Wedding vendor contracts: what to check before signing

The contract is the only version that survives

Most of what you agree with a vendor happens over WhatsApp, in a tasting, or on a call. Eight months later, when someone has to decide whether the open bar ran for two hours or three, or whether the photographer promised 300 edited images or 600, nobody remembers it the same way. The contract exists to fix that, not because you distrust anyone.

A good wedding contract is boring. It states what is delivered, when, for how much, by whom, and what happens if something breaks. If the document you receive fits in half a page and only lists a price and a date, that is not a sign of informality: it means you will be filling in the gaps yourself, on the wedding day, mid-argument.

You do not need to become a lawyer. You need to read five or six critical points, notice what is missing, and get it in writing before the deposit leaves your account. Ten minutes per contract removes most of the friction that comes later.

What belongs in every contract, whoever the vendor is

Full identification of both parties: legal business name, tax ID, address and contact details. If you booked through a brand name, check that the entity invoicing you is the entity on the contract. If they differ, ask why before you sign.

Date, start time, end time and exact venue. It sounds obvious, but nearly every overtime dispute starts with a contract that says 'afternoon coverage' with no numbers in it. Write the service window as a closed block, and agree the price of each extra hour in advance so nobody is negotiating at midnight.

A description of the deliverable with quantities. Not 'full photo coverage' but an approximate number of edited images, delivery format, turnaround in weeks, and whether an album is included. Not 'floral design for the reception' but the number of arrangements, the flowers or an equivalent substitute if they are out of season, and who takes the rentals away afterwards.

Total price, taxes broken out, and an explicit list of what is not included. The extras that show up later are travel, crew meals, lodging for destination weddings, setup and breakdown labour, rentals, overtime, and holiday surcharges.

The name of the person who will actually work your wedding. This matters most for photo, video, music and coordination. You hired someone because you liked their work; if the contract lets the company send any team member, you may not get that work. Ask for the name in writing, plus an agreed backup.

Deposits, payment schedules and how to pay

A deposit holds your date and is usually non-refundable, because the vendor is blocking a day they can no longer sell. That is fair. What is not fair is a deposit that swallows most of the price, or a contract demanding the full balance many months before the event.

Ask for a written payment schedule with specific amounts and specific dates, not 'half later'. A common structure is a deposit at signing, an interim payment a few weeks out, and the balance shortly before or on completion. Keep something outstanding after the service when the deliverable arrives later, as with video: paying the final instalment on delivery gives you legitimate leverage if the turnaround slips.

Pay in a traceable way, with a clear reference, and ask for an invoice or receipt for every instalment. Avoid handing over the full amount in cash with no paperwork. If a vendor will not invoice, accept that you will have very little to enforce if something goes wrong.

Check whether the price is locked or subject to revision. Catering contracts signed eighteen months out sometimes allow a price update. If yours does, negotiate a cap and a minimum notice period so the number cannot move on you three weeks before the wedding.

Cancellation, date changes and substitutions

These are three different scenarios and weak contracts blur them. First, you cancel: the contract should set out what is retained depending on how much notice you give. A tiered scale is fairer than a blanket 'no refunds'.

Second, you move the date. Ask whether a transfer is allowed, under what conditions, and whether the deposit carries over. The sensible standard is one transfer, subject to availability, with a price adjustment if the new date falls in peak season. Having it written down means you are not negotiating under stress.

Third, the vendor cannot show up because of illness, accident or emergency. You want a substitution clause: they commit to finding a professional of comparable standard and style, subject to your approval, and to refunding the difference if the replacement costs less. You also want a force majeure clause defining what happens if an external event makes the service impossible: refund, credit, or date transfer. Most serious vendors now have one drafted.

One thing couples forget: what happens if you run late. If the ceremony starts an hour behind, the photographer whose coverage ends at 8pm is not obliged to stay. Agree the overtime rate now, in writing, and tell whoever is coordinating the day what that number is.

Clauses worth reading per vendor type

Photo and video: hours of coverage, whether a second shooter is included, turnaround in weeks from the wedding date, delivery format and resolution, how long they archive the originals, and what happens if files are lost. Above all, usage rights. Most photographers reserve the right to publish your images in their portfolio and on social media. If you would rather they did not, say so before signing and get it written in; if you are happy for them to post, it still helps to state that images will not be licensed to third parties for advertising without your consent. Confirm too that you can use the photos freely for personal purposes, including a shared gallery where they sit alongside the pictures your guests took, the kind you can set up on Nozzia.

Catering and venue: the agreed menu with alternatives, the guaranteed headcount and the deadline to confirm the final number, children's and vendor meal pricing, how allergies and dietary requirements are handled, staffing ratio per guest, whether you can bring your own wine and at what corkage, the local noise curfew, and who pays for power or a generator. Also ask whether another wedding is booked that day and which spaces you share.

Music: exact hours, the equipment they bring, power requirements, load-in and soundcheck time, whether lighting is included, and any decibel limit at the venue. For a live band, how many sets and how long each one runs.

Attire and beauty: how many fittings are included, the deadline for the final one, the cost of later alterations, and for hair and makeup whether a trial is included, the time and place of service on the day, and how many members of the wedding party are covered.

Florals and decor: what happens if a flower is unavailable in season, who installs and strikes, what time they can access the space, and whether you are liable for damaged rentals.

Insurance, permits and the order to book in

Ask any vendor who builds structures, cooks, or runs electrical gear whether they carry liability insurance, and ask the venue whether they require proof of it. Many venues do, and finding out the week before is an avoidable emergency.

If the ceremony or cocktail hour happens in a public space, or you plan sparklers, lanterns or a drone, confirm who is responsible for permits and local restrictions. If the contract does not say the vendor handles it, you do.

An order that works: lock the date and venue first, since they constrain everything else; then the vendors whose calendars fill earliest and who are hardest to replace, typically photo, video and catering when the venue does not impose one; then music, florals, stationery and beauty. Sign nothing until the date is confirmed in writing with the venue.

Before each signature, run four questions: what exactly do I receive and when, what exactly do I pay and when, what happens if either side cannot perform, and who will be there on the day. If any answer is not in the document, ask by email and keep that email filed next to the contract. One cloud folder holding every contract, addendum and relevant email, organised by vendor, is worth more than any template.