Why It is Important to Have a Contract With All Your Wedding Vendors

By Tonya Hoopes

I recently read a facebook posting where a couple had just hosted their wedding in an amazing venue in Italy.  Unfortunately, the wedding did not turn out as planned.  In the posting the couple were asking about what their legal recourse was, which is never a good sign.

Here is my summary of the information that was shared in the posting. The couple were being married in a location where they were having all of their guests transported to the wedding location via boat. They paid for 3 boats through the wedding planner to the boat company. The day of the wedding one boat showed up, instead of 30 minutes to transport the guests via 3 boats to the wedding it took over 2 hours. The ceremony started late and they lost 2 hours off their wedding day.  And if that is not enough, it gets worse during the dinner. The planner had hired a new boat company but she needed 3000 euros in cash right then to be able to get the new company to transport the guests. The planner said she would get them a refund for the original boats. The couple did not have cash on hand. The planner then offered to take them to a bank.  They got the money and paid for the new boats.  Unfortunately, the couple has tried to get their refund and the planner is refusing to answer them.  As a planner, I cringe when I hear that a couple had to deal with so many issues on their wedding day. 

When caring facebook users started giving advice and asking questions it came to light that the couple never saw a contract from the boat company. Nor did they have a contract with the planner for the boats. 

This above situation is a perfect example of why it is so important that you have a contract with every vendor.  A contract holds the vendors obligated to the terms of the contract.  If the couple had a contract they signed with the boat company they would know that the boat company was supposed to provide 3 boats and would be able to hold the boat company accountable if they had not provided the agreed upon services. 

If you are booking vendors through your planner, and by this I mean having your planner book and pay your vendors, you should sign a contract with the planner for the items they are booking. This holds the planner obligated to ensure the vendors provide the agreed upon service. In this case, if they had a contract with the planner when she came to them during the dinner asking for money, they could have said this is your responsibility and you need to fix this no matter the cost. 

Most wedding vendors, that are professionals, strive to make your wedding day wonderful. But mistakes do happen and at times vendors do not hold up their end of the agreement. When booking your wedding vendors make sure you protect yourself by always having a contract that lists out the specific terms you have agreed on with your vendors. This does not ensure your wedding will be perfect but it does give you recourse if something goes wrong.