Wedding payments

fabs said:
The point is that he hasn't not enforced it so therefore he hasn't made a mistake. That is why he came here for advice.
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Hi Fabs,

And he got it from a successful business man!!!

I suggest you stop moaning and move on.

Regards

Chris
 
Take a bigger deposit next time too

Most people could easily afford to walk away from £50, even hiring another tog instead, and if they do - you'll feel aggrieved at a lost day's earnings for just £50

We take half of the total fee on booking, even a year or more in advance; and then collect all before the Wedding too

As said above, just make it very clear this is what you expect and show them where it is in the contract

However, back to the immediate situation, as this is a first Wedding you'd be better off doing it for the experience rather than just the money. Each Wedding gives the chance of referrals to others seeing you at work

If you DEMAND it now and this upsets the couple, it'll show in your pictures, and however good they are they'll only ever curse you to others - not a good start

It's your call

DD
 
G2EWS said:
Hi Fabs,

And he got it from a successful business man!!!

I suggest you stop moaning and move on.

Regards

Chris
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There's no need to be offensive Chris. You said that the OP made a mistake where he clearly hasn't, I pointed that out and it was you who appeared to be the one moaning about it.
 
fabs said:
There's no need to be offensive Chris. You said that the OP made a mistake where he clearly hasn't, I pointed that out and it was you who appeared to be the one moaning about it.
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Hi Fabs,

I don't moan just help!

(Forgot to mention I had no intention of being offensive, just trying to point out that we need to not be discussing this sort of thing on a thread where we are trying to help a fellow tog)


Hi Diddydave,

Great post.

Regards

Chris
 
It's been 19 years since I got married. But we only paid a deposit then the balance after the wedding, when we had seen the photos and chose what we wanted for our album. The only money the photographer received up front was for photos ordered by guests at the reception. To be honest I think it unacceptable to expect someone to settle a bill in full before they have received the goods.
 
nilagin said:
It's been 19 years since I got married. But we only paid a deposit then the balance after the wedding, when we had seen the photos and chose what we wanted for our album. The only money the photographer received up front was for photos ordered by guests at the reception. To be honest I think it unacceptable to expect someone to settle a bill in full before they have received the goods.
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Depends what the 'Goods' are I suppose :thinking:

We sell a Shoot of a Wedding, so people pay for that in advance or we don't do it. The Goods in this case is getting the Wedding photographed

Any album choices, prints, etc. they choose when they see their pics and if they then want an album, etc. they pay for that too before we produce anything; but that comes later, sometimes months later when they've saved up

I do have an 'issue' with selling 'packages' whereby clients pick their album & it's size etc. BEFORE seeing any of the images to go in it, and of course pay in full for that too before their Wedding day

Part of the reason for payment in advance is simply Credit Control, suing people for small amounts is often a waste of time & effort, so payment in advance saves this problem

DD
 
I always take a 50 percent deposit with the balance paid in full 2 weeks before the wedding.
 
I guess the problem with photography and other skill related services (website design etc) is that if someone doesn't pay you can't really take back your 'time' and have to go down the messy route to recover your money, unlike if you sell someone a car and they don't pay then you simply go round and take your car back! lol

But then what about if you go out for a meal, the restaurant can't exactly force you to throw up your food if you don't pay! :gag: A taxi driver can't reverse all the way back through the journey and recreate however much petrol was burnt away!

I must admit as a customer I prefer to pay when receiving the goods, hence my apprehension to use online shops but as a supplier of a service I would rather be paid up front. Total hyprocrasy I know! :lol: Maybe wedding photographys prefer up front payment because it's assumed the bride and groom may be pretty broke after the big day and they could be bottom of the list for payment or maybe historically people are bad at paying photographers afterwards? :shrug:
 
fabs said:
Really? Don't we always pay up front for goods when ordering on the internet?
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What I'm about to say also contradicts my own post but I guess we do have the distance selling rules in our favour here, but that's not much good if the goods don't arrive within the seven days and what with so many places not being clear about stock levels I personally still don't like online selling all that much.
 
gman said:
What I'm about to say also contradicts my own post but I guess we do have the distance selling rules in our favour here, but that's not much good if the goods don't arrive within the seven days and what with so many places not being clear about stock levels I personally still don't like online selling all that much.
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Agree, but with the decline of the high street (specially in the specialist markets) it appears to have become a necessary evil.
 
