This blog post is a crossover between being for the bride during her planning and being for the wedding professionals of the world.
Being a small business owner I can tell you that there are moments of great achievement, complete chaos, stress, happiness and utter excitement, sometimes within minutes of each other. Much like a bride is during her planning process, a small business owner can feel so overwhelmed that it could bring them to tears and so joyful that they could scream, typically from the same issue.
One of the biggest issues that overwhelm and stress small business owners out is money. This is also something that can stress out a bride during her planning…. see where I am going with this?
Every wedding professional should require a NON-Refundable Retainer or Payment at the time your agreement or contract is signed. If you (wedding vendor) do not have an agreement or contract in writing then WHAT ARE YOU THINKING????
Why is this important for the Bride? Well it means that you legally have something in writing stating exactly what you are getting on your wedding day, what your requirements are and how that vendor works. I highly suggest you keep all of your contracts in a binder or folder and all in the same place. This will make it a ton easier for you once you turn it over to a planner or when you are planning out the details of your day. The retainer means your date is just that – yours. Most wedding professionals will only take one wedding per date and the last thing you want is to lose that amazing (photographer, florist, planner, designer, venue, etc) to another bride who was smart enough to put down her retainer or initial payment early.
Why is this important for the Wedding Professional? Because things happen every day. Couples break up, family members get sick, brides change their mind, dates change and sometimes personalities clash. Most of the time you are fine, but on those rare occasions when something happens, it only makes business sense to have a NON-refundable retainer to cover any work you have lost, the date you cannot replace and the staff you still have to pay. There are a ton of expenses involved in meeting with couples and meeting their needs – office/marketing/rent/utilities/etc. That’s a whole different story.
Anyway – sometimes something inspires me to educate brides and vendors. In the end we love what we do, but it is a business and sometimes people forget that.
xoxo, Rayna
