}
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Wedding Planners: What to Do When the Signed Contract Doesn’t Show Up
Has this happened to you? As a wedding planner, you have an AMAZING consultation with a couple; they say they are going to hire you! Yay!
The bride is going to mail the contract and payment right away, double YAY! You are so excited that you start working on their wedding immediately. You send vendor recommendations, review their planning so far, and begin to pull inspiration images for the décor. A week goes by and you realize you have not heard from the couple and there is no payment or wedding planning contract in your mailbox. You reach out and receive no response – essentially you have been ghosted.
Unfortunately, this happens a lot. Couples may be really excited when they speak with you and they are planning to hire you, but when they get home they change their mind. They may be second-guessing their wedding needs, maybe the parents are not on board, or maybe they just got ahead of themselves. Whatever the reason, until you have a signed contract and deposit in hand, you do not have a client.
Often you will need to take control of the situation and get a definitive answer one way or another, so do not feel bad if you need to flat out ask. I used to feel pushy, but I realized that I only have so much of my time to sell clients, so I need to move on if someone is not going to work with me.
Are you looking for a legal contract to use in your wedding planning business? We have two recommended resources where you can purchase wedding planner contract templates.
Today’s post is a guest post from Amber Peterson. Amber is the owner of Cheers Wedding & Event Planning in western Washington. She has a Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and previously worked as a marketing consultant for wedding industry professionals. Amber is also the co-founder of the Skagit Wedding Society.
A complete set of templates, checklists, and tools for professional wedding planners.
Business
Wedding Planning
Marketing
Day in the Life
Self Development
Friday Favorites
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Do you have any advice on how to write out a contract? I tried clicking on the link at the end of your post showcasing Law for Creatives, but there has been an error to the link.
Karen, thank you for letting me know about the link. I fixed it. You can also access it here: https://plannerslounge.com/go/contract.
What if the wedding planner/coordinator waits 7 months until she presents you a contract? What do you do then? She has done the budget with us and we are at the max without her fees. She says nothing?
Thank you for your comment Debbie. You definitely want to have an honest discussion with her about her services and pricing. You need to know her fees and specific services she is offering so that you can either move forward with her or hire someone else.
I avoid this by having set a date to reveal ideas and charge a $100 fee for this digital presentation. This way your time is not wasted and information is not given free. 🙂
Good idea Kathleen. Thanks for sharing!
Just getting started in this industry. Excited to get the ball rolling in contracts, building my web site and ordering business cards. Being a newlywed and fresh right out of the Meeting And Event Planning Program from SDSU, I learned a lot about the do’s and don’ts of the wedding planning industry. Although I am a bit nervous to eventually get myself out there, the advice you gave was very helpful. Now I know what to expect when I sit down with a potential client and how to prevent myself from the unsure ones. Thanks Mary.
Good luck with your new business Mary!