Bye Bye Baby - what to do went it all goes wrong

No doubt you were all as shocked as I was when the news came through late last night that Hugh Hefner's wedding to his beloved Crystal Harris following her "change of heart" is off.  Given The Heff's love of other women and his two previous marriages, this wedding had 'Meant To Be' and 'Happily Ever After' written all over it.

Okay, okay, sarcasm aside, it's never nice when a couple splits.  It's especially awkward when they do it in the run up to the wedding.  Whilst The Heff is a millionaire and the lost cost of this wedding is probably a drop in the ocean to him, it simply doesn't work like that for every one else.  If your wedding gets cancelled at the last minute, here are a list of Must - Dos:

1. Contact all the guests.  And do it immediately.  They are more important than any supplier.  Telephone everyone who is coming.  If you can't get them, leave a message or send a text.  Email if you have to.  Just stop them from getting to the church on time!  There's no need to give an explanation now.  People can ring back for the full story later if they want to.
2. Contact your venue and caterer.  These are likely to be the most expensive of all your suppliers so you need to work out how much (if any) of your deposit you're going to get back.  Don't demand your money back; if a genuine tragedy has occurred, suppliers can be more sympathetic than you think.  It's reasonable that they should be covered for any expenses already incurred, but they may surprise you by returning the full amount, even if it's within the agreed time frame for payment.
3. Contact your minister/registrar.  If you were planning to get married in a religious ceremony, your minister may wish to offer you counselling.  It is up to you to decide if you wish to take up the offer.
4. Contact all other suppliers.
5. Contact your partner.  If you've split up, you will need to sort out important details such as division of property, payment for losses incurred through the wedding, returning rings etc.  If you're still together, you should talk to each other.  Cancelling a wedding can be as big a deal as going through with it.  You are going to need each other right now.

If you took out wedding insurance, you must check your policy carefully to see what is covered.  Cancelling through a simple "change of heart" may not be covered.