Should we have contracts with all of our wedding vendors?
My husband and I had the most casual, unfussy wedding on earth. We got married on my parents veranda with a small gathering of immediate family and had a relaxed dinner party afterwards to celebrate. There were 20 of us. Just how we wanted it. Despite our best efforts to keep our wedding beyond low-key, there were still wedding vendors involved who needed to keep their end of the deal to:
take photographs
make and deliver a cake
deliver and pick up crockery, glassware, cutlery, tables, chairs, linen
accommodate our family for the night and do a spectacular fry up the next day
If any of these chaps had dropped the ball, it would have sucked… but we’d have made another plan and carried on regardless. But what happens if you have 200 guests, have spent the equivalent of a small country’s annual GDP and have dreamt of your wedding day since you were old enough to remember?
How do you make sure that you and your wedding vendors are on the same page and accountable to one another?
The answer is with contracts. And yes, you should ideally have them with all of your wedding vendors.
WHAT IS A CONTRACT?
A contract is a legally binding agreement that documents the roles, rights and responsibilities of the parties involved. Sometimes it might be called a service agreement, especially when someone is providing a service in exchange for payment.
DO I NEED A CONTRACT FOR ALL OF MY WEDDING VENDORS?
Yes.
If you are paying money for a service, you and your vendor should both understand and agree to the scope of that service. Whether that is with a single wedding planner or a list of 21 separate vendors. No matter how small or straightforward the product or service might be, it always feels so much bigger and more stressful when it’s going wrong and blame is being pointed.
IS IT CHEEKY TO ASK FOR A CONTRACT FROM A WEDDING VENDOR?
No.
Let’s not beat around the bush - weddings cost money. And where money is spent and expectations around a product or service are involved, it’s important to outline and agree on what’s being provided. It is not cheeky to ask lots of questions, get lots of answers and ask for it to all be put into writing.
WHO WOULD I TYPICALLY HAVE A SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH?
cake maker
venue hire
decor hire
caterers
officiate
dress maker
make up artist
wait staff / bar staff
musicians / dj / band
photographer
videographer
wedding planner
If your wedding vendors don’t present you with a contract, then you should be asking for one. And if they don’t have one, send them our way.