Wedding Contract - Get It In Writing
December 1, 2008
It never happened if it is not in writing. Your wedding planning should result in many written contracts to protect yourself. Smart people planning their weddings make sure the details are in writing. Your wedding planning journey is incomplete without written contracts for everything from your reception venue, photographer, wedding cake, and more.
It is not enough to like the vendor you meet, and it doesn’t matter if you like them. It is insignificant is it is a reputable company. Unless you have binding, written, and signed contract, it never happened. Just think of all the hard work you put in could be wasted without written proof to protect you. Keep in mind that a written contract not only protects the consumer, it also protects the vendor. It is good for everyone.
There are so many details that have to be done for your wedding that it is impossible to keep it all in your head. You may have all the details you want in your written notes, but those details must find their way to the official written contract. You may show up for your reception only to find that the room is not available for another 3-hours, because there was a scheduling conflict. To make it worse, when you look in your contract the time of your reception is not noted. Because you allowed such an important detail to be omitted from the contract you are not protected. You may learn that the chef decided to substitute lobster with shrimp.
The details above are only a couple of examples to show you how important it is to include details in your contract. Never assume anything, include it in the contract. Even if you think it is trivial to worry about such details, include it all in the contract to protect yourself.
Getting a written contract is worthless unless you fully understand it. That means you have to carefully read it. You may ask a wedding planner or an attorney to go over it with you to make sure you are not missing anything important. Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into signing any contract before reading it. If you are being pressured to sign on the spot, it is time to walk.
4 Responses to “Wedding Contract - Get It In Writing”
I found a photographer who will do my wedding for free to bulk up her portfolio. Her work is quite wonderful, so I am quite excited, but I feel I need a contract. Our arrangement isn’t traditional, so I don’t want her to bail at the last minute (I don’t know her well enough to know if she would do that or not). Can anyone give me an example of a wedding photography contract? Can they still bail despite a contract?
By ?Kaitlin aka His Browneyed Girl on Dec 1, 2008
1. This agreement constitutes an order for wedding portraiture services, including the taking of wedding pictures as agreed to by both parties: The Studio and Contracting Party (Client). Unless otherwise specified, it is understood that any and all rights to proofs, final or sample prints, thereof shall remain the property of the Studio and may be used for advertising, display or any other purpose thought proper by the Studio.
2. If Photographer cannot perform this Agreement in whole or in part due to a fire or other casualty, acts of God or nature or terror, or other cause beyond the control of the parties or due to Photographer's illness or injury, then Studio will return all fees to the Client(s) but shall have no further liability with respect to this Agreement. This limitation on liability shall also apply in the event that photographic materials are damaged in processing, lost through camera malfunction, lost in the mail, or otherwise lost or damaged without fault on the part of Photographer. Client(s) agree that an entire wedding cannot be replicated, reenacted or repeated for the purpose of a re shoot and limits Studio's liability to the amount paid under this contract.
3. It is understood and agreed that no other photographer will be allowed to photograph or take pictures at the wedding while the Photographer is working.
4. On signing of this agreement by both parties hereto, the Studio will reserve the time agreed upon and will not make another reservation for the specific time frame. For this reason, all deposits are non-refundable even if the date is changed or if the wedding becomes cancelled for any reason.
5. The service fee is ____ includes ____ hours of photography. A deposit of ____ is due at the signing of this agreement, with a further payment of all necessary expenses (unless otherwise specified) such a films cost, development, batteries, parking, fuel, travel, taxi, hotel charges, etc., to be paid at the date of the event. No photography will take place and no rights are granted until timely payment is made in full. Late payment fees may apply. The fee is non refundable in case of cancellation or date change by client.
I / we, the undersigned Contracting Party, hereby warrant that I am / we are competent to contract in my / our own name(s). I / we confirm that I / we have read the herein agreement prior to its execution and I / we are fully familiar with the contents thereof. This agreement shall be binding upon us and our heirs, legal representatives and assigns. And, we certify that we have received a complete copy of this agreement with all blank lines completed.
Rewritten for you:
1. This agreement constitutes an order for wedding portraiture services, including the taking of wedding pictures as agreed to by both parties: The Studio and Contracting Party (Client). Unless otherwise specified, it is understood that any and all rights to proofs, final or sample prints, thereof shall remain the property of the Studio and may be used for advertising, display or any other purpose thought proper by the Studio. The client will receive high resolution, edited copies of all images and granted rights to reprint at will.
2. If Photographer cannot perform this Agreement in whole due to their own negligence or illness (not acts of god) the studio will reimburse clients for the cost of hiring another photographer or find a suitable replacement.
3. It is understood and agreed that no other photographer will be allowed to photograph or take pictures at the wedding while the Photographer is working.
4. On signing of this agreement by both parties hereto, the Studio will reserve the time agreed upon and will not make another reservation for the specific time frame. For this reason, all deposits are non-refundable even if the date is changed or if the wedding becomes cancelled for any reason.
5. The service fee of $0 includes ____ hours of photography. The fee of $0 is understood to be a trade between the photographer's time in exchange for images for their portfolio.
I / we, the undersigned Contracting Party, hereby warrant that I am / we are competent to contract in my / our own name(s). I / we confirm that I / we have read the herein agreement prior to its execution and I / we are fully familiar with the contents thereof. This agreement shall be binding upon us and our heirs, legal representatives and assigns. And, we certify that we have received a complete copy of this agreement with all blank lines completed.
References :
By miss_nikki on Dec 1, 2008
References :
http://www.findlegalforms.com/product/service-agreement-photographer/
By Christine on Dec 1, 2008
Yes, a photographer can still bail even if there’s a contract. Just like you can not show up for work even though you’re supposed to.
Of course if they do you’ll be in the “right” but do you really want to risk that with someone who’s not established that you don’t know?
Here are a few additional things to consider:
*What happens if she does bail? Are you okay with not having any wedding photographs?
*What if she gets sick? Is she resourced with a back up?
*What if she shows, but fails to deliver your disc or other products - again, are you okay with not having any wedding photographs?
The benefit of a new person is cost.
However, the risks involved don’t justify the price in my opinion. You tend to get what you pay for in life - personally, I wouldn’t risk that. But that’s me - photographs are important to me (very important). So I’d rather go with a David’s Bridal dress, a cake made by a friend to be able to hire a professional photographer (in fact, that’s just what I did).
Best of luck!
References :
http://www.wedding-guide.org/photographer-contract.asp
By Christine S on Dec 1, 2008