Wedding Planner Contracts: 5 Essential Clauses Every Pro Should Include

As a wedding planner, your job is to bring dream days to life—not to chase down vendors, haggle pricing, or navigate last-minute venue swaps without protection. That’s where a strong wedding planner contract comes in. A well-written agreement protects your time, your business, and your sanity. I should know; before I was a lawyer for wedding planners, I was a wedding planner. For 10 years.

Here are five crucial clauses that every wedding planner contract (also called a wedding planner agreement or wedding coordinator contract agreement) should include—so you can spend more time planning and less time putting out legal fires. 

1. Clear Description of Services 

Your contract should spell out exactly what you’re hired to do—and, just as importantly, what you won’t do. As a planner, you’re not the florist, the busser, or the cleaning crew. If your client wants to DIY their flowers or skip a staffing service, your contract should make it crystal clear that those responsibilities don’t fall on you. Clarity from the start prevents confusion (and awkward conversations) down the road. 

2. What Happens When Things Change 

Weddings evolve: guest lists grow, venues shift, designs get an overhaul. When that happens, you need language in your contract that protects you (and guess who can help you with that…). If a client’s change adds to your workload or requires you to revise vendor arrangements or redo planning that’s already been done, your contract should allow you to increase your fee accordingly. You shouldn’t eat the cost of these pivots. 

3. Budget Boundaries 

It’s not your job to guarantee that your clients will stick to their budget. Your contract should state that you’re not liable if they decide to splurge or if prices increase. A strong wedding planner contract makes it clear that you’re there to advise and assist—not to police spending. 

4. Vendor Responsibilities 

Even if you recommend vendors or handle communication on your client’s behalf, the contract should specify that the client is ultimately responsible for hiring, contracting with, and paying those vendors directly. You are not liable for vendor no-shows, poor performance, or subpar products. This clause helps you avoid being the scapegoat if another professional drops the ball. 

5. Who Signs the Agreement 

This one’s easy to overlook but incredibly important: make sure the people getting married sign the contract—not their parents, not the maid of honor, not the person footing the bill. If someone else signs, they’re technically your client—and that means they hold the decision-making power and could take legal action if something goes sideways. Protect yourself by making sure the people getting married are the ones signing on the dotted line. 

Protect Your Work…and Your Sanity 

Your wedding planner agreement should be as tailored as your timeline spreadsheets. And if you’re not sure where to begin—or if your current contract is missing some of these essentials—we can help. (Writing and reviewing custom contracts for wedding pros is kind of our thing.) 

Need help with your wedding planner contract? Get in touch! 

Disclaimer: Any legal information contained in this post was accurate as of the date of the writing. The law changes frequently, so readers should not rely on online information, but rather should consult a lawyer who can discuss their specific factual situation.