This is a guest blog post written by Paige Griffith, J.D. of The Legal Paige
It’s no secret that in the wedding planning industry, your organizational skills and preparation skills are your most valuable asset. But have you prepared your business in the right way with a contract that protects your business from lawsuits or client issues? Your business should have a solid contract specifically tailored to what you do as a wedding planner. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry The Legal Paige has you covered! We have created a list of the top wedding planning clauses to have in your client contract that will keep you and your business protected.
1. Planner Responsibilities Clause
A very important clause that seems so simple—but is often overlooked—is a clause detailing what you as the planner are going to provide.
- How many hours of pre-planning services are included in your package?
- Does this include any venue visits before the event?
- How many hours of coordination are included in this package?
- Are you going to be performing the services on your own or will an assistant or subcontractor be helping out?
These are all important things to include in a ‘Planner Responsibilities Clause’ (aka a Scope of Services Clause) to set the expectations for both you and your client. This clause is usually one of the very first clauses in your contract, as it makes it easier to reference back to later on in the contract and really sets up the obligations and expectations of both you and your client.
2. Modifications and Changes to Wedding Theme and Style Clause
You work with a client to execute their dream wedding and you cannot do that if your client continues to change their theme and style every week…or every other day.
You need to make it very clear in your contracts that your clients will need to work with you to pick the theme and style at the beginning of the planning process and be sure to set a deadline in this clause for when that has to occur by. Then, explain that any major changes to the theme or style a few months before the wedding will incur additional fees. This is because you essentially have to go back to square one when a major portion of the wedding theme is changed, contact vendors, redo wholesale orders, etc. Charge for your time here!
3. Model Release Clause
This clause may not be something that you think of initially, but can be a huge asset for your business moving forward and attracting more clients.
A model release clause gives you the right to use photographs of your work that may be taken when performing wedding planning services at the event (either by you, your assistants, or another vendor or guest that may tag you). It then allows you to legally post them on your website or social media.
This is an invaluable resource to show off your work and the versatility of your artistry. These photos may also include any photos that a professional photographer takes at the event, which any wedding planner knows is a great resource for showing off your work in a high-quality photo.
4. Other Wedding Vendor Responsibilities and Performance Clause
This clause will inform your client that you are the ultimate decision-maker when working with other wedding vendors. You do not want to have to work with a vendor who is inexperienced, notoriously difficult, and/or will make your job harder on the day of. This makes sure your clients are letting you vet the vendors before they hire them for their big day.
If all of this seems daunting and you feel like you have no clue where to start, don’t worry! The Legal Paige has created all of these clauses (plus so many others) in their Wedding Planning Contract.
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