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As a wedding planner, photographer, videographer, venue, or other wedding pro, you know that having a clear contract with your clients is essential. One of the most important parts of a contract is the termination clause—this section explains when and how either you or your client can end the contract if something is going off the rails.
Read MoreIf you’re opening a wedding venue or event venue, you’re making one of the largest investments in the industry. No other event or wedding pro is going to have to make such a large upfront investment— it’s just a completely different ballgame.
To ensure you protect your investment, you have to think more along the lines of traditional brick and mortar businesses. And what does that come with? Insurance.
Read MoreBefore you dive into making this wedding dream a reality, there’s some “legal considerations” we need to look at— yes, even before you buy the property!
Let's touch on some of the nitty-gritty steps of starting your wedding venue off on the right foot….
Read MoreIt’s a day like any other. You’re hanging out. You’re working on your business. You’re in the zone.
And then, you get a letter demanding $2500 in licensing fees.
Read MoreEverything 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.
Read MoreAre esignatures legal? And what should you use to have a client sign? Let’s dive into the important parts of the e-signature process, and something important that Dubsado and Honeybook DON’T offer!
Read MoreWhether 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!
Read MoreIt’s a nightmare scenario: You go to check your bank account, and there’s a debit from your payment processor. “What the heck?” you think to yourself. Turns out, a client disputed a charge— they initiated a “chargeback.” Now, you’re out the money they owe you for your services, PLUS a bunch of other fees you didn’t know about. What gives, and how can you fix it?
Welcome to the wild world of Chargebacks.
Read MoreSo many times people come through my door for trademark applications saying, “It’s probably fine, I got the domain name.”
And guess what?
That means almost nothing to me. Nada.
That’s because a domain name and a trademark have very little to do with one another.
Are they second cousins? Sure!
But in reality, people don’t really realize just how far apart they are. And many— MANY— folks are shocked when I tell them that just because you have— or don’t have— a domain doesn’t typically mean squat when it comes to trademarks.
Read MoreHaving 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.
Read More"🎼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….
Read MoreNow that the world is beginning to open back up, I’m hearing a LOT of questions about liability waivers. “Do I need a liability waiver for my events!?” is now the hottest topic in my instagram DMs.
What’s a liability waiver? It’s a document someone signs that essentially says “I agree that you aren’t liable for me getting hurt/ injured/ dying.” It sets you, a provider, up as “not responsible” for something happening.
But…. are these effective? Are they even enforceable? And….. spoiler alert: what’s a better option?
I have a hot take. 🔥 And A DOWNLOAD of free language for ya. Let’s do it.
Read MoreIn 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!
Read MoreAt 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.
Read MoreLet’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.
Read MoreNo 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:
Read MoreEvents, especially weddings, can be a family affair.
It’s not uncommon for mom, dad, or Great Aunt Sally to pay for some of the services offered by wedding pros. But if mom and dad are paying, who signs the contract? And…. who is technically the client??
Well, with no agreement to the contrary, Mom/ Dad/ Aunt Sally MIGHT be considered your client. They might have rights. They might NOT. They MAY be able to sue you under the agreement if they aren’t happy with your service. They can PROBABLY demand a refund of a non-refundable deposit …. yikes!! And the couple? Well….. they might not actually be your client AT ALL. 🤯……
Read MoreWe’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?
Read MoreHAPPY HURRICANE SEASON!
Florence is bearing down on the East Coast, so today, we’re talking about "Acts of God," aka Force Majeure events. You might have noticed this word in the boring-AF parts at the end of our contract templates or in any other contract drafted by an attorney. So what is this, and why is it so important?
Read MoreBy this point, you probably know that any contract you sign with a couple needs to have a model release in it. But….. why do you need a model release? And do you need a model release for wedding guests too?
A model release is permission to use someone’s image or likeness in a commercial manner. But what does that actually mean?
“Image or likeness” means anything that identifies a person. This could be their photo, voice, even something as small as their hand if it identifies them as “them.” [True story/ derailment: I worked with an agency who got sued because someone said they used their hand without a model release]….
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