Privacy policy | Scott + Story

This Privacy Notice explains how Scott + Story Limited collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information, and sets out your rights under UK data protection law. It should be read alongside our Terms & Conditions. Please read it carefully and keep a copy. If you have any questions, contact Hannah Scott at hannah@scottandstory.com.

1. Who we are

Scott + Story Limited (“Scott + Story”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice. This means we are responsible for deciding how your personal information is held and used.

Company: Scott + Story Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 17251414.
Registered office: Owl Barn, Main Road, Dunsby, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 0UB.
Director: Hannah Scott.
Contact: hannah@scottandstory.com / 07884 915647.
Websites: scottandstory.com / scottandstory.co.uk.

We have completed the ICO's data protection fee self-assessment and are currently assessed as exempt from paying the annual data protection fee. We keep this assessment under review and will register and pay the fee if our processing changes. You can check our status or raise any concern with the ICO at ico.org.uk.

2. The personal information we collect

Depending on how you engage with us, we may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

Identity and contact details — your name(s), the names by which you prefer to be called, intended married name, postal address, email address and telephone number.
Ceremony and event details — the date, time, venue and nature of your ceremony or event; details of your relationship and story; the names, roles and sometimes stories of family members, friends, readers and other people involved; your wishes, readings, rituals, vows and any other content you share with us to prepare your ceremony or speech.
Financial information — the fees payable, payment records and the bank details you use to pay us (we do not store card details).
Correspondence — the content of enquiries, questionnaires, messages, calls and emails between us.
Marketing information — your feedback, testimonials, photographs and any social media handles or wedding website you share, where you have agreed we may use them.
Website and technical data — when you use our website or enquiry form, we (and our website and analytics providers) may collect your IP address, device and browser information, and information about how you use the site, through cookies and similar technologies.

3. Special category (sensitive) information

Because our work is deeply personal, the information you give us to create your ceremony or speech may reveal “special category” data — information that UK data protection law treats as more sensitive. This can include information that reveals your religious or philosophical beliefs, your sexual orientation, your racial or ethnic origin or cultural background, and occasionally health information (for example where it affects the ceremony).

Sometimes you will tell us this directly; sometimes it is revealed indirectly — for example, requesting a same-sex ceremony indicates sexual orientation, and requesting a faith or cultural ritual may indicate belief or ethnicity.

Where we process special category information, we rely on your explicit consent, which you give by choosing to share this information with us so that we can design and deliver your ceremony or speech. You can withdraw that consent at any time by emailing hannah@scottandstory.com, although this may mean we can no longer provide part or all of the Services. We only use this information to prepare and deliver your Services, and we treat it with particular care and confidentiality.

4. How we collect your information

Directly from you — when you enquire, complete our questionnaire or booking form, speak or correspond with us, or provide material for your ceremony or speech.
From people involved in your event — for example a partner, family member, wedding planner or nominated presenter who provides information as part of planning your ceremony.
From third parties, with your consent — for example your venue, photographer or other suppliers, where we contact them to coordinate your ceremony.
Automatically — through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website (see Section 9).

5. How and why we use your information

Under UK data protection law we must have a lawful basis for using your personal information. Our bases are:

Performance of a contract — to respond to your booking, design, write and deliver your ceremony or speech, communicate with you, take payment and manage your booking.
Legitimate interests — to run and improve our business, keep records, seek professional advice, prevent fraud, and (where appropriate and not overridden by your rights) contact past clients about relevant services. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered your rights and you can object at any time.
Legal obligation — to keep financial and tax records and to comply with the law.
Consent — for special category information (Section 3), for using your testimonials, photographs or identifiable details in our marketing, and for certain cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

6. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only where necessary, and only with:

Our service providers — trusted suppliers who help us run the business, such as our banking, accounting and bookkeeping tools, our enquiry and email-marketing system, our website host and our design tools. These providers process your data on our instructions under appropriate agreements, and currently include Monzo (banking), Xero (accounting), Flodesk (enquiry and email marketing), Cloudflare (website hosting and domains) and Canva (design).
Our accountant — who processes our financial records for tax and accounting purposes.
Your suppliers, with your consent — for example your venue, photographer or musicians, to coordinate your ceremony.
A substitute celebrant — if, in exceptional circumstances, we are unable to deliver your ceremony and arrange a qualified replacement to deliver it, we will pass on the information needed to do so.
Training and professional advice — we may share anonymised extracts of scripts for training, development or to seek professional advice.
Authorities — HMRC, law enforcement or other authorities where we are legally required to do so.

7. International transfers

Some of our service providers are based outside the UK (for example in the United States). Where your information is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure it is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as UK adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum, as required by UK data protection law.

8. How long we keep your information

We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it. In general:

Enquiries that do not become bookings — up to 12 months, then deleted.
Booking records and ceremony materials — we keep your ceremony script or speech and planning materials until shortly after your event; electronic ceremony documents are deleted within one month of the event unless you ask us to delete them sooner, or you ask us to keep a copy for you.
Financial and tax records — kept for six years after the relevant tax year, as required by law.
Marketing information and consents — kept until you withdraw consent or object, after which we stop using it (note that materials already published cannot always be recalled).

Paper notes are kept securely at our home office and destroyed by shredding when no longer needed.

9. Cookies and our website

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help it work, to keep it secure and to understand how visitors use it. Non-essential cookies (for example analytics) are only used with your consent, which you can give or withdraw through the cookie banner or your browser settings. If you reach our site through a social media platform or search engine (for example Instagram, Facebook, Google or Bing), those services operate their own privacy and cookie policies, which we recommend you review. [If a separate Cookie Policy is published on the website, link it here.]

10. How we keep your information secure

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including password protection, secured devices and limiting access to those who need it. However, no transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure; while we do our best to protect your data, we cannot guarantee the security of information sent to or from us over the internet.

11. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

Be informed about how we use your data (this notice).
Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a “subject access request”).
Have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
Have your data erased in certain circumstances.
Restrict or object to our processing in certain circumstances.
Data portability — to receive certain data in a reusable format.
Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent.

Where a couple books together, either of you may exercise these rights in relation to your own data; where data relates to both of you, we may ask that a request be made or confirmed by both. To exercise any right, email hannah@scottandstory.com. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.

12. Complaints

We would prefer the chance to put things right, so please contact us first at hannah@scottandstory.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

13. Changes to this notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The version and date at the top show when it was last changed. Where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to bring them to your attention.