So, after searching for an hour... and after only coming up with model releases, I decided to start a new thread.
I have been shooting weddings for years, but the majority have been for friends (paid and unpaid). The professional (non-friend) weddings I've shot were for friends of friends, or shot with another photographer who hired me to shoot with him/her and I was paid by him/her. I've probably shot over 20 weddings in my photo-life... where am I going with this? Oh yeah... contracts!
I've never had a contract! Do any of you have any sample wedding photography contracts I can tweak and use? I checked online, but most are very complex, including way too many details and deadlines. I need something moderate, not too complex, not too simple.
You definitely wnt to have a contract when doing wedding photography or someone will eventually take you to the cleaners. I will PM you with my contract. A wedding contract needs to be as specific as possible and the only potential liability you should have is to create photos of your samples you showed your clients. Not having a clear concise contract can open up additional liabilities.
The DWF www.digitalweddingforum.com is also a great source for wedding photographers.
The problem with contracts you find online is that language that is fine in one state could void the clause or the entire contract in another.
Example: In some states, it's OK to require a "non-refundable deposit" to hold a date. In others, a "deposit", by its legal definition must be wholly refundable, so to achieve the same effect, it must be called a "non-refundable retainer". So, even though you might have gotten a deposit, the bride could cancel for any reason on the last day and be legally entitled to a full refund of the deposit despite the language in your contract.
So, please, spend the time and money to have your contract reviewed by a lawyer.
I think my pre-paid legal people can take a look at it for a small fee. I'll be editing the mix of contracts I was sent, then I'll send it off to them :)
