Contracts are a must when it comes to planning a wedding.  The fine print might make you want to run off and elope, but they are as much for your protection, as they are for your wedding professional….

Most frequently questioned clauses and what they mean:

Retainer vs. Deposit – We get this question a lot!  A deposit, in legal terms, refers only to goods, products, i.e. tangible items.  A retainer covers services and products.  In most cases, when dealing with a service based wedding professional (photographer, videographer, wedding planner, etc…) retainer is the more appropriate term, as you are first and foremost securing their services for the day of the wedding.  Products and other items are typically considered a secondary part of the contract and can be paid as part of a package, or individually depending on how your wedding professional chooses to do business.

A decidedly different contract, the ketubah should be more more enjoyable to sign!

Non-refundable retainer/deposit – Wedding professionals (well the good ones) are not “out to get you” when it comes to this clause.  In the event that you have to cancel or postpone the event, the non-refundable portion of the contract is meant to compensate the wedding professional for their time and efforts thus far, and more importantly, for the possible loss of the balance of the contract, and/or the loss of booking another event on the specified day.  Chances are several other couples inquired about your wedding date after you secured it, so that wedding professional turned away other full-paying jobs.  Some wedding professionals have a clause that states that they may offer a refund if they can re-book the date, but this is more of a courtesy than a guarantee in most cases.

Overlap of services, or the “No other professionals” clause – You might see a line in the contract that states that your photographer (or videographer, planner, etc) is the exclusive professional hired for this event and no other professional may take pictures, video the event, etc…   First of all, this does not normally apply to family & friends who also want to take photos/video, but depending on how your hired professional operates, it might – so it is always best to ask.  In most cases, this clause exists because the professional has run into issues in the past.  Our own personal experience involved a DJ company and brought along their own photographer to post images from event on their website.  This unfortunately brought up many issues and concerns.  First, we were concerned that guests would not know that this person was not affiliated with our company, so they might pose for pictures only to find out that they would not be able to access them through our site, or get them from the bride & groom.  We also knew nothing about this photographer’s experience or the quality of their equipment, so we were concerned how this might affect our reputation if anyone confused their images with ours.  Lastly, to put it bluntly. they got in the way – big time.  Most professionals make it a point to work together and give each other plenty of room, but in rare circumstances such as this, it can seriously compromise the quality of our work.

Hot meal – Yes, some wedding professionals put this in their contract, and if you were working a 10 hour day on your feet, you would likely expect to be fed too.  Wedding professionals often specify a “hot” meal because they want to ensure that they receive something of good quality.  No offense to the majority of wedding venues out there – many are known for taking very good care of other wedding professionals, but we have all run into a few that serve you a day old sandwich and a warm bottle of water.  And there are other venues where you are lucky to be served anything at all.  We’ve even encountered this when we know for a fact that the bride and groom have paid for our meals.  It makes for an uncomfortable situation (and a very unhealthy fast food binge on the way home!), so this is why many wedding pros make it a point to add this to their contract.  It’s not about being greedy, it’s making sure that we can get through the day without fainting from hunger and exhaustion!

Who signs it – This can vary by professional, but it’s important to be clear about who the responsible parties are when signing contracts.  We specify in our contract that we are obligated only to the bride and groom, regardless of who pays the retainer, balance and/or full amount.  Its not that we don’t want to honor and respect your parent’s wishes, but we have to draw the line somewhere and make it so we are only answering to the two people who are getting married.  Ultimately we are most concerned with your happiness and what you want for your day.  We have all heard about the drama that can ensue when there are “too many cooks in the kitchen” – this is simply a way of trying to avoid that possible stress.

It is very important to read your contracts carefully, and ask lots of questions!  Your professional should be more than willing to listen to and address your concerns.

Have questions about other contract issues?  Be sure to post in our Ask the Aces section – we are here to help!