Look like the business you are.

Each habit below is tied to something a processor itself says it looks at. None of them is a guarantee, because none of them changes what you sell. Together they move you from "unknown future-delivery merchant" to "documented, predictable, low-dispute service business," which is the account a risk team leaves alone.

1. Tell the processor what you actually do

When you sign up, the business description and category you pick set the model's expectations. "Photography" with no mention of weddings makes a $4,000 charge look anomalous. "Wedding photography and videography; deposits at booking, balance 30 days before the event, delivery 8 to 12 weeks after" tells the model that a large charge followed by months of silence is normal for you. Stripe lists "an increased risk of not fulfilling customer orders" and "longer-than-average delivery windows" as reserve triggers;¹ the mitigation is to make the delivery window visible and expected from day one. If your account is already open, update the description in your dashboard and, if a review arrives, say it again in the reply.

2. Fix your statement descriptor

The descriptor is the text on the couple's card statement. If it says a holding-company name or your personal name, the couple's first move is a call to their bank, which is how an honest charge becomes a fraud dispute. Stripe: "Using clear and accurate statement descriptors can reduce chargebacks and disputes," and it recommends the business name or website domain, 5 to 22 characters.² Whop lists "a recognizable billing descriptor" among its dispute-rate recommendations.³ Use the name on your contract and your website. Then tell the couple at booking what the charge will say.

3. Put the policies in front of the signature

A refund or cancellation clause buried on page four of a PDF is weak evidence. Stripe says there "must be reasonable evidence that you presented your customer with a full copy of your policies prior to their purchase," and in a dispute asks for a screenshot of how the terms were presented, not the policy text alone.⁴ Put the deposit, cancellation and delivery terms in a short summary box directly above the signature line and have the couple initial it. On Lazo the agreement is signed in the thread, so the acceptance timestamp sits next to the clause. See Contract language for what the clauses should say.

4. Name the delivery date in writing

"Not received" is the most common service dispute, and the only answer is a dated promise and dated proof. Put the wedding date and the delivery window in the contract, send a message when the gallery or film is delivered, and keep the delivery notification. Stripe's prevention guidance for this category is to "clearly communicate shipping times prior to checkout" and to tell customers about delays with a refund option;⁴ for a studio that means telling the couple in week six if week eight is going to slip.

5. Keep one account per business

Stripe: "Avoid using the same Stripe account for separate businesses."⁴ Running your wedding work and a side product or a second brand through one account mixes two risk profiles; a dispute on one is a dispute on both, and a review of one freezes both. The same logic applies to lending your account to a friend's business, which processors treat as a terms violation.

6. Separate the bank account

Processors can debit your linked bank account to recover a negative balance after chargebacks or refunds, and Whop's terms spell out the right to "withhold, withdraw, or debit funds from your account."⁵ Link a dedicated business account that you sweep regularly, not the account that pays your rent. If a freeze or a debit lands, your operating cash is elsewhere.

7. Take balances by bank transfer

Card payments can be disputed for 120 days after the wedding. Bank payments cannot be charged back the same way. Many studios take the deposit by card, because couples expect to, and the balance by ACH or bank transfer, which also costs less (Whop charges 1.5% capped at $5 for ACH versus 2.7% + 30¢ for cards⁶). Offer a small incentive for the bank option if you like; at a $6,000 balance the card fee alone is around $160.

8. Do not surprise the model with volume

"Sharp, unexplained jumps in volume" are a reserve trigger at Stripe,¹ and "sudden shifts in sales patterns" at Whop.⁷ Wedding businesses are seasonal, so some of this is unavoidable, but you can soften it: open the account and run small charges before engagement season rather than taking your first six deposits in one week; if you are about to take a very large payment (a venue buyout, a destination package), email support beforehand with the contract attached. Processors can note an expected charge on the account.

9. Answer retrievals and inquiries the same day

A retrieval request or an "inquiry" is the bank asking before it charges back. Whop asks sellers to respond to Resolution Center cases within seven days;³ faster is better. Send the contract, the receipt and a two-line explanation the day it arrives. Many never become disputes.

10. Refund fast when you should

When a couple is entitled to money back under your contract, refund it yourself before the bank does it for you. A refund costs you the money. A chargeback costs the money, the fee, and a mark on your ratio that stays for months. Whop's guidance opens with "refund promptly",³ and Stripe notes that a large share of early fraud warnings become disputes when the charge is not refunded.⁸

11. Deliver a receipt and a reminder before every charge

Most "I don't recognise this charge" disputes on a scheduled balance come from a couple who forgot the date. Send a reminder a week before any automatic charge with the amount, the descriptor and a link to the agreement, and a receipt the moment it clears. Lazo invoices do this by default; if you use another tool, turn it on.

12. Keep the file for six months after the wedding

The dispute window runs from the event date.⁸ Keep the signed contract, the questionnaire, the message thread, the invoices and the delivery confirmation together, and keep them for at least six months after the wedding. If you leave a platform, export first.