Plans change. We designed the cancellation policy to be predictable and transparent so couples and vendors know exactly what to expect when they need to cancel.
The bands
Refund eligibility is determined by who is cancelling and how close to the wedding date the cancellation occurs.
Couple-initiated cancellations
- More than 90 days before the wedding: 100% refund of all paid amounts. The vendor has time to rebook the date.
- 30–90 days before the wedding: 50% refund of all paid amounts. The vendor has done real prep work and rebooking is harder.
- Less than 30 days before the wedding: the deposit (the first paid milestone) is forfeited. Subsequent paid milestones still refund 100%.
- After the wedding date has passed: 0% refund. Service was rendered or the date has elapsed.
Vendor-initiated cancellations
- Any time before the wedding: 100% refund of all paid amounts. Vendor-initiated cancellations are treated as vendor breach and the couple is made whole.
How cancellations actually work
- Either party clicks “Cancel this contract” from the contract detail page in their dashboard and provides a reason.
- The system calculates the refund per the bands above and writes the decision to the contract's audit log (so there's a permanent record of what was refunded and why).
- The contract status flips to TERMINATED and the other party is notified by email and in-app notification.
- Our team processes the refund through Stripe within 3–5 business days. Refunds land in the original payment method (typically credit/debit card).
Disputes
If either party believes the cancellation policy doesn't fairly reflect what happened — for example, the vendor was unable to fulfill due to circumstances outside their control, or the couple's situation involves a documented emergency — either party may raise a dispute. Disputes pause auto-processing and route to our team for review. We weigh the contract terms, the standard escrow conditions, and any custom conditions both parties agreed to at signing.
Examples
Example 1. Couple paid a $1,000 deposit and a $2,000 progress payment. Wedding is 120 days out. Couple cancels.
- Band: more than 90 days. Refund: 100%.
- Couple receives: $3,000.
- Vendor keeps: $0.
Example 2. Same booking, but the wedding is 45 days out when the couple cancels.
- Band: 30–90 days. Refund: 50% of all paid amounts.
- Couple receives: $1,500.
- Vendor keeps: $1,500.
Example 3. Same booking, wedding is 14 days out, couple cancels.
- Band: less than 30 days. Deposit forfeit; subsequent paid milestones refund 100%.
- Couple receives: $2,000 (the progress payment).
- Vendor keeps: $1,000 (the deposit).
Example 4. Same booking, wedding is 14 days out. Vendor cancels instead.
- Band: vendor breach. Refund: 100%.
- Couple receives: $3,000.
- Vendor keeps: $0.
What is not covered
- Stripe processing fees (typically ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) on the original payment are not separately refunded. They're absorbed by Stripe and not by our platform.
- Custom escrow conditions both parties signed to may modify these defaults — for example, a venue contract might specify non-refundable amounts beyond the deposit. Custom conditions take precedence when they exist.
Questions
Email support@unitedvows.com. Cancellation flows live in your dashboard under the contract detail page. See also our Terms of Service.