whether they delivered?
You can file a claim and provide evidence. We pause the release and contact both parties. We do not adjudicate subjective quality disputes; we look at whether the contract was met on its objective terms (date, hours, items delivered, headcount, etc.). For genuinely subjective disagreements, both parties may need to negotiate directly.
Does this cost me anything?
No. Couples never pay anything to use United Vows Booking Protection. The platform makes money from a small commission on vendor bookings, which the vendor pays. Your deposit amount is your deposit amount.
Can I get Booking Protection on a vendor I found outside United Vows?
No. Booking Protection only applies to bookings made and paid through the United Vows platform. If you found a vendor you love, you can invite them to join United Vows and book them through the platform, which gets you both protection and the rest of the United Vows planning tools.
United Vows Booking Protection is part of the broader trust system on the platform. Verified Reviews are tied to completed protected bookings. Vendor Verification confirms the businesses are real. Your privacy and data are handled per our policies.