Frequently Asked Questions

Every review goes through our 3-tier document verification process. Couples upload a contract, booking confirmation, or invoice as proof they worked with the vendor.

• Our fuzzy matching algorithm compares uploaded documents against the vendor: 75%+ confidence auto-approves, 40-75% goes to admin review, below 40% is rejected
• Documents are immediately deleted after verification — we never retain your files
• This process ensures every review comes from someone who actually hired that vendor, not competitors or bots

Your identity is protected by design, not just by policy. We built the platform so that identifying a reviewer is technically impossible — even for us.

• SHA-256 hash identification means no user accounts are required
• IP addresses are hashed and salted for spam detection only — never logged or stored in plaintext
• Verification documents are deleted within 24 hours of upload
• It is technically impossible to reverse-engineer reviewer identity from any data in our system
• Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides additional legal protection for your speech

Vendor threats against honest reviewers are not only baseless — they may be illegal. Federal law is on your side.

• The Consumer Review Fairness Act (15 USC § 45b) makes non-disparagement clauses federally unenforceable
• We provide a legal template response you can use if a vendor sends a demand letter
• We publicize frivolous lawsuits — this deters vendors and generates awareness
• Your anonymity on the platform makes litigation against you nearly impossible
• Anti-SLAPP statutes in Georgia, Tennessee, and Colorado allow early dismissal of frivolous defamation suits

No. This is our core differentiator from platforms like WeddingWire and The Knot, where vendors pay $299–$499/month to suppress negative reviews.

• Our platform policy is absolute: reviews cannot be paid to suppress or remove, ever
• Vendors can respond publicly to reviews, but they can never delete them
• The Consumer Review Fairness Act protects your legal right to post honest reviews
• We make money from Certified vendor subscriptions ($299/year), not from review suppression

We're launching market by market to ensure review quality and depth before expanding.

• Currently live: Atlanta metro area
• Coming Q3 2026: Nashville
• Coming Q4 2026: Denver
• We believe in depth over breadth — one market done well is better than ten done poorly

Not yet. We focus on quality over geographic breadth to ensure every market has enough reviews to be genuinely useful.

• New markets launch based on demand and local review density
• Nashville and Denver are next based on wedding market size and community demand
• Want your city added? Let us know at reception@aisleadvisor.wedding

Our search is designed to help you find and evaluate vendors quickly.

• Search by vendor name, category, or neighborhood
• Filter by score ranges: Excellent (85-100), Good (70-84), Caution (50-69), Red Flag (0-49)
• Sort results by best score, worst score, or most reviewed
• Categories include: Photographers, Venues, DJs, Caterers, Florists, Planners, and more

Score colors provide an instant visual indicator of vendor quality across all reviews.

• Green (85-100): Excellent — book with confidence
• Blue (70-84): Good — solid choice with strong track record
• Yellow (50-69): Proceed with caution — read reviews carefully before booking
• Red (0-49): Major red flags — avoid or investigate deeply before considering

Each vendor's overall score is out of 100 points, broken into 5 weighted categories of 20 points each.

• Contract Clarity (20 pts): Were terms clear and fair?
• Communication (20 pts): Were they responsive and professional?
• Delivery vs. Promise (20 pts): Did they deliver what was agreed?
• Crisis Management (20 pts): How did they handle problems?
• Value for Money (20 pts): Was the pricing fair for what you received?
• The overall score is the average across all verified reviews, updated in real-time

Pattern detections use AI to aggregate similar complaints across multiple reviews, revealing systemic vendor issues that individual reviews might miss.

• Example: "8 couples report never receiving final photos after 6+ months"
• Severity levels: Low, Medium, High, and Critical
• Patterns auto-update when new matching reviews are submitted
• This helps distinguish systemic vendor problems from one-off misunderstandings

Our scanner checks your contract against 50+ regex patterns for common problematic clauses found in wedding vendor agreements.

• Non-disparagement clauses (federally illegal under the Consumer Review Fairness Act)
• Unreasonable cancellation penalties
• Vague delivery terms like "reasonable timeframe" with no specifics
• Hidden fee triggers and automatic price escalation clauses
• One-sided indemnification clauses that unfairly shift liability to you
• State-specific illegal provisions based on your location

Yes. The basic regex-based scan is 100% free and covers roughly 80% of common red flags in wedding vendor contracts.

• Free scan catches the most common problematic clauses instantly
• Future: Optional premium deep scan powered by GPT-4 for nuanced clause analysis
• No contract text is ever stored — privacy-first architecture

No. Your contract is processed via OCR, analyzed for red flags, and then immediately deleted. We never retain your contract files.

• Only the red flag results are stored — no personal information, no contract text
• Your contract cannot be subpoenaed or accessed by anyone after scanning
• This privacy-first design means even we cannot retrieve your contract after the scan completes

Our scanner catches the most common problematic patterns, but no automated tool is perfect. We recommend using it as a first-pass red flag detector.

• Every scan result includes a "Did we miss a red flag?" feedback button
• User reports continuously improve our pattern library
• For high-value contracts, we always recommend attorney review as well
• The scanner is an educational tool, not a substitute for legal advice

No. We intentionally designed the platform so no account is required, maximizing your anonymity.

• Reviews are submitted through our verification process without creating a login
• Optionally provide an email for update notifications — your identity stays protected through our relay system
• No tracking, no login history, no stored identity

Verification speed depends on how closely your documents match the vendor listing.

