How to collect payment when doing weddings

[laceylj]

Hello,
I'm new to the forum and hope to learn a lot while I navigate through the site. Anyway my question is what is the best way to collect payments from customers when doing a wedding?
For example, I charge a customer $1000, I'll request $500 to lock the session, no problem there. Now I have to collect the remainder without getting ripped off: stop payment on check, money order, cashier check. What has been the practice out there and what would you recommend to protect yourself to secure payment?

[KmH]

Originally Posted by laceylj

Hello,
I'm new to the forum and hope to learn a lot while I navigate through the site. Anyway my question is what is the best way to collect payments from customers when doing a wedding?
For example, I charge a customer $1000, I'll request $500 to lock the session, no problem there. Now I have to collect the remainder without getting ripped off: stop payment on check, money order, cashier check. What has been the practice out there and what would you recommend to protect yourself to secure payment?

Welcome to the Photo Camel Forums.

The best way to collect payment for a wedding is in cash.

In this neck of the woods final payment (even cash) is required 30 to 45 days before the Wedding date so the instrument of payment has plenty of time to clear. It can actually take that long. It's all written into the contract and covered in the consult at contract signing.

There is also the usual language detailing what happens to the final payment should the wedding be cancelled and the photographer not be able to reschedule the date.

In other parts of the country and at differing levels of professionalism some require final payment 15 days before the wedding, some accept final payment the day of the wedding. Some get stuck with payment instruments that don't clear.

Oh, the wedding photographers around here don't request payment to hold a date. No payment, no date, it's in the contract.

In this economy more photographers are arranging payment plans for weddings. However, the final payment is still due 30 to 45 days before the wedding date. If they need to make payments for the retainer, their date isn't held until the retainer is paid in full.

Be sure and call it a retainer and not a deposit. Legally they are quite different. Consult with your attorney.

[NikonMarty]

we do 25% down, balance 2 weeks prior..
any "add-ons" day of event get added to the contract on-site and contract (in original status) states no final-delivery of product unless owing is fully remitted

[laceylj]

Thanks for the feedback and special thanks to KmH for the verbiage explaining retainer vs deposit.

[JimH]

Originally Posted by KmH

In other parts of the country and at differing levels of professionalism some require final payment 15 days before the wedding ...

What an odd statement and I feel as though my professionalism has been questioned somehow. Would you please quantify or further elaborate on the intent of the language you used?

[Imaginis]

Originally Posted by laceylj

Hello,
I'm new to the forum and hope to learn a lot while I navigate through the site. Anyway my question is what is the best way to collect payments from customers when doing a wedding?
For example, I charge a customer $1000, I'll request $500 to lock the session, no problem there. Now I have to collect the remainder without getting ripped off: stop payment on check, money order, cashier check. What has been the practice out there and what would you recommend to protect yourself to secure payment?

50% to hold the date, the remainder 30 days before the event.

[KrozFan]

I know when I got married almost everyone I talked to wanted balance paid 30 days before the event. Looking back on it I really liked having it taken care of ahead of time because it was a pain to pay the people I needed to that day and know I wouldn't have wanted to deal with it after the wedding either.

[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.

[Bucephalas69]

Don't know about your area, but in the UK a cheque can clear your account and you can withdraw and spend it, but can still be recalled and reversed some time later.
Cash is KING!
You could offer a small discount for cash for this very reason (but must put it through the books of course).
On a business account, if a cheque bounces there's usually a charge of £20+ and the bank would then re-present it for payment, another £20+ if it bounces again!

But the bankers are honest people and wouldn't do this knowingly!

[laceylj]

Hey thanks for the feedback. I'm in the process of designing a contract based on the feedback, location, and books. I'm in Chicago so things get real funny when people want cash. Some think you're trying to get over on the government (why would someone think that?) or you're not legit.
Anyway, thanks

[JimH]

Originally Posted by laceylj

I'm in the process of designing a contract based on the feedback, location, and books.

Save your time, effort and money. Get this and run it by your attorney for local specifics.

[laceylj]

Thanks

[Virgo53]

Really good info on this, especially the difference between retainer and deposit.

[kgphoto]

What kind of clients are you accepting? In 25 years, doing between 30-50 weddings a year, I only got stiffed maybe 12 times. By stiffed, I mean some got divorced on the honeymoon, some at the wedding (what a cake fight!), some lost jobs and had to delay ordering, and some just never got around to it.

Most of the time, I just turned them over to the collection company and they collected about 50% of those. Those they couldn't collect was because I didn't give them enough information to do their job. So my hiring process changed to insure that if my clients wanted to have credit extended to them, then I got all the info of any lender, or prepayments of fee's, and a huge cash deposit the value of my product. As an example, 200 5x5 color originals @ $15.00 is $3000 plus tax, plus the "shooting fee."

Once I started treating it like a business and acting professionally, there were few, if any, problems. Those who didn't want to give the info, had to put up the deposits, or hire someone else. I had one client, in Alaska, balk at the info request and when faced with the deposit amount, that I wouldn't budge on, finally gave me the info, and the job when off without a hitch. I had one client threaten me with all kinds of problems, but finally paid in full ( he wanted to know why his pictures of he and his daughter telling each other to F*** off, weren't as attractive as the groom's side.).

Don't be afraid to turn down jobs from deadbeats. If they won't respect you when they need you, they won't later either.

[SyCo]

Payment in advance is usual, cash or check. YOu hold the photos typically for a week or so after teh wedding and the BnG are usually on honeymoon for a few days. Even if someone does cancel their check after you've handed over photos they are still obliged to pay for your services so as Jim suggested get a contract signed. THen in the event of them pulling their funds from your account you can sue more easily. It's an open and shut case for the courst. You have plenty of evidence you attended ther wedding. If they recall funds because they were unsatisfied then again that should be covered in a contract so they can't just not pay you. Small claims court in the UK only costs a few pounds to enter but it should never come to that. You should protect your reputation over the profit of a single wedding every time.