Weddings: Lots of Contracts but ALL Necessary

Hello everyone, yes I know it has been a while, and I keep saying that so I apologize greatly. Life is much less crazy and the fall wedding season is just kicking off so I wanted to chat about weddings. After some recent work with a few brides I just want to give a few primary tips to you all, free of charge! :) First let's talk about contracts! When you start planning your wedding you will need to sign lots of contracts with each vendor. This is fairly standard with most vendors but if you are using a family member, friend, or maybe even older person that isn't a business but someone recommended to you they may not have a contract planned. In these cases you should create one yourself and keep a copy! Why you might ask? Because it should be clear upfront what you want from the vendor, the cost, and overall responsibilities. This leads me to my next point, before you do anything such as leave your clothes for alterations, drop off a custom bouquet request, etc. make sure you have a set cost agreed upon at the very beginning. If you do not do this then there is quite a chance that the person will feel like they can up-charge you later and come up with a reason (because you didn't set anything first!) This also means that in the contract you should view the conditions provided by the establishment such as "liability concerns- if the company suggests they aren't liable for damage of items this could be concerning to you for your wedding dress, tux, or even a family heirloom you were trying to change. So the moral of the story is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE sign contracts with each person, stating the price, expectations, delivery or pickup dates, return dates if applicable, and notice anything that discusses liability. :)