A COUPLE from York have set up a new party firm to help others avoid wedding scammers after falling victim themselves - and losing hundreds of pounds.

Ben Fletcher and his partner, Aaron, set up Cotton Candy Party Creations after losing £400 to wedding scammers while planning the “best day of their lives”.

The pair are due to get married in August this year, but they were shocked to discover the company they had been using was a scam.

They hired the company to supply their wedding with various signs, candy carts and more. At first, Aaron said he had a “bad feeling” about the company, but Ben was happy the only company was the only one around for miles that could provide them with what they needed. Overall, the couple were due to spend £1,550 with the organisation.

Ben and Aaron had been paying £100 a month to the company, but then they stumbled across a wedding scammers post online - and “couldn’t believe their eyes” as the company they were using was included.

Ben, who works as a nursing associate at York Hospital, said: “We were broken. We worked so hard just to get scammed. Thankfully, it was only around £400, some people had lost thousands.

“Seeing these brides and grooms hurting was something we wanted to change.”

After their discovery, the couple, who have lived in Copmanthorpe together for two years, started to do some research into wedding party companies in York. They said they found a gap in the market, as there weren’t many companies available offering such services in the city.

York Press: The new company offers a range of party goods

Ben, 30, added: “The situation made us so stressed when we first realised what had happened, but then we decided to turn a negative to a positive as we want to help other people.

“Me and Aaron decided that, alongside our NHS jobs, we want to start an amazing party hire company, which we’ve called Cotton Candy Party Creations.

“We never expected it to work as well as it has, but now we have everything for our own wedding as well, from chair covers to signs and much more. We even have a photo booth and smoke cannons.”

Cotton Candy Party Creations covers York and Yorkshire, as well as offering services in Coventry and the Midlands. The company offers multi-hire discounts - and is UK Bride approved.

Ben and Aaron are due to be married in York in August - with the after party taking place at The Grand Hotel in Scarborough.

They moved to York together after Ben qualified as a nursing associate. Aaron then also joined York Hospital as a healthcare worker.

For further details on their new company, visit: https://bit.ly/3Ij2cN6