This post should not be considered legal advice. It is for educational purposes only.
Wedding season extends to year-round these days. If you’re a wedding planner or own a wedding planning business, you’re going to want to dive into this post! Today I’m sharing three things to include in a wedding planner contract.
I have extensive experience drafting client contracts for all types of creative entrepreneurs and small business owners. One industry that I tend to get a lot of incoming contract drafting requests from is the wedding planner and event planner industry. Whether you’re just starting out or you run a large-scale wedding planning business, having a client contract on hand should be an essential part of your business.
It’s extremely important for every wedding planer to require every client to enter into a legally binding wedding planner client contract. Wedding planner contracts help protect both the wedding planner and the client. Keep reading for a round-up of items that you should include in a wedding planner client contract.
If you need help drafting your client contract or wedding planner contract template, email me [email protected]. I’d love to help!
3 Things to Include in a Wedding Planner Contract
There are, of course, other items that should be included in a wedding planner contract. Today, I’m touching on three of the most important. To see a full list of what should be included in a wedding planner contract, including but not limited to termination clauses, dispute resolution language, and limitation of liability clauses, check out my Wedding Planner Contract Template. This is available for immediate purchase and download.
1. Scope of Services
One of the most important things to include in your wedding planner contract is what services you will be providing as the wedding planner. Including services leading up to the wedding date and day-of services. Having a thorough contract ensures that the wedding planner and the couple are on the same page when it comes to exactly what services the wedding planner will be providing and when.
It’s important to include details regarding what tasks the planner is responsible for leading up to the day of the wedding. This might include coordinating vendors like the florist, caterers, and the band.
It’s important to include detailed information on what services you’ll be providing prior to the wedding day. Also, it’s important to include what your role will be on the day of the wedding. For example, if you will be the day of coordinator, that should be noted in the contract. Although all of the details for the wedding day may not be worked out when signing the initial contract, generalities should be included. Then, when the wedding day is approaching, you should provide the couple with a more detailed document indicating exactly what you’ll be responsible for on the day of the wedding.
2. Fees & Payment Schedule
Along with providing details on what services you as the wedding planner will be providing, all payment terms regarding what the couple owes you for the services and the due dates for those payments should be included in the wedding planner contract. Depending on the type of services being provided, I typically recommend creating a payment schedule. This is to ensure payments are made throughout the planning process. Ideally, all payments should be made prior to the wedding day.
The exact amounts owed will most likely not be known at the time of signing of the initial contract. However, you should be able to provide the couple with an estimate based on prior consulting sessions. So that both you, as the wedding planner, and the couple are on the same page regarding payment from the outset of the working relationship.
3. Vendor Relations
It’s important that the couple know, up front, what vendors the wedding planner will be responsible for coordinating and hiring for the wedding day events. And what vendors the couple should seek out and hire on their own. This is particularly important to include in the contract so that it’s clear to the couple what vendors you are NOT responsible for coordinating and hiring. And that the couple has time to research and hire those vendors on their own.
In addition to including what vendors you’re responsible for coordinating, it’s important to also include how those vendors will be paid. Will the vendor fees be included in your fee or paid separately by the couple directly to the vendor? Including all of these details helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page right from the beginning.
Bonus: Always Include a Force Majeure Clause
Force Majeure clauses are generally found in most contracts. But they are of particular importance in any event planning client contracts. Force Majeure clauses help to ensure both parties are legally protected in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Such as natural disasters, Acts of God, or government mandated shutdowns. Read more about the importance of Force Majeure clauses here: What is a Force Majeure Clause?
Have a specific question about wedding planner contracts? Send me an email at [email protected]. And check out my carefully curated and easy to customize Wedding Planner Contract Template here!
