Hi there,
I just came across this idea and thought I would share with everyone.
The Better Business Bureau is a good resource for checking out vendors to see if any complaints have been filed against them, before you hire them.
Also, if you have a valid complaint against a vendor who has failed to deliver on their contract, you can file a complaint online and the BBB will try to resolve it for you. I don't think they have any legal authority, they are just a consumer advocate. But it is to a vendor's advantage to resolve disputes or else they show up in the list with a complaint (or several complaints) against their business.
Some vendors are even BBB Acredited which means they meet certain customer service standards and there is a Reliability Report on their business.
Their website is www.bbb.org/
If you click on Check out a Business or Charity, you can search for a particular business by name, or view all the different business listed under a certain type. I typed in "Wedding" under Type and put in my zip code and it came up with all the different types of wedding vendors they list, ie bridal shops, photographers, consultants, etc.
Anyway I hope this is helpful and provides some recourse for people who feel they have been swindled by any vendors.