Negotiating contracts with your vendors

It doesn’t seem fair that after going through a tough decision to call off a wedding 8 months in advance, vendors are unwilling to give back their deposits.

• Our photographer, Merrill Shea, happily took our $300 desposit and will not return it. Update: Our photographer sent us an unexpected check for $300, as he found a replacement! I did sign a contract that said deposits are non-refundable, but with over 8 months notice and a hot wedding day date (7/7/07) I have little doubt Merrill will find a replacement. Lesson: not everyone’s nice like Merrill, so make sure your contract has terms you are comfortable with!! Thanks Merrill!
• The Harvard Club has been very reasonable about their deposit. They said they will refund it if another party takes the date. That is a very good policy.

So, moral of the story? When working with vendors (especially small businesses or individually-run entities), be aware that contracts can be modified to win your business. Justbecause someone says “it’s in the contract this way” doesn’t mean they can’t change the terms contract, especially for something that is important to you. Sadly, when we plan our weddings, the thought of calling it off is usually at the back of our minds and not something we think of adding clauses to handle. Don’t make my mistake! Tell Mr. Photographer that you would be happy to have him be your photographer if he is willing to refund the deposit if-you-give-him-8-months-notice/if-he-finds-another-event-to-shoot/etc. It’s not unreasonable and protects both you in the long run!