Wedding company insolvency

On the programme on Monday 5th January 2026, solicitor Gary Rycroft gave some tips and advice about how to investigate whether any company could be in financial trouble.

Gary says:

• Directors of companies have a legal duty to publish their accounts on an annual basis and those accounts are on public record on the Companies House website. So you can for instance look to see what level of debt the company has, and whether it looks like it has the ability to trade or have assets to pay off debts.

• The Gazette, also known as The London Gazette, is the newspaper of record where organisations like HMRC and the Insolvency Service publish information about individuals and companies. For example, this may reveal an outstanding ‘winding up’ petition issued by HMRC for unpaid tax bills, which would be an indicator of financial trouble.

• You can also contact the Insolvency Service directly if you are concerned about the conduct of a business.

Gary also had some advice on what to look out for when buying wedding insurance.

• Check the insolvency clause in the terms of conditions of the insurance – sometimes wedding insurance policies have a clause that says it won’t pay out in the event a business goes bust. They may also require you to make checks on a business in advance.

• Always pay using a traceable method, like a credit or debit card, so you've got evidence if you're making a claim.

• Get a written contract from the business so you can demonstrate what a business was supposed to deliver in the event of a dispute.