Wedding planners are to establish an umbrella body in an effort to regulate the service following allegations in recent weeks that a Cork-based co-ordinator defrauded couples of €250,000.
Allied Irish Banks has initiated legal proceedings against wedding planner Paul Mayfair.
Mr Mayfair is under investigation by gardaí following complaints that he defrauded clients of thousands of euros.
Last month, RTÉ radio's Liveline carried interviews with a number of businesses which claimed they had difficulty in getting paid by the wedding planner.
Karen Dodson, principal co- ordinator of Wexford-based firm Wed in Ireland, said yesterday that wedding planners around the country were upset about by the negative publicity caused by the Mayfair case.
A committee with a code of ethics had been set up, she added, and efforts were under way to form a reputable association for industry professionals.
"It [ wedding planning] is taking an awful battering for an industry based on trust," Ms Dodson said. "It kills me when I hear the various stories that are coming to light in the last couple of weeks. It is so disheartening."
She said they were bringing the association forward far quicker than they thought they would have to do.
"We don't [ as yet] have a body out there to regulate these services and to let people know that there is a stamp of approval."
Wedding planners generally charge for their services using a once-off fee or a percentage of the overall budget.
Couples can pay for the service with a bank transfer or credit card. Ms Dodson said couples who decided to pay by credit card should order a new credit card so they could monitor wedding transactions. They should also demand that no payment be authorised unless there was direct contact with the client.
Ms Dodson, who is one of up to 40 wedding-planners around the State, said her main tip to couples would be to check references before signing up to a service.
There will be more than 23,000 weddings in Ireland in 2006 - the most on record. The average wedding here costs €20,000.