I think it is irrelevant what other industries or businesses do, if the wedding photography industry gets paid up front so be it.

Not that I would ever be good enough, but what a great way of running a business. No cash flow problems, no people to chase for money. Hey you guys got it made:lol:

Regards

Chris
 
G2EWS said:
Hey you guys got it made:lol:

Regards

Chris
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I know it seems good Chris, but for our part the profit for the day (okay, you need to 'forget' all other expenses & time for this one :lol:) is only about...

5,000%

Tough innit :(:(:(

:D

DD

Seriously though, payment in advance does make life easier
 
fabs said:
Really? Don't we always pay up front for goods when ordering on the internet?
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That all depends on how much the outlay would be. Plus goods ordered over the internet can be replaced should they be faulty etc.

I would have no problem with paying a deposit for the photographer to turn up and take photos, to cover expenses etc.
The rest comes later when they supply the portfolio for viewing and the choices have been made.
 
got to ask ??? £250 is this including an an album or just photo's
 
fabs said:
Well I'm hopefully going to be purchasing a lens online for £1200 at the end of the month, so I don't think the amount makes much difference.
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If you are buying from a reputable supplier you know exactly what you will be getting before you pay.

With photography, no matter how good or professional the photographer, you can only base your choice of photographer by way of reputation or from their portfolio. The end result can still turn out not to the customers liking. A customer has no way of knowing what they will get until their own photos are in front of them.

A photographer having to try to get his money after the event works both ways.
What about a customer wanting their money back.
 
nilagin said:
If you are buying from a reputable supplier you know exactly what you will be getting before you pay.

With photography, no matter how good or professional the photographer, you can only base your choice of photographer by way of reputation or from their portfolio. The end result can still turn out not to the customers liking. A customer has no way of knowing what they will get until their own photos are in front of them.

A photographer having to try to get his money after the event works both ways.
What about a customer wanting their money back.
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But my point was originally raised as a response to your post in which you said it was unacceptable to expect someone to settle a bill in full before receiving the goods. There are many services out there for which payment must be made in full. There are options available for the customer if those services are not acceptable. So it can work both ways, either way you do it.
 
nilagin said:
It's been 19 years since I got married. But we only paid a deposit then the balance after the wedding, when we had seen the photos and chose what we wanted for our album. The only money the photographer received up front was for photos ordered by guests at the reception. To be honest I think it unacceptable to expect someone to settle a bill in full before they have received the goods.
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You will find these days that when you get to the wedding most other service providers will have been paid up front...lets face it the cake for example they're not going to give you it without payment and wait til you see if you think its tasty before you pay for it.
 
Perhaps Im far too trusting! I get a deposit some months before.. but I wouldnt dream of asking for the rest till they were satisfied with the outcome :shrug: How can I ask them to pay for something they havent even seen?
 
Karen said:
lets face it the cake for example they're not going to give you it without payment and wait til you see if you think its tasty before you pay for it.
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You've got me thinking about cake now....mmmm....did I say it is my birthday today? :D Thread hijack!!! hehe
 
shifted to TP section
 
Thanks. Where's my cake? :)
 
It has been touched on briefly in an earlier post but cash flow is the big issue here rather than not being paid. It can be months after the wedding before the client has chosen shots, album, etc. so if you don't get the balance until delivering those it can have a serious impact on cash flow.

As DD said, getting paid for your time upfront and prints later means cash flow isn't impacted and you won't find yourself in a situation where the client is, for any number of reasons, dragging their feet over the print choices leaving you in a position of effectively giving them an interest free loan.

As for the OP, I would make it clear at the next meeting that the balance is due. If they argue point out that it is clearly stated in the contract and then offer an olive branch of n percent now (to cover your time) and the balance on delivery of the proofs (not the final prints).
 
DiddyDave said:
I know it seems good Chris, but for our part the profit for the day (okay, you need to 'forget' all other expenses & time for this one :lol:) is only about...

5,000%

Tough innit :(:(:(

:D

DD

Seriously though, payment in advance does make life easier
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Hi diddydave,

Yes as you worked out I was only teasing. As with all businesses there are good points and bad points. I would love to ask all of my 15,000 customers in the Water Industry to pay up front but that will never happen :shrug:

I actually like the way this thread is going, there is some useful info for budding wedding togs. I wonder if an established one should start a thread with a vote for who asks for money up front and who does not. I wouldn't mind guessing that the majority get money up front.

