Professional Standards & Complaints Policy

MARRYMARK PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS & COMPLAINTS POLICY
Version: 1.2
Effective date: 14 January 2026
Owner: MarryMark Pty Ltd (ACN 689 159 064) (“MarryMark”, “we”, “us”, “our”)

Who this Policy applies to
This Professional Standards & Complaints Policy applies to:

  1. MarryMark Accredited Businesses (5 Star, 6 Star, and 7 Star at Silver and Gold levels);

  2. MarryMark Certified Wedding Professionals (CWP); and

  3. applicants seeking business accreditation or the CWP credential.

This policy sets out how MarryMark receives and manages professional concerns and complaints that may affect scheme integrity, including investigations, interim measures, corrective actions, sanctions, re-verification, and appeals. It is designed to be evidence-based, consistent, and fair, supported by impartiality and conflict-of-interest controls (including the Standards & Integrity Panel).

MarryMark accreditation and credentials indicate standards met at the time of assessment and are not a guarantee of future performance or outcomes. MarryMark is not a party to vendor-client contracts and does not provide legal advice or determine contractual liability.

 1) Purpose

MarryMark exists to raise trust in the wedding industry by identifying, verifying, and elevating businesses and professionals who consistently deliver excellence.

This policy:

  • defines how MarryMark manages professional standards concerns, complaints, investigations, appeals, and re-verification, and
  • ensures decisions are evidence-based, consistent, and procedurally fair, protecting the integrity of MarryMark’s verified, tiered, earned standard.

2) How this policy fits with the MarryMark standards suite

This policy should be read alongside (and is applied to alleged breaches of):

  1. Business Code of Conduct (for accredited business entities and approved trading names)
  2. Certified Wedding Professional Code of Conduct (for Certified Wedding Professionals)
  3. Badge & Claims Usage Rules (business and CWP)
  4. Accreditation & Credential Terms / Good Standing Requirements (including re-verification and audit cooperation)
  5. Privacy Policy (complaints and evidence handling)

Condition of holding status
Compliance with the relevant Code of Conduct is a condition of:

  • holding MarryMark business accreditation (5/6/7 Star Silver/Gold), and/or
  • holding CWP certification.

Document hierarchy
If there is any inconsistency between scheme documents, the order of precedence is:

  1. Accreditation/Credential Terms
  2. this Policy
  3. relevant Code(s) of Conduct
  4. guidelines and supporting materials.

3) Scope

This policy applies to:

  • Accredited Businesses across 5 Star / 6 Star / 7 Star (Silver and Gold)
  • Certified Wedding Professionals (CWP)
  • Applicants and renewal applicants
  • Ambassadors (where conduct relates to the integrity of MarryMark)
  • complaints by clients/couples, other wedding businesses, venues, and members of the public where the issue relates to MarryMark standards or badge/claim integrity.

4) Definitions

  • Accredited Business: A verified business entity and any trading names recorded on the MarryMark accreditation record.
  • CWP: Certified Wedding Professional (individual credential).
  • Good standing: Current, valid status with all required obligations met (including correct badge use and cooperation with verification requirements).
  • Complaint: A written concern alleging a breach of a Code of Conduct, badge rules, or good standing requirements.
  • Professional Concern: A higher-risk issue that may affect client welfare, safety, legality, or trust in MarryMark.
  • Re-verification: A process requiring additional evidence or audit checks to confirm ongoing eligibility and restore/confirm good standing.
  • Breach classification (guidance):
    • Minor non-conformance: isolated, low-harm deviation; typically remediable via corrective action and re-check
    • Major non-conformance: systemic gaps, repeated issues, or conduct undermining reliability and trust
    • Serious breach: dishonesty, fabricated evidence, misleading badge claims, unsafe practice, discrimination, misuse of client funds, repeated misconduct, retaliation, or refusal to cooperate.

