1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit our website. They help us provide you with a better experience by remembering your preferences, keeping you logged in, and understanding how you use our platform.

2. Types of Cookies We Use

2.1. Essential Cookies (Required)

These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly and cannot be disabled in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions you take, such as logging in or filling out forms.

Authentication cookies: Keep you logged into your account
Security cookies: Protect your account from unauthorized access
Session cookies: Maintain your session state across pages

2.2. Analytics Cookies (Optional)

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. We use this data to improve our platform.

Vercel Analytics: Collects anonymous usage statistics
Performance monitoring: Tracks page load times and errors

2.3. Functional Cookies (Optional)

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization, such as remembering your preferences and providing customized features.

Preference cookies: Remember your settings and choices
Language cookies: Store your language preference
Theme cookies: Remember your display preferences

2.4. Marketing Cookies (Optional)

These cookies track your visit across websites to deliver more relevant advertising. We may share this information with third-party advertising partners.

Attribution cookies: Track referral sources (e.g., UTM parameters)
Retargeting cookies: Show relevant ads on other platforms

3. Third-Party Cookies

We use services from trusted third-party providers that may set cookies on your device:

Stripe: Payment processing and fraud prevention
Vercel: Website hosting and analytics
Upstash: Session management and caching
OpenAI/Anthropic/Google: AI-powered features (no cookies, API-only)

These third parties have their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review them:

4. How to Manage Cookies

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences through:

4.1. Browser Settings

Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can:

Block all cookies
Accept only first-party cookies
Delete cookies after each session
Set exceptions for specific websites

Note: Blocking essential cookies may prevent certain features from working properly.

4.2. Browser-Specific Instructions

5. Cookie Lifespan

Different cookies have different lifespans:

Session cookies: Deleted when you close your browser
Authentication cookies: Expire after 30 days of inactivity
Preference cookies: Persist for up to 1 year
Analytics cookies: Expire after 2 years

6. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals websites you visit that you do not want to be tracked. United Vows respects DNT signals and will not track users who have DNT enabled for non-essential cookies.

7. GDPR & CCPA Compliance

We comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Under these regulations, you have the right to:

Know what cookies we use and why
Access your cookie data
Request deletion of your cookie data
Opt-out of non-essential cookies
Withdraw consent at any time

8. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, or our practices. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last updated" date
Sending an email notification to registered users (for significant changes)
Displaying a prominent notice on our homepage

9. Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

Email: privacy@unitedvows.com
Address: United Vows, Inc., 123 Wedding Way, San Francisco, CA 94102

For more information about how we handle your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.