Why this exists
Most platforms take a vendor's word. We don't.
When you book a vendor abroad, you're trusting a stranger across borders, in a second language, with a significant portion of the budget for one of the most important days of your life.
Most platforms verify that vendor by collecting a few documents: a tax ID, a business license, maybe a screenshot of insurance. The badge gets issued in 48 hours. The vendor was never visited, never observed in their craft, never pressure-tested under realistic conditions.
A Cordelia Verified Passport takes longer because it asks more.
The kind of trust that's earned in person, not on a form.
The audit
Three phases. No shortcuts.
Every vendor on Cordelia clears three audit phases before the Verified Passport is issued. Each phase is conducted by a local Market Manager who lives in the vendor's region, speaks the language, and knows the local market well enough to spot what couples can't.
I
Phase one
Legal and financial.
Before anything else, we verify the vendor is who they say they are.
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Identity verification.
Local tax ID (RFC, CIF, CUIT, etc.) and business license cross-checked against government registries.
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Banking confirmation.
Direct verification of business bank accounts and Stripe Connect onboarding. No personal accounts. No exceptions.
II
Phase two
Performance stress tests.
Documents are easy to fake. How a vendor actually behaves under real conditions is harder to perform.
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Response velocity.
Initial inquiry answered in under 12 hours. Ongoing average under 24 hours to keep the badge.
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The Shadow Audit.
Cordelia contacts three past clients and verifies day-of reliability, contract honoring, and post-event responsiveness. We also check for gringo tax surcharges.
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Crisis protocol.
Every vendor files a documented backup plan for equipment failure, staff illness, and weather contingency.
III
Phase three
Professionalism.
A great vendor for a destination wedding is a great vendor for a destination wedding. Local excellence isn't enough.
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Bilingual proficiency.
At least one point of contact must be able to communicate fluently with international couples. No translation apps mid-planning.
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Technical literacy.
Vendor must be able to manage milestones, sign-offs, and payments through the Cordelia dashboard.
The piece nobody else does
Three past clients. Every time.
Most platforms ask a vendor to submit references. Cordelia calls them.
The Shadow Audit
A Market Manager calls three past clients and asks the questions you would ask if you knew what to ask.
Did the vendor honor the contract? Were there hidden fees on top of the quoted price? Was day-of behavior consistent with pre-booking promises? Did the post-event handoff feel professional? If we wouldn't book this vendor for our own family's wedding, we don't put a Verified Passport on them.
No vendor receives the badge until those three calls are completed and documented in the file. Couples can read the references on the vendor's profile. Anonymized, but real.
After the badge
The Passport is a standard, not a one-time test.
Every Cordelia Verified vendor is re-audited annually. Response velocity is monitored continuously. Every completed wedding generates a structured post-event review. If a vendor's standard slips, the Passport is suspended until the issue is resolved. If the slip is structural, the badge is revoked and the vendor is removed from the platform.
The Verified Passport isn't a credential a vendor earns once. It's a standard a vendor maintains.