Nearly every wedding horror story — the decorator who demanded more money the week before, the photographer who vanished with the raw files, the caterer who downgraded the menu on the day — traces back to a contract that either did not exist or did not say the one thing that mattered. Contract hygiene is unglamorous and it is the cheapest insurance in the industry. Here is the checklist we hold every vendor to, including ourselves.
The payment schedule is the whole game
Leverage in a vendor relationship lives in the unpaid balance. The structure that keeps it healthy: a modest booking advance to hold the date, milestone payments tied to named deliverables — the design approved, the menu tasted, the pre-wedding shoot delivered — and a meaningful final tranche payable after the wedding. A vendor holding ninety per cent of the fee a month out holds all the leverage; a vendor on a milestone ladder has a reason to answer the phone in week minus-one. Most reputable vendors accept this structure without friction. The ones who insist on near-full payment far in advance are answering a question you had not asked yet.
Deliverables, named like you mean it
"Decor as discussed" is not a deliverable; the approved render with a revision allowance is. "Full photography coverage" is not; two photographers and one cinematographer across three named events, an edited-gallery count, delivery within a stated number of weeks, and who owns the raws — those are. For catering: the menu by dish, the counts by function, the service staff ratio, and replacement terms if a named item is unavailable. The test for every line: could a stranger, reading only the contract, judge whether the vendor delivered? If not, rewrite it until they could.
The unglamorous clauses that earn their space
Cancellation and reschedule ladders, in dates and percentages, both directions — including what happens if the vendor cancels, which should cost them more than it costs you. GST invoices from registered vendors, every payment — the proof the vendor is a business, the paper a dispute needs, and the difference between a reconcilable budget and a folder of screenshots; put quotes on a same-tax basis before comparing them. Payments to the business named in the contract, not a proprietor's relative's account. Force majeure that names what happens to money already paid. And for outstation weddings, who pays vendor travel, stay and meals — the classic quiet dispute, dissolved by one written line.
When a vendor resists paperwork
Some fine artisans are simply informal, and some resistance is generational rather than sinister. The workable compromise: even a one-page email that both sides confirm — scope, dates, amounts, schedule — converts most later disputes into lookups. But resistance to any writing at all, pressure for large cash advances, or a different account name at payment time are not quirks; they are the pattern that precedes the horror stories. Part of what a planner is for is that our vendor pool has already survived this checklist — and that when we book on your behalf, our contract stands between you and every one of these failure modes. The money-movement side, especially from abroad, is covered in the payments guide.
