Jul 11, 2026
Hiring the best vendors that suit your vision is one of the most important parts of planning a wedding. Once you’ve got everything lined up, you can finally relax and enjoy the excitement of your big day, barring any bumps in the walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, if you do face a bump related to vendors, it could set you back financially.
Let’s say Mandy is getting married in two months. She has everything lined up except for one significant issue — the DJ she hired months ago isn’t responding to her emails, and his website appears to be down too.
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Mandy hired this DJ on recommendation from another vendor and submitted a $900 deposit. The DJ asked her to reach out a few months before the wedding to discuss any specific songs she wanted played and when, and just to make sure the logistics of the day were in order.
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Unfortunately when Mandy reached out to do just that, she was met with crickets in her inbox. She tried to reach out via the DJ’s social media, to no avail, and even noticed his website was no longer up and running.
Now, Mandy has a fast-approaching wedding with no DJ, and is out $900. She’s stressed about hiring someone new without the budget she set aside for it. Is there anything she can do to remedy this situation and not have it looming over her big day?
Making a claim to get the deposit back
Before anything else, Mandy should take a look at the agreement she signed with the DJ when she made the deposit to look for any important details regarding the overall arrangement. Are there any other breaches of contract?
Most vendors will take a non-refundable deposit when you book them to secure a spot in their schedule for their services, but given that Mandy hasn’t heard from the DJ, the services are null.
While she may not be able to get the money back immediately, Mandy could consider taking this issue to small claims court to get the money back for the services she did not receive.
If she wants to go this route and attempt to get her $900 back, Mandy will need to start by filling out a court form providing some information about herself and the DJ and explaining the situation. From there, she will need to file the form via mail, in person at her local court clerk’s office or online. Only some states offer the option to submit claims online, so if you’re in this position you can look at your specific state’s National Center for State Courts directory.
The cost to file a small claim varies by state and by the amount you’re seeking in your case. For example, in New York State, it costs $15 to file a claim up to $1000, and $20 for claims between $1000 and $5000. When the claim is filed, the other person will be notified and a trial will be set to determine the outcome of the case.
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Contingency planning
Another thing that could help Mandy in this frustrating situation is having a contingency plan for the wedding budget. Of course, this is something that you’d need to plan ahead for if you’re getting married, but it’s worth it if it can save you in a tough spot like this.
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Wedding planner Karina Lemke told The Financial Post she recommends keeping $500 to $1,000 aside for every $10,000 of your wedding budget to plan for contingencies.
“So a $50K starting budget should have $2,500 to $5,000 in reserve as a contingency,” she said.
If Mandy didn’t already have this back up money saved, it might take a communal effort to find an affordable DJ on short notice. She could also look into DIY-ing a playlist and renting or borrowing a sound system.
However, if she feels confident in her small claims case, she may hire someone new, keeping in mind that she could get her deposit back eventually.
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Em Norton is a Content Specialist at moneywise.com. They have been with the company since 2022.
