7 Contract Negotiation Tips for Wedding and Event Pros (from someone who went to law school!)

7 Contract Negotiation Tips for Wedding and Event Pros (from someone who went to law school!)

Everything is going awesome. You send out your contract and you’re SO excited to get started serving this couple.

…But then you get an email from Uncle Ned. Uncle Ned is a lawyer, and it’s his time to shine.

He’s taking this VERY seriously. And he’s ready to negotiate terms with you.

What’s a wedding pro to do?

Don’t worry— I got you.

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6 Steps to Legally Starting a Wedding Business

6 Steps to Legally Starting a Wedding Business

Whether you’re a wedding planner, photographer, event venue, videographer, makeup artist, DJ, cake baker— ANYTHING— starting a wedding and event business can be an exciting and fulfilling career path.

However, before you start selling your products or services, it's important to ensure that you are operating legally— or you can face steep consequences (or fines!).

Here, we’ll outline the basic steps to start your business legally— and I promise, it won’t be painful!

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What does "Indemnification" mean?

What does "Indemnification" mean?

Take a look at a well written contract and you’ll probably notice a section with the word “INDEMNIFICATION.”

But once you start reading, your eyes kind of glaze over and things get…. confusing.

But indemnification— and agreeing to indemnify someone— is important. Like…. REALLY important. Like tens of thousands of dollars important 👀

So let’s take a crash course in indemnification and exactly WHAT it is you’re agreeing to— or having your clients agree to. >>>

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How to Hire a "Day Of" Assistant or Second Shooter

How to Hire a "Day Of" Assistant or Second Shooter

Having a sidekick is AWESOME. They are that person that’s always there to have your back on event days. They hold the utility belt of emergency supplies. They fluff the dress. They hold the veil for that epic “veil shot". Heck, maybe they also bring you snacks when you’re getting hangry from herding groomsmen.

But what do you need to do to get one of these mystical unicorns? 🦄🦄🦄

Legally speaking, there’s going to be some bases you DEFINITELY want to cover. Let’s dive in.

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What Now? A #WeddingPros Guide to Post-Covid Events

What Now? A #WeddingPros Guide to Post-Covid Events

"🎼What Comes Next? / You’ve been freed / Do you know how hard it is to lead?

Your on your own/ Awesome, WOW! / Do you have a clue what happens now?🎶

well… do ya?

The world is starting to open back up.

You feel like your hands are tied, you don’t know what to do, and you don’t want to do the “wrong” thing. But…. you’ve got to start working again. Events are happening. So…..what do we do now? How do event pros proceed? And where do we go from here?

What comes next?

Let’s get into it….

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Got Time? 5 Free (or VERY cheap) Legal Tasks For Your Small Business.... FROM HOME!

Got Time? 5 Free (or VERY cheap) Legal Tasks For Your Small Business.... FROM HOME!

In our very official Instagram Poll, it seemed as though people needed a break from COVID-related resources. ASK AND YOU SHALL RECIEVE!

We all have unexpected TIME on our hands right now. And TIME is a great thing!

We can check off those boxes for admin tasks we have been avoiding, forgetting, or just plain ignoring because “I can’t worry about that right now,” or “I’ll wait until off season to do that.” So while we’re stuck in the house, let’s get some things taken care of!

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Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Client Wedding & Event Cancellations due to COVID-19

Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Client Wedding & Event Cancellations due to COVID-19

At this point, we are starting to see the refund demands roll in. Clients are panicked, upset, and their dream day has been tainted. And unfortunately, they are taking a lot of that out on their vendors.

And despite our best efforts to #postponedontcancel, some clients are pulling the plug and demanding refunds.

So what’s a wedding pro to do?

As someone who likes to PLAN PLAN PLAN, I want to know how to handle worst case scenarios. I research. I prepare my process. And I know a lot of you are like me.

So let’s walk through the eye of the storm together so we can get to the other side already. Here’s how we’ll do it, step by step.

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Corona Virus, Weddings & Events, and Force Majeure

Corona Virus, Weddings & Events, and Force Majeure

Let’s talk about it: the Corona Virus. 😬

It’s been about a month since the spread of COVID-19, aka Coronavirus, started really taking hold. We’re starting to see unprecedented travel restrictions and supply chain interruptions that are causing a ripple-effect into other areas, causing clients and businesses to reschedule conferences, travel, meetings, and events. Heck, there’s talk of postponing the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

And while we shouldn’t panic about Coronavirus, we do need to proactively plan for its effect on our businesses. Part of this is understanding what your contact says when it comes to emergencies.

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How to Keep that Nonrefundable Deposit if your Client Cancels/ Postpones

How to Keep that Nonrefundable Deposit if your Client Cancels/ Postpones

No one ever wants to think that their Client’s wedding or event won’t happen. But the reality is that engagements are broken off and events are cancelled due to weather, planning issues, slow ticket sales, or other considerations.

You, however, have held that spot in your schedule. You’ve started preparing for the event, and have put in some legwork. Depending on the date, you may have turned down other work to ensure your availability for that event (10/10/20, anyone?!). This is why you have that nonrefundable deposit clause!

But in order to safeguard that nonrefundable deposit (I also like to use the word Retainer, simply because of the you’ve got to detail the exact formula for the client based on several situations. Let’s talk through them:

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What Should I do if a Client Asks to Change my Contract?

What Should I do if a Client Asks to Change my Contract?

We’ve all been there: you’ve invested time and money into the perfect contract. You’ve gotten it all set in you CRM system. You’ve formatted it so the alignment is perfect and those SmartFields are poppin.🙌

And then… a client wants to change something. 🙄

What should you do? Should you accept the change? And….. how do you even MAKE the change without messing up your contract?

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How to Edit Default Dubsado Signature Settings to Sign Contracts as Your LLC [VIDEO TUTORIAL]

How to Edit Default Dubsado Signature Settings to Sign Contracts as Your LLC [VIDEO TUTORIAL]

Dubsado automatically defaults it's signature blocks so that you're signing individually, and not as your company. YIKES!

Why is this important? The whole point of having an LLC, Corporation, or other limited liability entity is to protect your personal assets. But if you're signing a contract with clients as YOURSELF and not your COMPANY, you're exposing yourself to personal liability. 😱 Whoooops! Enter this video to show you how to fix that signature block in Dubsdo with a few simple tweaks!

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6.5 Must-Have Wedding Photography Contract Terms

6.5 Must-Have Wedding Photography Contract Terms

We’re on week 2 of our “Must Haves for Wedding Pro Contracts” series, and we’re looking at Wedding Photography Contracts/ Event Photographer contracts this week!

I’m calling this one “6.5 Must-Have Wedding Photography Contract Terms” because well… there’s a few “related side notes” thrown in here with this one. But there’s just so much you wedding photographers need to think about, and so much equipment you’re juggling!

If you’re a Wedding Photographer or Event Photographer, buckle in— let’s do this.

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