[DAVE PROUTY]

Too many times the photographer has been left with money owed to him/her. In the "Old Days" we used to take a third at booking, a third two weeks before the wedding, and the last third when proofs were delivered. Worked great for a while. Then, proofs would be delivered and no money was left to pay for it. So the works of the business got all messed up. Full payment of the package price before the wedding day became the norm. Whether it was a month, or two weeks before, or on the wedding day, payment had to be in full in order to do the job. Even with payment on the wedding day, checks would act like Flubber, so, full payment at least two weeks before the wedding date became the norm. Clearance from the bank determined whether payment was "actually" made in full. All we required was to be paid. The way of assuring that had to change in order to get that assurance.

So there we stand. Payment in full before the wedding. Or risk not getting paid, since money magically disappears after the wedding, since brides and grooms splurge on the honeymoon, and consequently have no money for the photographer when they get home. We do what we do to get paid. It's is really just a simple matter.