If you’ve recently become a professional wedding planner, you may be just getting accustomed to asking for payment for your services. Here are 6 tips that will help you write your invoices and get paid on time:
1) Start with your contract
Your contract should clearly state payment terms – the amounts due, due dates, late fees and additional charges for changes and cancellations.
2) Always keep your brides informed
Nothing on an invoice should be a surprise. Keep your brides up-to-date on any increases when they make changes to the services they want.
3) Make sure your invoices are easy-to-read
You’re very detail-oriented but your invoices don’t need to include every detail, only information that your brides need to know in order to pay you. Also, consider investing in accounting or invoicing software that will help you create professional invoices. Your bookkeeper or accountant may be able to help you select one that works for your business.
4) Invoice promptly
Send out invoices promptly according to the payment terms in your contracts. You won’t get paid on time if you don’t send out your invoices on time.
5) Make it easy for brides to pay you
Offer brides a variety of ways in which they can pay you – cash, check, credit card, PayPal and/or through a secure link on your website.
6) Don’t afraid to follow-up
If a bride hasn’t paid you within the time stated in your contract, don’t hesitate to make a friendly but professional call. Very often, a bride is so busy that it just slips her mind.
Please don’t wait until after a wedding to request the final payment from a bride, all payments should be collected prior to the wedding day.
And you can learn more about starting and running your wedding planning business in my Free Special Report “7 Steps to Becoming a Top Wedding Planner.” You can get it here.
