Hiring a Wedding Vendor {Part 9}

You've reviewed the proposal and you either see the value of this vendor or you don't ... so you either want to hire them or you don't. Either way, please use common courtesy and notify the wedding vendor even if it's to say no. Leaving a consultation and proposal open and undecided {at least on the vendor's end} isn't nice.

If you want to move forward with them ~ let them know ASAP! Share your excitement with them and ask what you need to do to move forward. Chances are you'll need a non-refundable deposit to hold the date and to sign a contract. They should send this over in a timely fashion. Once you receive the contract, take the time to review it but keep in mind the following: a wedding vendor's contract is to protect the wedding vendor, not the client. If you don't understand a clause, ask for clarification. What you shouldn't do is mock up the contract in a way that benefits you, the client. The first thing I do when a prospective client calls me to clarify or change the contract, I go through their questions. Nine out of ten times, the changes they want would grossly change my contract in ways that as a business owner, I am just not comfortable with. So I always suggest purchasing wedding insurance. I've found that most concerns clients have with the contract can be dealt with by purchasing insurance in order to protect themselves. If that doesn't solve the issues they have with your contract, as a vendor, take them to your attorney. Hopefully the concerns / questions can be clarified but on rare occasions, what the client is asking for just isn't possible. If that turns out to be the case, be willing to work with the vendor and understand why their contract is the way it is. Aim to reach a contract version that ALL parties are happy with.

Next week: begin working together!

2009 Wedding Lessons Learned: Contracts & Honesty

Series: 2009 Wedding Lessons Learned

Our 2009 wedding season started out with a huge lesson to be learned. I've discussed this topic frequently here on the blog, but it needs to be said over and over again. GET CONTRACTS FROM ALL YOUR VENDORS! No matter how involved your vendor may or may not be on the wedding, get their services and pricing in writing and have it signed by yourself and the vendor. A contract, above and beyond making things binding, is a guaranteed way to ensure that you get the service that you believe you are paying for on the wedding day, from the person you believe it is being provided by.

This lesson learned was learned by my client the hard way, when she learned 3 days before the wedding day that whom she believed was her hairdresser for the big day actually was scheduled elsewhere. I had insisted to the bride that she get a contract from the salon, but she assured me that the salon was professional and had everything together. Turns out, they just wanted her money and were prepared to leave my bride and bridal party out in the cold. We were fortunate enough to have time to fix the situation once we found out that the salon was backing out, but what if we hadn't had time?

Please please please, get contracts from everyone involved in your wedding day. If you've hired a coordinator, we want to see every last contract {including, yes, the ice sculpture being delivered} to ensure that you get what you paid for.