PART A — PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS BASELINE

5) Principles MarryMark enforces

Across Business and CWP standards, MarryMark assesses conduct against these foundations:

  • Integrity (truthful, ethical, accountable conduct)
  • Consumer fairness / client-first practice (clear terms, fair dealing, no sharp practice)
  • Professional competence & due care
  • Reliability under pressure (systems that hold when conditions change)
  • Transparency (clear, documented expectations and decisions)
  • Confidentiality & privacy
  • Professional behaviour (respect, inclusion, non-retaliation, public conduct)

6) Tier and credential context

Minimum conduct expectations apply to all. However, for Gold and higher tiers, MarryMark may apply higher expectations around:

  • evidence quality and documentation,
  • systems maturity (capacity controls, contingency planning), and
  • responsiveness to remediation and verification requirements.

This does not create unequal justice, it reflects the leadership expectation of higher tiers.

PART B — COMPLAINTS & PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS

7) What MarryMark can and cannot do

MarryMark can:

  • assess compliance with MarryMark standards, codes, badge rules, and good standing
  • require corrective actions, education, monitoring, audits, and re-verification
  • apply outcomes: warning, probation/monitoring, downgrade, suspension, revocation, non-renewal
  • direct removal/correction of incorrect badge/claims.

MarryMark cannot:

  • act as a court/tribunal or provide legal advice
  • compel refunds/compensation (these remain between parties or external pathways).

Limitations of accreditation

MarryMark accreditation and credentials indicate a business/professional has been verified against MarryMark standards at the time of assessment and is subject to ongoing good-standing requirements. Accreditation is not a guarantee of outcomes and does not replace a couple’s contract with a supplier. MarryMark is not a party to supplier-client contracts and does not provide legal advice or determine contractual liability.

8) Who can lodge a complaint

Complaints may be lodged by:

  • clients/couples (or authorised representatives)
  • venues/suppliers/industry participants (where relevant to standards or badge integrity)
  • members of the public with credible evidence
  • MarryMark (initiated concern) where verified information suggests a standards risk.

9) What issues are covered (aligned to your Codes)

Complaints and concerns may include (examples):

  1. Badge/claim integrity (misuse, exaggeration, “lookalike” badges, implying endorsement beyond scope)
  2. Misrepresentation and marketing integrity (capability, outcomes, testimonials, portfolios, awards)
  3. Contracting and consumer fairness (unclear scope/terms, unfair practices, pressure selling, surprise fees, change control failures)
  4. Financial integrity and client money handling (misdirected funds, misrepresentation of charges/mark-ups, inconsistent refunds/credits against written terms)
  5. Capacity and booking management (overbooking, unreliable resourcing, improper substitutions)
  6. Subcontractor responsibility (competence, disclosure, supervision, confidentiality and conduct)
  7. Operational continuity and contingency planning (time-critical failure without reasonable planning/communication)
  8. Privacy/data security and content permissions (sharing sensitive details, unauthorised publication, mishandling evidence)
  9. Conflicts of interest and undisclosed incentives (referrals/commissions/paid placements not disclosed where relevant to client decisions)
  10. Respect, inclusion, harassment/discrimination, retaliation
  11. Safety and duty of care (unsafe practices; failure to escalate when welfare is at risk)
  12. Verification integrity and audit cooperation (fabricated evidence, refusal to provide reasonable information, obstruction).

10) Resolution first

Where safe and reasonable, MarryMark encourages complainants to attempt resolution directly first.

Exception: Where allegations involve safety, harassment, intimidation, retaliation, dishonesty, badge misuse, or serious misconduct, MarryMark may proceed without requiring direct contact.

PART C — INTAKE, TRIAGE & INVESTIGATIONS

11) How to lodge a complaint

Complaints must be submitted in writing via:

Include:

  • complainant contact details
  • subject business/CWP holder details and service date/category
  • a clear description and timeline
  • supporting evidence (contract, invoices, communications, photos, run sheets, proof of claims, etc.)
  • desired outcome (e.g., corrective action, tier review, badge correction).

Anonymous complaints may be accepted but may limit investigation.

Recommended timeframe: within 12 months of the incident/event (exceptions may apply for serious matters).

12) Vexatious, malicious, or bad-faith complaints

MarryMark treats all complaints seriously. However, we may decline to progress, pause, or restrict engagement with a complaint where we reasonably believe it is vexatious, malicious, frivolous, repetitious without new information, or made in bad faith.

