PWA Europe Weddings Booking Conditions

Booking Terms & Conditions

The below booking terms and conditions apply to couples booking a Perfect Weddings Abroad wedding package.

BOOKING CONDITIONS:

Your contract is with Perfect Weddings Abroad (PWA), a trading division of Hays Travel Ltd, 25 Vine Place, Sunderland, SR1 3NA, Company Reg No. 1990682, and is a registered member of ABTA (ABTA No.P4688/Y6266). Perfect Weddings Abroad has a single-element bond to supply overseas wedding arrangements.

1. YOUR CONTRACT:

When you (bride or groom) make a booking with PWA, you guarantee that you have the authority to accept, and do accept on behalf of your party, the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as you submit an Online Wedding Request Form via our website, or pay your non-refundable deposit (whichever happens first). When you submit an Online Wedding Request Form via our website you must ensure that you complete the form as fully as possible (including specific venue names), as this is the basis of the request that PWA will send overseas. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.

2. YOUR FINANCIAL PROTECTION:
PWA is a Member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), membership number P4688; and provides financial security in the form of a bond held by ABTA. PWA is obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. PWA can also offer you an arbitration scheme for the resolution of disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract. Further information on the Code and arbitration can be found on ABTA’s website www.abta.com. The arbitration scheme is arranged by ABTA and administered independently by IDRS, part of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. It provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on you in respect of costs. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website. The scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person. There is also a limit of £25,000 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences. The scheme can however deal with compensation claims which include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a limit of £1,000 on the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element. The application for arbitration and Statement of Claim must be received by IDRS within nine months of the date of return from the holiday. Outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if the company agrees but the ABTA Code does not require such agreement. For injury and illness claims, you may like to use the ABTA/Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Mediation Procedure. This is a voluntary scheme and requires us to agree for mediation to go ahead. The aim is to help you resolve your dispute in a quick and cost effective way. Details on request or from www.abta.com

3. YOUR PRICE AND PAYMENT TERMS­­­:

(a) Due to the potential for price fluctuations with our in-destination suppliers, PWA reserves the right to change the price of any of its wedding packages at any time and without notice prior to the signing of your wedding contract, regardless of what is shown in a brochure or website. You will be advised of the current price of the wedding package that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed.

(b) When you make your booking you must pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your wedding arrangements. Unless advised otherwise at the time of booking, the minimum deposit amounts required and subsequent payment schedules are as follows:

For Weddings Booked Outside of 12 Months:

30% non-refundable deposit on day of booking

Remaining balance is due no later than 14 weeks prior to confirmed Wedding Date

For Weddings Booked Inside of 14 Weeks:

Full Payment, plus $100 late fee, is due upon confirmation of wedding date and is non-refundable.

All deposits are non-refundable and, in the case of cancellation, all deposits paid up until that point will be lost. Deposits are required to form the essential contract with the overseas wedding suppliers and to cover the services provided by PWA in the UK. In no circumstances, other than for force majeure will deposits be returned. Disruptions or changes caused by Coronavirus are not included within our force majeure policy. Please see section 7 for the Coronavirus amendment policy.

For weddings booked outside of 12 months, the Balance of the price of your PWA wedding package must be paid at least 14 weeks before your wedding date. If the Balance is not paid in time (7 days after it was due), PWA shall automatically cancel your wedding arrangements and PWA shall retain all deposits paid to date. Deposits are retained, without exception, to offset the costs PWA must pay out to its Overseas In-Resort Wedding Coordinators, Hotel/Wedding Venues and Weddings Abroad Specialists for cancellation fees and loss of earnings.

(c) PWA’s wedding packages are available to residents of the USA and Canada exclusively through our partner DestinationWeddings.com (DWT) and require travel arrangements (hotel accommodations at minimum) for the wedding couple and guests to be booked via DWT. Any wedding package reservation without at least 5 associated hotel room reservations made through DWT, will incur a $500 surcharge. If you find lower room rates for a hotel offered by DWT from a different travel seller, DWT will either match the room rates or waive the surcharge to allow you to book with the other travel seller.

4. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR BOOKING:
If, after you submit an Online Wedding Request Form via our website, or pay your deposit over the telephone to us (whichever happens first), you wish to change your wedding arrangements in any way, for example due to change of departure date, PWA will do its utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing, by email to info@perfectweddingsabroad.co.uk from the person who made the booking. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of $200 per couple, and any further cost PWA incurs in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Note: Certain wedding arrangements (e.g. venue) or changes of name of the bride or groom, or changes in marital status, may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements and subsequent rebooking of arrangements.

5. IF YOU CANCEL YOUR BOOKING:
You (bride or groom), may cancel your wedding arrangements at any time, however, since PWA incurs costs in cancelling your wedding arrangements, you will have to pay applicable cancellation charges as follows: 

Note: If you have purchased wedding insurance and the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

In order to cancel your wedding, written notification from the person who made the booking must be sent by email to info@perfectweddingsabroad.co.uk.

