A wedding planner contract has to cover something a single vendor’s contract never does: the planner deals with other vendors on the couple’s behalf. That’s why it needs a clear coordination scope, a limited grant of authority to negotiate and sign with vendors, and a spending limit the planner can’t exceed without approval — the three things below. Download the ready-to-fill template, or read the field-by-field checklist first.
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 14 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for both parties. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
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This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
These are the fields and clauses a wedding planner contract needs. Leaving one out doesn’t necessarily void the contract, but each gap is a spot where the couple and planner can end up disagreeing about what was actually agreed to.
Client & planner names
Full legal names for both members of the couple (jointly and severally liable) and the planner's registered business name.
Wedding date & venue(s)
The date the planner is reserving and, once known, the ceremony and reception addresses every vendor needs.
Scope of planning services
Exactly what package the couple is buying — full planning, partial planning, or month-of coordination — and what is and isn't included, so "planning" isn't left to argue about later.
Vendor-contracting authority
The planner's limited power to research, negotiate with, and in bounded cases sign contracts with other vendors on the couple's behalf — and exactly where that authority stops.
Spending-limit mandate
A hard budget cap the planner cannot commit the couple past without written approval, with the planner personally on the hook for anything they book over it.
Planning fee & payment schedule
The fee for the planner's own services — separate from vendor costs — plus the retainer and installment due dates.
Vendor payments
Who actually pays the vendors: normally the couple, directly — the contract should say so, so nobody assumes the planner is holding wedding funds.
Confidentiality of the couple's details
Guest lists, family information and budget figures the couple hands over during planning shouldn't circulate beyond what's needed to run the Wedding.
Day-of coordination & planner-unavailability backup
On-site coordination hours for the day itself, and what happens if the planner can't make it — a substitute or a partial refund.
Cancellation policy
A non-refundable retainer and notice-based fee bands if the couple cancels, mirroring how the planner's own calendar gets blocked out.
Vendor performance & liability limits
The planner recommends and negotiates with reasonable care, but doesn't guarantee any vendor's own performance — that risk sits with the vendor, not the planner.
Signatures & date
Both the couple and the planner sign and date the contract. It isn't binding until both have signed.
A venue, caterer or DJ contract only has to describe what that one vendor delivers. A wedding planner is different: part of the job is dealing with every other vendor on the couple’s behalf — getting quotes, negotiating price, and sometimes signing a vendor’s own contract. A contract that only lists the planner’s own deliverables and says nothing about that vendor-facing role leaves the most consequential part of the relationship undocumented.
That’s why a wedding planner contract needs two things a single-vendor contract has no reason to carry. First, a vendor-contracting authority clause that spells out exactly what the planner can and can’t commit the couple to — which vendors, and on what basis a vendor contract signed by the planner actually binds the couple rather than the planner personally. Second, a spending-limit mandate: a hard budget cap, and a lower threshold above which any single vendor needs the couple’s separate written sign-off, with the planner personally liable if they book past it. Without the second clause, the first one isn’t safe to grant at all.
The template above builds in both: a Vendor-Contracting Authority clause (clause 4) limiting the planner to approved vendors and approved prices, and a Spending-Limit Mandate (clause 5) capping total and per-vendor commitments with the planner on the hook for anything booked outside them — on top of the coordination scope (clause 3) that a single-vendor contract simply has no equivalent to.
Fill in the template above and send it to your client or planner for signature with a free Evenseal account — 3 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.
Not legal advice — for large bookings, extensive vendor-signing authority, or unusual terms, have a local attorney review your contract.