Examples include:

  • allegations that are knowingly false or misleading
  • complaints made primarily to harass, intimidate, retaliate, or gain a competitive advantage
  • repeated complaints about the same matter after it has been assessed and closed, where no new material evidence is provided
  • excessive, abusive, or unreasonable communications that prevent fair handling of the process

Where this clause applies, MarryMark may:

  • request further information or clarification before proceeding
  • set reasonable conditions on communication (for example, one point of contact, written communication only, or reasonable timeframes)
  • close the complaint file without further action
  • restrict future complaints from the complainant to matters supported by new material evidence

MarryMark will record the reasons for applying this clause and, where practicable, notify the complainant. This clause does not prevent a complainant from raising a genuine concern supported by new information, and does not limit any external pathways available to them.

MarryMark may still take integrity action on its own initiative where we identify credible standards or badge integrity issues from other sources, even if a complaint is closed under this clause.

13) Triage levels and breach classification

MarryMark classifies matters by risk and breach type:

A) Triage levels
  • Level 1 (Low): isolated service/communication issue; low trust risk
  • Level 2 (Moderate): repeated issues; contracting transparency concerns; substitutions; conflicts; privacy lapses without serious harm; non-cooperation tendencies
  • Level 3 (High): dishonesty/fabricated evidence; badge misuse; discrimination/harassment; retaliation; misuse of client funds; safety risks; systemic non-compliance; refusal to cooperate.
B) Breach classification
  • Minor non-conformance: low-harm, isolated, correctable
  • Major non-conformance: systemic/repeated or undermines reliability/trust
  • Serious breach: dishonesty, fabricated evidence, misleading badge claims, unsafe practice, discrimination, misuse of client funds, repeated misconduct, retaliation, or refusal to cooperate.

Typical mapping:

  • Level 1 → Minor non-conformance
  • Level 2 → Major non-conformance (or repeated minor)
  • Level 3 → Serious breach (or major with urgent risk)

14) Interim measures (protecting trust while investigating)

Where necessary to protect clients, public trust, or scheme integrity, MarryMark may apply interim measures such as:

  • direction to immediately remove/correct badge claims (especially for misrepresentation)
  • temporary suspension of badge/credential use pending investigation
  • “under review” internal status
  • urgent requests for evidence (insurance, subcontractor agreements, audit trail, etc.)

Interim measures are not a final finding.

15) Investigation process

MarryMark follows a fair process: the subject is informed and given a reasonable opportunity to respond.

Evidence handling
MarryMark may request that parties provide only information reasonably necessary to assess the complaint. MarryMark may redact or de-identify materials before sharing with the Panel to protect third-party privacy, while preserving procedural fairness.

Step 1 — Acknowledgement & scope check

  • We aim to acknowledge within 5 business days (where contact details exist).
  • Confirm whether the complaint is within scope.

Step 2 — Evidence gathering

  • Request relevant documents and clarifications from parties.
  • MarryMark may request “audit trail” records where applicable (change approvals, substitutions, run sheets, communications logs).

Step 3 — Subject response

  • Provide complaint summary + evidence (with privacy protections).
  • Subject responds within 10 business days (extensions may be granted).

Step 4 — Assessment and determination

  • Level 1 may be handled by the Standards Lead.
  • Level 2–3 typically escalated to an Standards & Integrity Panel convened by MarryMark.

Step 5 — Outcome notice

  • We aim to complete a file within 20 business days (complex matters may take longer).
  • Provide reasons at a level appropriate to privacy and scheme integrity.

16) Standards & Integrity Panel governance

For Level 2–3 matters or where tier/credential status is at risk, MarryMark may convene a panel.

Panel composition (recommended minimum):

  • MarryMark Standards Lead (non-commercial decision role)
  • Independent panel member selected from the current year’s Ambassador cohort
  • MarryMark Quality/Operations representative (or senior delegate)
  • If a conflict-free Ambassador panel member is not available within a reasonable timeframe, MarryMark may appoint an external independent reviewer to fulfil the independent panel role.