6. IF PWA CHANGES OR CANCELS YOUR WEDDING:
It is unlikely that PWA will have to make any changes to your wedding arrangements, but PWA does plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, PWA may have to make changes to your wedding arrangements and reserves the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and PWA will advise you at the earliest possible date (minor changes include a wedding date change of up to 24 hours either side of the original confirmed date, change of wedding ceremony location and/or reception location within the same hotel/venue that you have booked). Sometimes wedding dates may even have to be changed whilst you are in resort, due to inclement weather or other factors; and PWA may need to move your wedding to an alternative venue, such as an indoor location, or rearrange the date for the wedding to take place.

If PWA must make a major change to your wedding, for example moving your wedding to an alternate venue, PWA will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative wedding arrangements of comparable standard from PWA if available (PWA will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or canceling your wedding and receiving a full refund of all monies paid.

PWA also reserves the right to cancel your wedding arrangements. For example, if the minimum number of clients required for a particular venue is not reached, or your party numbers exceed the venue capacity, PWA may have to cancel it. PWA cannot be held responsible for any costs incurred beyond the Perfect Weddings Abroad wedding package that you have booked with us. However, PWA will not cancel your wedding arrangements less than 10 weeks before your wedding date, except for reasons relating to Coronavirus, force majeure or the failure by you to pay the final balance.

7. FORCE MAJEURE.

PWA shall not be responsible if your wedding is changed, canceled or impacted in any way due to causes beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation acts of God, shortages of materials, transportation delays, fires, floods, diseases, labor disturbances, riots, or wars. If PWA is unable to provide the booked wedding arrangements due to force majeure you can either have a refund of the monies paid towards your wedding package or accept an offer of alternative wedding arrangements.

8. CORONAVIRUS AMENDMENT POLICY:
Coronavirus is not considered a force majeure event. If your wedding is unable to go ahead within 56 days of your confirmed wedding date, due to Coronavirus, you will be offered a free amendment to a new date at the same venue. If you wish to change venue this may incur charges. Should you wish to cancel your wedding due to Coronavirus, normal booking/cancellations conditions apply.

If PWA is unable to provide the booked wedding arrangements due to Coronavirus you will be offered an alternative wedding arrangement. Any cancellation by you due to Coronavirus will be treated like any other cancellation and cancellation terms will apply, for example the loss of deposit and/or further charges depending on the departure date.

9. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT:

If you have a problem during your wedding, please inform your in-resort wedding coordinator immediately who will endeavor to make things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally while in destination, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Customer Services Department at info@perfectweddingsabroad.co.uk, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier of the services in question as well as to our Wedding Coordinator without delay and complete a report form whilst in resort. If you fail to follow this simple procedure PWA will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights under this contract.

10. PWA’S RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY

PWA accepts responsibility solely for the overseas wedding arrangements that it books as part of our Perfect Weddings Abroad Wedding Packages, or additional “Wedding Extras”, paid for in advance of your departure, and as stated on your final Perfect Weddings Abroad invoice. PWA does not accept responsibility for any arrangements that you may purchase directly with overseas suppliers (e.g. additional wedding extras) where you pay the supplier directly in local currency (e.g. Euros).

PWA will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the overseas wedding arrangements that it books on your behalf are successfully provided per the contract PWA has with you. If issues arise that result in the contracted arrangements not being performed or being performed improperly, or which result in you suffering an injury or other material loss, PWA will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances.

PWA’s liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of twice the cost of your Perfect Weddings Abroad wedding package that you have booked with us. However, PWA will not be liable where any failure in the performance of the contract is due to you; or a third party unconnected with the provision of the wedding arrangements and where the failure is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or an event which PWA or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall.

11. SYMBOLIC WEDDING CEREMONIES:
Unless otherwise discussed and noted in your contract with PWA, your wedding ceremony is symbolic and carries no legal value. Legal ceremonies can be requested for an additional fee and will require relevant documentation in order to be performed abroad. For more information on legal ceremonies, please consult with your wedding specialist or visit /booking-conditions.

12. PASSPORT, VISA AND IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS:
Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. PWA does not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel or get married because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.

13. ADDITIONAL SERVICES IN RESORT AND WEDDING EXTRAS:
Additional services (e.g. wedding reception venues, hairdressing) or wedding extras (e.g. DVD’s, flowers, transport) that you may choose to book or pay for in local currency whilst you are on holiday are not part of wedding arrangements provided by us. For additional services or wedding extras that you book, your contract will be with the operator or supplier of the additional service or wedding extras and not with us. PWA is not responsible for the provision of the additional service or wedding extras or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator or supplier.