• High confidence match (75%+): Instant auto-approval
• Medium confidence (40-75%): Admin review within 24-48 hours
• Low confidence (below 40%): Auto-rejected with an explanation so you can resubmit
• You will be notified when your review goes live if you provided an email

Yes — we encourage you to review every wedding vendor you worked with. Each vendor requires a separate verification document.

• Reviewing all your vendors helps protect more couples
• Each review builds a more comprehensive vendor profile for future couples
• There is no limit on how many vendors you can review

Yes. Reviews can be edited within 30 days of posting. After 30 days, reviews are locked to prevent vendor pressure from influencing changes.

• Edit history is preserved for transparency
• If your situation changes (e.g., the vendor resolves the issue), you can update your review within the edit window
• After the edit window closes, contact support if a correction is genuinely needed

Yes. Consumer reviews are federally protected speech, and our platform is built on well-established legal foundations.

• The Consumer Review Fairness Act (15 USC § 45b) makes non-disparagement clauses illegal
• Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects platforms hosting user-generated content
• Anti-SLAPP statutes in our launch markets (Georgia, Tennessee, Colorado) protect against frivolous defamation suits
• We consulted consumer protection attorneys in designing the platform

No. We are a privacy-first platform. We do not sell, share, or monetize user data in any way.

• No third-party tracking or ad networks
• Analytics are GDPR-compliant and fully anonymous
• No reviewer identity data exists in our system to sell
• We make money from Certified vendor subscriptions, not from your data

We moderate to maintain review quality and legal compliance, but we never censor honest opinions.

• Removed: Threats, hate speech, proven false statements, spam, and doxxing
• Protected: Honest opinions, documented experiences, and criticism of vendor service
• Disputes are resolved through evidence review by our admin team
• All removal decisions are logged and can be reviewed for transparency

Claiming your profile lets you respond to reviews and manage your business information.

• Verify business ownership via email and business documentation
• Basic profiles are free for all vendors
• You cannot remove reviews (this is platform policy)
• You can respond publicly to all reviews and update your business info, hours, and contact details

Our core mission is protecting couples, and that means reviews stay up regardless of vendor preferences.

• This is our key differentiator from WeddingWire and The Knot
• Reviews are legally protected under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
• You can respond publicly and share your side of the story
• Transparent engagement with reviews builds more trust than suppression ever could

Yes. All verified vendors can respond publicly to any review on their profile.

• Responses appear directly below each review on your profile
• You cannot edit or delete reviews — yours or the reviewer's
• All responses are monitored for threatening or abusive language
• Professional, factual responses demonstrate accountability and build credibility with future clients

We take factual accuracy seriously. If you believe a review contains provably false statements, you can dispute it.

• Submit a dispute with supporting evidence to our admin team
• We review both sides with documentation before making a decision
• Corrections are issued if a review is proven factually false
• Maliciously false reviews are removed — honest opinions are not

The Certified Vendor program is a premium tier for high-quality vendors who have earned trust through consistent performance.

• Requirements: Overall score of 85+, 2+ years in business, zero critical red flags, minimum 5 verified reviews
• Benefits: Priority search placement, extended profile, certification badge, and analytics dashboard
• Cost: $299/year
• This is not a "pay to hide bad reviews" scheme — certification must be earned through quality

Certification is earned through sustained quality, not purchased. You must meet all of these criteria:

• Maintain an overall score of 85+ across all reviews
• Operate for 2+ consecutive years
• Zero critical pattern detections (systemic issues)
• Minimum 5 verified reviews on your profile
• Professional responses to all reviews (no threatening language)
• No unresolved serious complaints

Certified vendors receive premium placement and tools to showcase their quality.

• Priority placement in search results
• Extended profile with additional photos, video, and detailed bio
• Certification badge displayed on your profile and in search results
• Access to a review analytics dashboard
• Early access to new platform features

Certified Vendor status costs $299/year, and is contingent on maintaining quality standards.

• Early adopter program: First 50 vendors get Year 1 free
• You must maintain an 85+ overall score to keep certification
• No refunds for score drops below the threshold
• Renewal is based on your trailing 12-month performance

We take a zero-tolerance approach to vendors who harass or threaten reviewers.

• All vendor responses are monitored for threatening or aggressive language
• Sentiment analysis automatically flags aggressive tone
• We track patterns: vendors who threaten legal action across multiple responses are flagged
• Vendors who harass reviewers lose their response privileges
• We provide legal template responses to couples who face threats

No. Reviews are permanent records of the customer experience. Refunds do not erase what happened.

• You can respond publicly: "We issued a full refund and apologize for the experience"
• This demonstrates accountability and strong crisis management
• Future customers see how you handle problems — this can actually build trust
• Reviews cannot be settled, paid off, or negotiated away

Because our mission is to protect couples, not vendor reputations. Pay-to-suppress models create a conflict of interest that harms consumers.

• WeddingWire and The Knot charge $299–$499/month for review suppression — we reject that model entirely
• We differentiate by being couple-first, not vendor-first
• Quality vendors thrive on our platform because their good reviews speak for themselves
• Long-term, this model benefits good vendors by creating a trustworthy ecosystem

Every review requires document verification, making fake reviews extremely difficult to post.

• Couples must upload a contract, invoice, or booking confirmation
• Our fuzzy matching algorithm verifies the document matches the vendor
• IP address hashing prevents mass submissions from the same source
• Admin review catches medium-confidence matches that automated systems flag
• Pattern detection identifies coordinated review campaigns