The busy Summer wedding season has ended and if you planned any weddings during the season, you should have been paid by now and be reaping the benefits of your hard work. But if you haven’t gotten paid yet and often have trouble getting paid on time, you may need to make changes in the way you handle billing.
Here are 3 things you can do to get paid:
1) Let the bride know your payment terms upfront
Be very clear when payments are due and how much they are in your proposal discussions and make sure you clearly state your terms in your contract. You should always get a deposit before you begin work and you should request your final payment before the wedding day.
2) Make it easy to get paid
Offer to let your clients use credit cards. Talk to your bank about setting this up or investigate one of the many companies that sell a device you can attach to your smartphone to run credit cards.
3) Never be afraid to ask for the money you are owed
You have a right to be paid for your services. If a bride hasn’t paid, give her a call, politely remind her that her payment is late, restate the terms of your contract and ask when she can make a payment. If you’re in the middle of planning her wedding, you might need to stop if you aren’t paid, if so, have a conversation with your bride as soon as possible.
If a bride is having money problems and can’t pay or won’t pay, talk to an attorney who can give you advice on what to do.
And if you have a pressing question about starting or running your wedding planning business, you can send me an email at questions@sharonhill.com. I’ll answer them on this blog or in my ezine, “Wedding Planner Tips,” which you can subscribe to here.