Wedding planner contract: the clauses that really protect you

Many planners start with a contract found online or borrowed from a colleague. It does the job while everything goes well. The day a wedding is postponed by a year, a couple disputes extra hours, or a caterer goes bust three weeks before, you discover what it doesn’t say.

This article isn’t legal advice and doesn’t replace having your template reviewed by a lawyer or your professional association. It lists the clauses most often missing, so you know what to check. Where a rule is specific to France, where Weddtap is based, we say so.

What you do, and what you don’t

The most important clause isn’t legal at all: it’s the precise description of your services. Most disputes come from a misunderstanding, not from the law. “I thought you’d be there until the end of the evening.” “I assumed styling was included.”

• The number of meetings and venue visits included
• Your hours on the day, with a precise finishing time
• Whether a second person from your team is on site, and from how many guests
• What isn’t included: styling, guest management, rehearsal, the day after
• The rate for extra services and for hours beyond the finishing time
• Travel and accommodation costs, and from what distance

Is the deposit refundable?

Say it in black and white. Wherever you work, an ambiguous word about the first payment is what turns a cancellation into a dispute. In France it goes further: in a consumer contract, a sum paid in advance is treated by law as “arrhes” unless the contract says otherwise. With arrhes, the couple can walk away by losing them; if you walk away, you repay double.

With an “acompte”, the contract is binding: a couple who cancels generally remains liable for the price, subject to your cancellation clause. If that’s what you want, write “acompte” explicitly. Don’t let an ambiguous word decide for you.

Cancellation and postponement

Recent years have shown that a postponement isn’t a cancellation, and they need to be handled separately. Plan for both, with a clear timeline.

1. Cancellation by the coupleWhat’s due depending on the date: for instance, payments made are kept, then a rising percentage of the price as the wedding approaches, to cover work already done.
2. PostponementHow many times, within what period, with what costs. A postponement by a year blocks a date in the following season that you can no longer sell.
3. Cancellation by youIn case of serious impediment, who replaces you and on what terms. Having a trusted colleague to cover you is a selling point.
4. Force majeureWhat happens if the wedding can’t go ahead for reasons beyond everyone’s control: health restrictions, disaster, the venue closing.

Liability and insurance

Say who signs with the suppliers. In most cases, the couple contracts directly with them on your recommendation: you’re then not responsible for their performance, and your contract should say so. If you sign on their behalf or collect payments for them, your liability changes in nature.

Professional liability insurance is essential. Mention it, with the insurer’s name: couples and venues will ask for it more and more often.

The required information people forget

• The cooling-off period of fourteen days, if the contract is signed at a distance or away from your premises, with the corresponding withdrawal form (EU and UK)
• In France, no payment can be taken during the first seven days of an off-premises contract: the deposit waits a week
• In France, the absence of a withdrawal right if the contract is signed at a wedding fair, stated clearly
• In France, a consumer mediator: every business selling to consumers must offer one, free of charge, and display its details
• Your legal details: business name, registration number, address, VAT status

Image rights, for your portfolio

Wedding photos belong to the photographer, and the image of the couple and their guests belongs to them. To publish photos on your website or social media, you need the photographer’s agreement and the couple’s. Include a clause the couple can accept or refuse, and respect their answer.