It’s wedding planning season! Lots of calls are being made, meetings attended, and emails sent. You may feel a bit overwhelmed by the contracts and paperwork involved and be tempted to just sign on the bottom line.

DON’T DO IT!

Read Your Contract

It is crucial that you take time to read and understand every contract offered by a vendor. Contracts are in place to protect both your interests and those of your vendors. Always read through vendor contracts to assure all the important details are laid out. Take the time to find any typos, dates, or times that may be incorrect.

Package Details

Make sure all components from your chosen service package are itemized within the contract. Just because it’s listed on a vendor’s website today doesn’t mean they’ll honor it a year down the road. If anything has been mentioned in-person, make sure it is included in the contract.

Payment Plans

This segment should outline when each payment is due, acceptable payment methods, and penalties for late payment.

Postponement/ Cancellation Fees

Though it’s human nature to want to ignore this part, it’s very important that you read it. Typically, vendors provide a timeline of sorts, offering a percentage of refund you’re entitled to based on the number of days until your scheduled wedding date. What do they keep? What amount, if any, do you get back?

Postponing your wedding due to an unforeseen circumstance— say… like… a pandemic? Are there fees involved? What is the process in place for that?

Deliverables

In the case of your photographer or videographer, you’ll be expecting completed products after your wedding day. Look for this information in your contract— estimated date of completion/ delivery, format of delivery (digital, print, USB, online gallery, etc.), deadlines for albums or wall art selection.

Wedding Day Service Provider

Find out (and get in writing) who will actually be providing your wedding day service. Often times, vendors have an event coordinator that you meet with during the planning stages, and that person is not always the one who performs the service or provides the goods on your wedding day. It’s especially important to meet with your actual wedding day service provider in the case of your photographer, wedding planner, videographer, dj, hair/ make-up artist(s), and officiant. These vendors spend a large part of the day with you, and your personalities need to mesh to assure the day runs smoothly.

Hidden Costs & Fees

Look for words like “taxes,” “fees,” and “gratuities.” These are very vague, but could end up costing quite a bit. Ask your vendor to include the final fee with taxes included. Some vendors include a “gratuity”— a kind of built-in tip. If this is listed as a percentage, ask for the exact dollar amount. Set-up, tear-down, and late fees are also common. Get exact amounts in writing and work with your wedding planner to assure you won’t be responsible for penalty fees.

Vendor Meals & Accommodations

It is customary to feed your vendors that spend the duration of the day with you. Vendors that just drop stuff off— florists, decorators, cake/ dessert makers— typically don’t stick around to eat. Many vendors include this stipulation in their contracts. Make sure to count them in your meals and assign them a vendor table.

Other accommodations— hotel, travel, airfare— may be included, though most commonly for destination weddings. Get those specific rates (or at bare minimum a max rate) in writing before signing the contract.

Other Components

Here are a few more components you can expect to see in a vendor contract—

1. contingency plans for bad weather, an act of God, personal/ public health issues

2. legal and binding agreement

3. governing law and jurisdiction

4. severability

5. indemnity

6. liability

Red Flags

Any of the following are reason to be concerned:

• Unusual cancellation policies — Nonrefundable deposits are the industry standard, but demanding the entire balance be paid when you cancel six months or more before the wedding is not.

• One-sided terms — If a cancellation or postponement occurs, what are your rights and what are the vendor's rights? That should all be laid out.

• Restricting your right to review a vendor’s services — This usually happens when a vendor has received negative reviews and is looking to avoid them in the future.

• Full payment upfront — The industry standard is an initial deposit and final payment closer to the wedding. Requiring full payment at the time of booking should be alarming.

• Absence of a contract altogether — No professional vendor would proceed without any contract in place.

Take your vendor contracts seriously and review them thoroughly so you’ll be smiling when you sign that marriage license!

We’re excited to be the Quad Cities region’s FIRST all-inclusive wedding blog and vendor directory! We are celebrating all things love in the QCA and helping couples plan their happily ever after!

Dream it. Plan it. Love it.