Cancellation & Refund Policy

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. This policy is the default refund framework for bookings made through United Vows LLC ("United Vows," "we," "us"); individual contracts may include additional custom conditions both parties agreed to, subject to the limits in "Custom conditions" below.

1. The bands (Booking Protection escrow mode)

Refund eligibility for bookings funded in United Vows Booking Protection mode 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 to 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 unless the vendor failed to perform in whole or in part. Partial-performance refunds in this case are determined through the dispute-review process described below.

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.

Force majeure cancellations

• Declared natural disaster, declared public-health emergency, venue insolvency, immediate family bereavement, military deployment, or similar extraordinary circumstance outside the cancelling party's control: refund determined case-by-case through the dispute-review process, with a presumption favoring proportional refund based on services already rendered. Where reasonably feasible, rescheduling is preferred over cancellation.

2. Direct Release mode (no escrow): refund eligibility

If the vendor's contract specifies Direct Release payment mode, the bands in Section 1 do not apply. Refund eligibility is governed solely by the vendor's published cancellation policy as stated in the underlying vendor-couple contract, and by applicable law. United Vows has no authority to compel refunds in Direct Release mode and provides no escrow-backed refund guarantee.

Statutory consumer protections preserved. Nothing in a vendor's published Direct Release cancellation policy may reduce any non-waivable consumer-protection right under applicable state law (including the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the New York General Business Law §§ 349 and 350, the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and analogous state laws). To the extent a vendor's policy would have that effect, applicable state law controls.

Couples may always invoke the United Vows mediation process for a Direct Release dispute, but binding outcomes are limited to what the underlying contract terms and applicable law allow.

3. How cancellations actually work

1. Either party clicks "Cancel this contract" from the contract detail page in their dashboard and provides a reason.
2. The system calculates the refund per the bands above (or, for Direct Release, defers to the vendor's policy) and writes the decision to the contract's audit log, a permanent record of what was refunded and why.
3. The contract status flips to TERMINATED and the other party is notified by email and in-app notification.
4. We process the refund through Stripe within 3 to 10 business days. Refunds land in the original payment method (typically credit or debit card, or the originating bank account for ACH). Actual receipt timing depends on the destination bank.

4. Dispute-review process

If either party believes the cancellation policy does not fairly reflect what happened (for example, the vendor was unable to fulfill due to circumstances outside their control, the couple's situation involves a documented emergency, or partial performance was rendered), 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, any custom conditions both parties agreed to at signing, and documentary evidence either party provides.

Our determinations resolve the platform's refund and escrow handling and do not adjudicate the underlying contract between the couple and the vendor. The parties remain free to seek other remedies available under their contract or applicable law. Nothing in our determination shall be construed as a binding determination of liability or fact in any subsequent dispute between the parties, and we do not intend by issuing a determination to waive any privilege or settlement protection that may apply.

5. ACH payments: cleared-funds rule, returns, and clawback

Where a couple funds a booking by ACH bank debit, no payment is treated as funded into escrow or released to the vendor until the underlying ACH has cleared and settled. The 48-hour Direct Release anti-fraud hold (where applicable) begins only after settlement.

Clawback for reversed, returned, or unauthorized ACH. If, after United Vows releases funds to the vendor, the underlying ACH payment is returned, reversed (including under the NACHA unauthorized-return claim window applicable for up to sixty (60) days), or otherwise charged back, the released amount becomes immediately repayable to United Vows by the vendor, by clawback against future Platform earnings, by direct repayment, or both. The couple remains responsible for the underlying contractual obligation. An unauthorized-return claim by the couple as to a payment the couple actually authorized constitutes a breach of the contract and of the Terms of Service.

6. Chargebacks

If a couple initiates a chargeback through their card issuer or bank instead of (or in parallel with) the Platform's refund process, the Platform's auto-refund flow is suspended and the matter is handled through Stripe's chargeback process and the relevant card-network rules. Couples are encouraged to use the Platform's refund flow first. The outcome of a chargeback is determined by the card issuer; the outcome of a Platform refund is determined by this policy. Vendors are not subject to chargeback fees imposed on the Platform by Stripe except where the chargeback is upheld in the couple's favor. Chargeback handling and ACH return handling are independent processes that may run in parallel.

7. Vendor Wallet refunds and fee disclosures

The Vendor Wallet operates on a closed-loop, net-credit basis as described in the Terms of Service Section 2 and Platform Addendum Section 3.

• Funding transaction refunds. When you fund the Vendor Wallet, the amount you pay is reduced by the actual payment-processor fees collected on that funding transaction (currently approximately 2.9% plus $0.30 per card transaction, or approximately 0.8% capped at $5 per ACH debit). The remaining net amount is credited to your Wallet. The price for any Platform feature paid from the Wallet is the same regardless of which payment method you use to fund the Wallet; this is a net-of-fee credit model, not a credit-card surcharge.
• Unused balance on account closure. When you close your account, any unused Vendor Wallet balance is refundable to the original funding method (or, where the original method cannot accept a refund, by another agreed method). The payment-processor fees collected at funding are not refundable; the refund returns the net balance only, without any second deduction.
• Electronic-signature charges (per contract sent). Each contract sent for electronic signature is charged to the Vendor Wallet at the per-send price published on our pricing page (currently US $1.00 per contract sent). If the contract is canceled or revoked before any signature is applied, the per-send charge is refunded to the Vendor Wallet within one (1) business day. If the contract is declined by a recipient, the per-send charge is not refunded; this is disclosed at the time of send.
• Automatic reload. Automatic reload of the Vendor Wallet is opt-in, with clear and conspicuous disclosure of trigger threshold, reload amount, and one-click cancellation, in compliance with the FTC Negative Option Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 425) and applicable state auto-renewal laws (including California Business & Professions Code § 17602 and New York General Business Law § 527-a). You may cancel automatic reload at any time from your account settings, effective immediately.
• Tax at consumption. Sales and use tax (where applicable) is assessed at the time of redemption against a taxable Platform service, not at funding.
• No expiration. Vendor Wallet credits do not expire while your account is active. We do not impose dormancy fees on inactive balances.

8. Custom conditions

Custom escrow conditions both parties signed to may modify the defaults in Section 1, for example a venue contract specifying non-refundable amounts beyond the deposit. Custom conditions cannot reduce a couple's statutory consumer protections under applicable state law. Where a custom condition would have that effect, the default policy applies instead.

9. Examples (illustrative)

The examples below are illustrative and use representative numbers. Actual outcomes depend on the specific contract terms, the amounts paid, and any custom conditions or dispute-review determinations applicable to the booking.

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, wedding is 45 days out when the couple cancels.

• Band: 30 to 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.

Example 5. Wedding is held. Vendor delivers 70% of the contracted scope (for example, shoots the ceremony but misses the reception due to vendor circumstances). Couple disputes via the Platform.

• Band: after wedding date passed, vendor partial performance. Refund determined by dispute-review process. Likely outcome (illustrative, not guaranteed): partial refund proportional to non-performance.

10. What is not covered

• Stripe processing fees on the original payment: Stripe may refund the variable percentage portion of its fee on refunded transactions; Stripe's per-transaction fixed fee (currently $0.30) is not refundable by Stripe. We do not control either.
• Custom escrow conditions both parties signed to may modify the bands above, subject to the limits in Section 8.
• Vendor Wallet funding-transaction payment-processor fees are not refundable on Wallet refunds, as described in Section 7.

11. Questions

Email support@unitedvows.com. Cancellation flows live in your dashboard under the contract detail page. See also our Terms of Service.