Independence and conflict rules:

  • panel members sign confidentiality + impartiality declarations
  • panel members must declare conflicts and recuse where conflicts exist (including perceived competition, personal relationships, financial ties, prior disputes, or involvement in the matter)
  • commercial/sales roles do not determine outcomes
  • decisions are recorded with reasons and linked to the relevant Code clause(s).

Confidentiality, privacy, and non-retaliation

  • Complaints are handled discreetly and information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.
  • Parties must not retaliate against complainants, witnesses, staff, subcontractors, venues, or suppliers who raise concerns in good faith.
  • Attempts to intimidate, obstruct, or weaponise the process may be treated as a serious breach.

PART D — OUTCOMES, CORRECTIVE ACTIONS & RE-VERIFICATION

17) Decision factors

MarryMark considers:

  • severity, client impact, and safety risk
  • frequency and pattern behaviour
  • intent (mistake vs deliberate misconduct)
  • cooperation and accountability posture
  • quality and reliability of evidence
  • remediation steps already taken
  • risk to public trust and the MarryMark standard.

18) Outcomes

Possible outcomes include:

A) No breach / no action
  • not substantiated, outside scope, or insufficient evidence.
B) Guidance / education
  • clear expectations and required improvements.

C) Corrective action plan (CAP)

A documented plan with timeframes, evidence requirements, and re-check points. May include:

  • contract/process updates (scope clarity, change control)
  • substitution and capacity controls
  • subcontractor agreements and disclosure practices
  • contingency planning and escalation protocols
  • privacy/security practices and permissions management
  • conflicts disclosure practices
  • review/testimonial/portfolio integrity corrections.
D) Monitoring / probation
  • increased spot checks, additional evidence submissions, restricted badge usage conditions, or defined check-in periods.
E) Tier review / downgrade (business)

Examples:

  • Gold → Silver within same star tier
  • reduction in star tier where reliability or integrity no longer meets the issued level.
F) Suspension
  • temporary loss of badge/credential use (and where applicable, listing status), pending remediation or where serious breach risk exists.
G) Revocation / non-renewal
  • removal of accreditation/credential for serious or repeated breaches or refusal to cooperate.
H) Badge/claims enforcement

For inaccurate badge use/claims, MarryMark may:

  • direct immediate removal/correction of inaccurate MarryMark
  • escalate to suspension/revocation for repeated or deliberate misuse.
I) Status display

Where MarryMark displays accreditation status publicly, it is status-only (e.g., Accredited, Lapsed, Suspended, Revoked, Not currently accredited). MarryMark does not publish complaint allegations, evidence, or findings.

19) Re-verification and restoration to good standing

MarryMark may require re-verification where:

  • a major non-conformance is identified
  • a corrective action plan is completed and must be validated
  • there is a material change (entity, scope, insurance, capacity, key personnel)
  • there is a pattern of complaints, even if individually low severity
  • there is any integrity concern (verification evidence quality, badge misuse, non-cooperation).

Re-verification may include:

  • targeted evidence submission
  • spot checks / audit requests
  • confirmation of updated systems (templates, policies, training, subcontractor agreements)
  • proof of insurance and governance controls
  • confirmation of correct badge usage and public claims alignment.
A status is “good standing” only once re-verification requirements are met.

PART E — APPEALS

20) Appeals (grounds and process)

A business or CWP holder may appeal a status decision where:

  • new, relevant evidence becomes available that materially affects the outcome; or
  • there was a material procedural error.

Appeal window: within 14 days of the decision notice.

Appeals are reviewed by a different decision-maker and may include an independent reviewer where appropriate. Appeal outcomes are final.

PART F — SCHEME ACCOUNTABILITY

21) Complaints about MarryMark

Concerns about MarryMark’s own process, bias, or staff conduct can be lodged via:

Handled by a senior MarryMark representative not involved in the matter, and may be referred to an external independent reviewer where appropriate.

22) Transparency reporting

MarryMark may publish an annual Standards & Integrity Summary (aggregate only, no names), covering complaint volumes, outcome types, and systemic improvements.

23) Recordkeeping

MarryMark maintains confidential records of complaints, evidence, decisions, corrective actions, and re-verification outcomes, retained for integrity, audit, and legal/operational purposes.