Planning a Wedding Years in Advance

Q: I am in the middle of hiring people to provide various products and services for my wedding. The problem is that I'm planning my wedding 3 years ahead of time and most of these companies are asking for an immediate security deposit. Is this normal?

A: Yes, it is. Regardless of the date of your wedding, the companies you hire are committing their time on that particular date, and most will require a security deposit to reserve that time slot. This is perfectly normal, however I caution you to be very careful in selecting the companies you decide to hire. Ensure that they're fairly large companies that have been in business for 4 years or more. This will make it less likely that the company you hire will be shut down by the time your wedding date comes along. Also, with the exception of the banquet hall, no other companies should ask for a security deposit of more than 25%. If you keep this in mind when selecting the companies, you should be just fine!