As to weddings and paying up front for other things, it seems to me everything including the Church the hire of suits, as mentioned cakes, flowers all seem to be up front purchases.

Regards

Chris
 
Karen said:
You will find these days that when you get to the wedding most other service providers will have been paid up front...lets face it the cake for example they're not going to give you it without payment and wait til you see if you think its tasty before you pay for it.
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With all the other services you pay for at a wedding, flowers, cake, cars etc. you know what you are getting beforehand. You pick the flower arrangements before hand and they are replicated. You pick the cake and it is replicated. With photography you can only rely on the photographer as their isn't a great deal which can be replicated. Unless of course they have previous photos from the same venue and you stipulate what shots you want.
 
nilagin said:
With all the other services you pay for at a wedding, flowers, cake, cars etc. you know what you are getting beforehand. You pick the flower arrangements before hand and they are replicated. You pick the cake and it is replicated. With photography you can only rely on the photographer as their isn't a great deal which can be replicated. Unless of course they have previous photos from the same venue and you stipulate what shots you want.
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No, you know what you've asked for, not what you;re getting.

For example You ask for a cake making, give them a style etc, and then on the day you get to see and taste it. Flowers you discuss the type of flowers, maybe even show photos of what you want, but again you dont know for sure until the day what they will look like.

The issue here is not whether couples should pay before or after. The issue here is that THIS couple signed a contract saying they'd pay up front, and they haven't thus far.

Pete
 
i don't do weddings, but 250quid in total for the day and for 4 meetings beforehand and possibly a 5th meeting before the day? seems like your hourly rate is taking a bit of a hit here.

there's been a lot of good advice so far, but you need to resolve this quickly to the satisfaction of both parties or nobody is gonna be happy on the day, which will be blatantly obvious, and that's not good for business. maybe they could pay 50% before hand, and 50% on hand-over. no balance on hand-over = no photos.......
 
These things are never easy, I have a wedding booked for next Wednesday, but as yet no details at all about where, when etc etc. It looks so far like the couple can't be bothered to contact me back, so looks like I have the day off...

Pete
 
icecavern said:
These things are never easy, I have a wedding booked for next Wednesday, but as yet no details at all about where, when etc etc. It looks so far like the couple can't be bothered to contact me back, so looks like I have the day off...

Pete
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Did they give you a deposit?
 
No this one is a free shoot, for my portfolio as I've only just started doing weddings. The money isn't the issue, it's the loss of experience on my part that's annoying.

Pete
 
Just to let you all know that the client paid up when i meet with them and its all sorted.

Thanks for all the help.
 
icecavern said:
These things are never easy, I have a wedding booked for next Wednesday, but as yet no details at all about where, when etc etc. It looks so far like the couple can't be bothered to contact me back, so looks like I have the day off...

Pete
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Might be worth a phone call either way nothing to lose, just in case they assumed you will be turning up and then give you bad feedback. At least you will have made the effort.
 
nope.
ALL our weddings are deposit, then balance at least two weeks before the wedding.
its made VERY clear to the clients on our contracts,paperwork,website and personaly when they visit us.
only once had a prob getting money from a client.
several phone calls and emails ignored.
went round personaly and politely told them, if money wasnt forthcoming, neither were we.
got a further payment and attended the wedding.
the florist had pulled out due to non payment.
the cake supplier had pulled out.
the evening venue had threatened to lock them out if they didnt get full payment in cash , a week before the day.
we still havent been payed in full. and the bride hasnt contacted us since the wedding.
no cash, no album.weve emailed her twice now.weird.
oh, and all reorders are payed for up front too.

we havent had a client who has objected before.
yes we do charge for a package of album and x number of photos, but clients can upscale later if desired. nad we dont push em into making a decision a year before the wedding on which album they want.
 
nilagin said:
A customer has no way of knowing what they will get until their own photos are in front of them.
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They have to judge that on the portfolio you show them, and discuss requirements before hand.

The payment is for photographic services on the day and possibly copies of prints afterwards.

If you supply the photography service you have fulfilled the contract... The contract would make no reference to if they like the end result or not....

If they are dissatisfied the best you could do is give them a voucher for there next wedding free:lol:
 
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